The palace museum that was inaugurated Thursday is open to all from Friday. [break]
From outside, the fading pink color of the former palace and the ill-maintained slating roofs that show of wear and tear from sun and cold and rain might create an impression that the stories were just rumors spread to defame the institution of monarchy for political gains.
But once inside, the beholder will miss a breath. The Kaski Baithak that one steps on after entering the huge silver and brass gate of the main palace building is back to its old splendor. When journalists flocked the Baithak in June last year to attend the last press conference of Gyanendra Shah, it was not as impressive, probably because the lavish furniture had been moved out to accommodate journalists.
The Kaski Baithak was the place where Nepal’s former kings swore in heads of constitutional bodies and received credentials from ambassadors. There are huge portrait paintings of Nepal’s former kings on the walls of the Baithak.
Dipesh Shrestha
On display are several bedrooms, some that were meant for heads of states and others for first ladies. The rooms are incidentally named after the poorest districts of Nepal such as Dailekh, Baitadi, and Accham. All the rooms have lavish flooring and wall decorations, not to mention the spectacular chandeliers.
There are halls for resting before a meal, after the meal and at night. And there are banquet halls that inspire awe.
The hall of the throne
The most impressive though is the Gorkha hall where the throne, the former center of power of the country, rests in all its majesty. The throne that is six-feet in length, four-feet in breadth and eight-feet in height, was used for decoration ceremony to royalties and for announcing the crown prince. The ceiling to this hall is placed so high above the floor that a visitor will have to bend head ninety-degree backwards.
Among other attractions are Gulmi, the private office, Dhading, the resting room, and Dhankuta, the bedroom of the former king.
The June 1, 2001 building
Built under the patronage of former king Tribhuvan by architect Surya Jung Thapa after the earthquake of 1934 killed two of Tribhuvan’s daughters, the Tribhuvan Sadan where the Royal Masaccre took place in 2001 is no more.Instead of the building is the foundation built when Gyanendra was king. Nepali Congress leader Gopal Man Shrestha who toured the museum said about this, “He demolished the building saying the sight of it made him sentimental.”
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Thursday that he would reopen investigation into the massacre. But there is nothing left to start the investigation on in terms of the crime scene.
Right now, only 19 of the 54 halls in the palace museum are on display, apart from what remains of the Tribhuvan Sadan and a vast garden with artistically built ponds and a waterspout.
There are innumerable artifacts, historical pictures and furniture inside the palace most of which don’t carry a tag mentioning the dates they were procured, from where, or who gifted them.
The palace museum is a reminder that once upon a time in Nepal there were kings who lived with their families in such luxury that few Nepalis could understand, let alone guess. The garden behind the palace building is a perfect place to wonder at this.
bikash@myrepublica.com
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