Nepal royal palace turned tourist spot

After deciding to turn Narayanhity palace into a museum, Nepal’s Maoists on Sunday opened another 240-year-old Shah dynasty palace in Gorkha district to the public.
Once the address of the Shah dynasty, the historic Gorkha palace was opened to the public with Maoist chief Prachanda unveiling a signboard with "Federal Democratic Republic Nepal" written on it.
Prachanda and senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai also toured the centuries-old palace for the first time.
Prachanda lauded the efforts of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, King Gyanendra’s ancestor, to unify the country. "Nepal might not have been a republic had Prithvi Narayan Shah not unified the country," the Maoist chief said.
He also expressed his gratitude to the residents of Gorkha district, responsible for establishing the Shah dynasty’s rule in Nepal.
The sprawling Gorkha palace assumed great significance in the country’s history because King Prithvi Narayan Shah had launched his unification campaign from the palace and later went on to annex smaller states and gave a final shape to Nepal.
The new government has already decided to turn Gyanendra’s Narayanhity Palace into a museum. A high-level team of government officials on Sunday visited the Narayanhity Palace and assessed its security.

Nepal Royal Palaces Turned Tourist Spot

In Nepal, one can now look forward to getting a transitory feel of what it must have been like living in its opulent centuries-old royal palaces. This is because Nepal’s Maoists on Sunday, June 1, pronounced that King Gyanendra’s Narayanhity Palace as well as another 240-year-old Shah Dynasty Palace in Gorkha district will soon be turned into museums.

The famous Narayanhity Palace & Gorkha Palace of Nepal once served as the abode of the royal native rulers. But it was recently opened to the general public by Maoist chief Prachanda, who unveiled a signboard which reads ‘Federal Democratic Republic Nepal’. The Maoist chief Prachanda as well as another prominent Maoist leader, Baburam Bhattarai themselves also explored the historic palaces for the very first time.

The Maoist chief later on upheld the endeavor of Nepal’s King Prithvi Narayan Shah, an ancestor of King Gyanendra, in unifying this Himalayan kingdom. ‘Nepal might not have been a republic had Prithvi Narayan Shah not unified the country,’ said Prachanda. He even proffered his thanks to the Gorkha district denizens for helping in setting up of the Shah dynasty’s rule in Nepal. It is reported that King Gyanendra will evacuate the royal Narayanhity Palace within a two weeks’ timeframe.