King Mahendra, a king with visionary yet autocratic ambitions
Quick Facts
- Full Name: Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
- Title: King of Nepal (1955–1972)
- Born: June 11, 1920 – Kathmandu, Nepal
- Died: January 31, 1972 – Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal
- Father: King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
- Mother: Queen Kanti Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah
- Spouse: Queen Indra Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah and Queen Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah
- Children: King Birendra, King Gyanendra, Princess Shanti, Princess Sharada, Princess Shobha, Prince Dhirendra
- Political System: Absolute Monarchy under the party-less Panchayat System
- Notable Titles: Mahendra the Builder, Nation-First King
If we want to learn about the biography of King Mahendra of Nepal, we need to study the 17-year-long yet very renowned period of Nepal. Since the public or social life of any public figure is more significant than their personal life, the biography of public figures also serves as a historical account of their remarkable contributions to public service.
Therefore, the biography of King Mahendra is a summarization of the actions he took for Nepal during his reign, as well as some details of his personal life, which we will explore gradually.
Early Life and Education
King Mahendra was born on June 11, 1920, at the Royal Palace in Kathmandu. He was the eldest son of King Tribhuvan and Queen Kantika. As Crown Prince, Mahendra grew up witnessing the political upheavals of the Rana autocracy and the changing landscape of national governance.
He received a traditional royal education and also studied at the Durbar High School in Kathmandu. In his early years, Mahendra developed an interest in literature, history, and poetry, which was later reflected in his writings and reforms. His education focused on leadership, diplomacy, and state affairs, which prepared him for future responsibilities.
Despite receiving his education from gurus within the court, King Mahendra is known as one of the most educated and skilled kings of Nepal. The development policies and programs he adopted after becoming king, along with the diplomacy he displayed in international relations, demonstrated that he was no less than a student of a global university.
King Mahendra demonstrated his ability to introduce a new political system, named Panchayat, after becoming king. Although he is widely regarded as an independent and absolute monarch, developing and implementing such a new political system was no less challenging.
He was fluent in many languages, including Nepali, Sanskrit, and English. Also, within the court, he had studied development programs and economic policies in depth, which is evident from the various policies he implemented in Nepal after becoming king.
Political Landscape of Nepal: When Mahendra Was Ascending to the Throne
Mahendra also had the opportunity to witness and experience the notoriously tyrannical Rana regime of Nepal firsthand, as Nepal remained under Rana rule until 1951. At that time, Prince Mahendra was 31 years old.
Before the establishment of democracy in Nepal, even though he was a member of the royal family, he had only nominal royal rights. All the power of the state was in the hands of the Rana Prime Minister or the General. Therefore, King Tribhuvan’s father, Mahendra, did not like this tyrannical Rana regime. Consequently, he was also in favor of the campaign to bring democracy to Nepal by supporting the people’s uprising.
On the other hand, some parties, including the Nepali Congress Communists and political leaders of the Nepali people, were involved in the struggle to end the Rana regime in Nepal. The Indian government also supported this movement of the Nepali people and parties.
Therefore, King Tribhuvan went into exile in India along with all the members of his royal family. As a result, necessary political pressure was exerted on the ruling Ranas of Nepal; however, the Ranas retained power by placing Mahendra’s two-and-a-half-year-old son, Prince Gyanendra, on the throne.
This act further exposed the Ranas on the international level, prompting them to demonstrate flexibility in reforming Nepal’s political system, despite facing international pressure and internal conflicts.
However, the Indian government initially pressed for the return of King Tribhuvan to the throne. After the Rana rulers accepted this condition of India, King Tribhuvan returned to Nepal with his family.
After the end of the 104-year-old Rana rule in 1951 and the return of King Tribhuvan from exile in India, Nepal officially entered a new democratic phase. Upon King Tribhuvan’s death in 1955, Mahendra ascended the throne as King of Nepal on March 13, 1955.
Although the early stages of democracy had begun in Nepal at the time of his coronation, the nation was still undergoing political experiments with democracy and struggling with instability, administrative incompetence, and a lack of infrastructure.

Significant Political Events During the Reign of King Mahendra
After the death of his father, King Tribhuvan, in 1955, Mahendra ascended the throne as the King of Nepal on March 13, 1955, and ruled as the monarch for approximately 17 years until his death on January 31, 1972.
The 17-year period during which Mahendra ruled as the King of Nepal was not long in political terms. Nevertheless, even during this brief period, King Mahendra implemented notable development projects, and significant political developments occurred in Nepal. In this way, his tenure is considered to be more remarkable than that of other kings.
King Mahendra initiated many good development projects, but many of the projects he implemented failed, and some are still being continued with improvements. King Mahendra died untimely, which may be why many of the projects he initiated failed.
However, from another political perspective, the criticism he received for implementing the strict monarchical system, also known as the Panchayat system, in Nepal is also considered equally noteworthy in the history of Nepal. The absolute monarchical rule and Panchayat system that he implemented continued in Nepal even after his death, during the tenure of King Birendra, and lasted for 30 years, until 1990.
The important political events during the tenure of King Mahendra can be explained as follows:
Institutional efforts of democracy
King Mahendra appointed Tanka Prasad Acharya as the Prime Minister after becoming king on 27 January 1956 (Magh 13, 2012 BS).
But Tanka Prasad Acharya could not last long as Prime Minister because he could not obtain the political authority he sought in the unstable government at that time. Therefore, he resigned from the post in July 1957 (Ashadh 2014 BS).
After that, in 1957 (2014 BS), King Mahendra appointed Dr. K. I. Singh (Dr. Kunwar Indrajit Singh) as Prime Minister. In this cabinet, the famous great poet of Nepal, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, was also Minister of Education.
King Mahendra did not keep Dr. K. I. Singh as Prime Minister for long and dismissed him from the post because he received signals that he would rebel against the king. He was also accused of trying to make the king a ‘puppet king’ like the Rana regime.
Then, Suvarna Shamsher Rana succeeded Dr. K. I. Singh as the Prime Minister of Nepal.
The Constitution of Nepal, 1959 (2015 B.S.) issued
Even after 7 years of democracy in Nepal, neither a permanent constitution nor general elections had been promulgated. Therefore, King Mahendra had to complete both these tasks to institutionalize democracy. It was not possible to run the country forever on the basis of an interim constitution and an unstable government.
Therefore, King Mahendra issued a royal proclamation on February 1, 1958, which was the basis for the formation of a Constitution Drafting Commission on March 27, 1958.
King Mahendra issued the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1959 (2015 BS) to move the country towards a parliamentary system.
A Constitution Drafting Commission was formed on March 27, 1958, based on the royal proclamation made on February 1, 1958.
Based on the draft submitted by the Constitution Drafting Commission, King Mahendra promulgated the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal on February 12, 1959 (Falgun 1, 2015).
According to this constitution, Nepal would have a bicameral system. The lower house would be the ‘House of Representatives’, with 109 members elected from 109 constituencies. Similarly, the upper house would be the ‘Mahasabha’, with 36 members (18 elected and 18 nominated).
The age limit for a candidate for the House of Representatives was 25, and for a candidate for the Mahasabha, it was 30. However, any Nepali could become a voter after reaching the age of 21.
This constitution recognized Nepali as the official language and Devanagari as the official script of the country. It also made provisions for the Public Service Commission, the Auditor General, etc., but it did not mention the Election Commission.
Elections under Nepal’s first multi-party system
According to the first multi-party system constitution of Nepal, which was enacted in Bikram Sambat 2015, the first general election was held in Nepal in 1959. The first democratic election in Nepal was held to elect 109 members of parliament to the lower house of Nepal, called the House of Representatives.
This election, considered the first democratic election in Nepal, was held from Falgun 7, 2015, to Chaitra 21, 2015, in the Bikram Samvat. It lasted 45 days and was held based on the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1959.
General Election-2015 Results
In this first general election under a multi-party system, the Nepali Congress won with a two-thirds majority and established itself as the largest party. Similarly, some parties, including the Gorkha Council, received a general vote.
BP Koirala: The first elected Prime Minister of Nepal
In the 1959 election, the Nepali Congress emerged as the largest party in parliament, and the then parliament elected leader BP Koirala (Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala) as the Prime Minister. Nepali Congress leader Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala was sworn in as Prime Minister before King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah on Jestha 13, 2016.
Similarly, the first meeting of this newly elected House was held on July 1, 1959.
King Mahendra’s coup d’état
One of the most significant turning points in Nepal’s political history occurred during King Mahendra’s reign. He dismissed the first democratically elected government and introduced an absolute monarchy under the Panchayat system.
Thus, the newly established democratically elected government in Nepal had just begun some work. But King Mahendra overthrew it without letting the elected government last even a year and a half.
For this, King Mahendra declared a coup d’état on December 15, 1960, and imposed military rule to take control of all the state’s power.
The coup d’état is known as the most famous event in Nepal’s history.
The king blamed the Congress government’s style of work for overthrowing the elected government and taking power into his own hands. According to him, the elected government encouraged corruption, prioritized the party over the national interest, and failed to maintain peace and order. However, since this elected government had just been formed, it was not able to implement any projects. Although he announced many plans, 18 months was not enough to implement them.
Key Facts about The Royal Coup of 1960
On Poush 1, 2017 B.S. (December 15, 1960 A.D.), King Mahendra carried out a royal coup:
- Dissolved the elected parliament,
- Arrested Prime Minister B.P. Koirala and several ministers of his cabinet,
- Suspended the 1959 Constitution,
- Banned all political parties,
- Declared direct rule under the king.
This dramatic move was made without any public consultation and shocked the nation.
The people’s elected government was dissolved, and many leaders, including Prime Minister BP Koirala, were imprisoned.
King Mahendra, along with the coup, imprisoned Prime Minister BP Koirala and other key leaders. In 2015, he suspended the newly formed Constitution of Nepal. He also dissolved the elected parliament or legislature and completely dismissed the administration.
King Mahendra established direct control over every organ of the state and imprisoned the then Prime Minister BP Koirala and his closest administrative aides. In addition, it was announced that Nepal’s political parties were banned.
Thus, King Mahendra’s sudden coup surprised and worried them about what would happen next.
Proclamation of a new non-party monarchy or panchayat system
After King Mahendra ended multi-party democracy, a non-party political system consisting of village, district, and national councils, the panchayat system, was declared in force on 13 April 1961.
Introduction of the Panchayat System
In 1961, Mahendra formally introduced the Panchayat System, a party-less political structure rooted in traditional governance models. He justified it as being more in line with Nepalese values, which he claimed were not suited for Western-style parliamentary democracy.
The Panchayat system had the following key features:
- Party-less structure: No political parties were allowed.
- Pyramid hierarchy:
- Village Panchayat (local level)
- District Panchayat
- Zonal Panchayat
- Rastriya Panchayat (National Parliament) – all under the king’s authority.
- King as supreme leader: All executive, legislative, and judicial powers ultimately lay with the monarch.
- Guiding principle: “Ek Bhasa, Ek Bhesh, Ek Desh” (One language, one dress, one nation) to foster nationalism and unity.
King Mahendra presented this as a “Nepali” model of democracy, which was supposed to be rooted in national tradition rather than imported ideologies.
After the party ban with the king’s coup, Nepal’s parties took action
Parties, including the Nepali Congress, became angry with the king for dissolving the elected government and imprisoning the prime minister. The party leadership initially declared non-violent resistance against the new panchayat regime. For this, the Nepali Congress formed partnerships with other political organizations, including the Gorkha Council and the United Democratic Party, which began to organize movements.
However, Prime Minister BP Koirala, who was the victim of the coup, was imprisoned for 8 years. A non-party Panchayat system was also implemented in Nepal. In addition, all the people’s movements that arose were suppressed by government forces. If anyone who demanded a party system and democracy in Nepal was arrested and tortured, they were called anti-national elements.
Non-Party Panchayat Monarchy System or Constitution of Nepal 2019
A new constitution was needed to implement a new non-party Panchayat system in Nepal. For this, a constitution drafting committee was formed under the coordination of the then Minister of Economic Affairs, Hrishikesh Shah, with Member Secretary Kulshekhar Sharma and Women’s Member Mrs. Angur Baba Joshi.
The commission responsible for drafting a new non-party constitution was formed on May 8, 1962. This commission was to submit the draft constitution to the King by June 1, 1962, or within 23 days.
But it was not possible to draft the new constitution so quickly. A few more months passed while discussing the draft constitution. Then, the new constitution of 2019 was prepared and promulgated by King Mahendra on December 16, 1962.
The constitution established a national structure with a four-tiered Panchayat system: the village panchayat, the district panchayat, the regional panchayat, and the national panchayat. The king was given sovereign and residuary powers. In addition, a section of the constitution stated that the king could amend the constitution by royal proclamation.
There was a provision for a unicameral legislature called the Rastriya Panchayat. There was a complete ban on the formation of political parties, but six class organizations were formed, each of which could send members to the Rastriya Panchayat. An Election Commission and a Commission for the Prevention of Abuse of Authority were established.
The new constitution officially recognized Hinduism as the national religion. Mr. Gambhir Nepali was appointed as the official national anthem. The new modernized national flag of Nepal and the method of drawing the flag were also explained.
In addition, the constitution mentioned the national symbols of Nepal, including the national flower, rhododendron, the national animal, the cow, the national color, red, and the national bird, the Himalayan monal.

Achievements of King Mahendra’s reign
Political Transformation
Although the non-partisan Panchayat monarchy implemented by King Mahendra in Nepal after overthrowing the elected government is heavily criticized by some parties and analysts, some people and parties who support the Panchayat system also argue that this step of the king was appropriate at the time. Therefore, this step is also included in the palace of his important achievements.
- In 1960, after years of democratic experimentation, Mahendra dismissed the democratically elected Prime Minister B.P. Koirala, saying he had failed to govern. He dissolved parliament, suspended the constitution, and ordered a new one to be created to suit his own needs. He then imposed a complete ban on party politics in Nepal.
- On Paush 1, 2017 (1960 CE), King Mahendra introduced the Panchayat system, a party-less political system in which the king held absolute power. According to the king, the panchayat system suited the country’s geography and cultural context. He believed that a multi-party system was more likely to be chaotic and corrupt, but that a non-party monarchy was the only option that could address the aspirations of the Nepali people.
- This change returned Nepal to an absolute monarchy, but it was still focused on nationalism, good governance, peace, and stability. The Panchayat system remained in place in Nepal until 1990. Then, the movement of Bikram Samvat 2046 BS, or the first people’s movement, established a multi-party monarchy in the reign of King Birendra in Nepal.
Nationalism and Development
Many politicians analyze King Mahendra as the “builder of modern Nepal.” King Prithvi Narayan Shah launched a campaign to unify Nepal into a large nation, while King Mahendra launched the first development campaign in Nepal.
Before King Mahendra’s time, Nepal was ruled by the Rana dynasty for many years, during which time the king was only in name, and the Ranas did not care about anything except the comforts of their families. However, within a few years of the end of the Rana dynasty, Mahendra, who became king, implemented many new development programs in Nepal for the first time. The development programs can be summarized as follows:
- In 1956, he launched a five-year plan to develop transport, communication, education, and health. He established the National Planning Commission to plan the country. He established the Office of the Auditor General, the Public Service Commission, and the Election Commission.
- Nepal established the Central Bank of Nepal in 1956 to accumulate foreign exchange reserves. Therefore, by 1964, Nepal became an independent country in terms of foreign exchange. The use of Indian currency was discouraged.
- The Nepal Industrial Development Corporation was established to expand the industrial sector. During his time, many institutions, including the Salt Trading Corporation, National Trading Limited, and Dairy Development Corporation, were established, and Nepal’s first government bond was issued in 1964.
- Mahendra also contributed to health services by building Nepal’s first maternity hospital, Kanti Children’s Hospital, and Royal Drugs Laboratory. Malaria eradication projects, Ayurvedic schools, and medical institutions were established in the Terai region.
- Institutions such as the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Birgunj Sugar Mill, Soktim Tea, Nepal Tea Development Corporation, and Agricultural Development Bank were established to support agricultural development and animal husbandry. Investment was also made in apple cultivation in Mustang and Baitadi, and a temperate horticulture development center was established.
- The Timber Corporation of Nepal Limited was established to collect and supply firewood produced by forest management systematically. The Janakpur Cigarette Factory was established, and tobacco farming was developed in Nepal.
- King Mahendra opened Nepal to international tourists and built many accommodations, rest houses, bars, and water fountains. Nepal joined the Association of International Official Travel Organizations in 1959, and a dedicated tourism department was established the following year. The first Tourism Act was enacted in 1964, and the first travel agency, Mountain Travel Nepal, was established.
- Similarly, the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) was established to regulate the establishment and laws related to hotels in Nepal. King Mahendra visited Rara Lake in 1964 and wrote his famous poem Rara Ki Apsara.
- During his reign, Mahendra built the modern Narayanhiti Palace in Chitwan, the Ratna Temple, the Lakeside Palace for Rani Ratna, and the Diyalo Bungalow Palace in Bharatpur for the former royal family.
- During King Mahendra’s reign, Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk Engineering Campus, Thapathali Engineering Campus, and Padmakanya Campus were established to develop the education sector.
- He opened the tracks of various highways, including the East-West Highway (Mahendra Highway) and the Kodari Highway, connecting the scattered regions of the country and initiating some construction.
- During his reign, he established Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, and the Nepali Film Industry.
- He implemented the Nepali Citizenship Certificate and Land Reform Acts to empower citizens and reduce feudal influence.
- King Mahendra promulgated the new Constitution of 2019, which included the phrase ‘Hindu Rajya’, and scientifically divided the country into 14 administrative regions or zones, including 75 districts.
- He abolished the royal courts and established local courts. He established the National Panchayat for legislative power, the Council of Ministers for executive power, and the Supreme Court for judicial power.
Foreign Policy
- During King Mahendra’s reign, agreements were also made with India for the construction of the Koshi River Dam, the Gandaki River Dam, and the Trishuli Dam.
- He adopted a non-aligned foreign policy during the Cold War between the two superpowers.
- He maintained coordinated relations with India and China and increased relations with the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Nations.
- He advocated for Nepal’s independent identity in the global arena, free from the dominance of regional powers. He promoted Nepal’s international recognition as a country of peace.
- He also adopted the principles of Panchasheel and a non-aligned foreign policy, and established Nepal as a committed member of the United Nations.
- King Mahendra adopted a foreign policy of neutrality between China and India. He also achieved a historic diplomatic victory by signing the Nepal-China Border Treaty of 1961, which resulted in Nepal gaining 302.75 square kilometers of land from China.
Literary Contributions
King Mahendra was not only a statesman but also a poet and writer:
- King Mahendra was not only a politician but also a poet and writer. He wrote under the pen name ‘M. B. B. Shah created sweet poems, songs, ghazals, and short stories.
- He wrote poems, essays, and memoirs that reflected patriotism, nationalism, and philosophical ideas. King Mahendra’s songs also became popular in the Nepali musical space at that time. He composed dozens of songs, including Ghazals, Lolaeka Ti Nazarle.
- Some of his works were included in the school curriculum, and he was also respected as a writer for his literary sensitivity.
Personal and family life
King Mahendra was known for his dignified personality, authoritative presence, and deep concern for the protection of Nepal’s sovereignty and culture. He was a sharp-minded, light-bodied, and agile personality from a young age. Therefore, he was called a development-loving king even though he did not study at an international college.
King Mahendra was especially interested in art, culture, literature, and sports. But he was especially interested in hunting in the forest and used to go hunting in various forests, including Chitwan in Nepal.
Family life
After King Mahendra became an adult, his relationship with his father, Tribhuvan, did not remain good due to differences over some issues. The first main reason for such differences was that King Tribhuvan had weakened the authority of the monarchy by giving too much support to the parties.
The second reason was that King Tribhuvan did not want his son Mahendra to marry the Rana’s daughter. But because Mahendra was in love with the Rana’s daughter, he was adamant about the marriage. Finally, despite these family differences, he married the Rana’s daughter twice.
King Mahendra married Queen Indra Rajyalakshmi Devi Shah in 1940. Queen Indra is the granddaughter of Juddha Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana and the daughter of General Hari Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana.
King Mahendra and Queen Indra had six children: three sons and three daughters. The eldest son, King Birendra, succeeded to the throne after King Mahendra’s death. The second son, Gyanendra, ascended the throne after the court massacre.
Mahendra’s youngest son, Dhirendra, two daughters, and many other members of the royal family were killed in the horrific palace massacre of June 1, 2001. However, the youngest daughter, Princess Shobha, survived the incident.
Unfortunately, after the birth of six children, Queen Indra died untimely in 1950. Two years later, in 1952, King Mahendra married Ratna Rajyalakshmi Devi Shah, the younger sister or sister-in-law of the previous Queen Indra. However, King Mahendra had made this marriage on the condition that he would not have any children with Queen Ratna. Therefore, no children were born to Queen Ratna. Queen Ratna was in another room when the palace massacre took place, so he was safe.
However, while discussing King Mahendra’s married life, another story also interests many people, so Biograph Nepal considers it natural to mention that topic as well.
According to history, a woman named Geeta Gurung worked in the royal court. Prince Mahendra fell in love with her at a very young age. Reports suggest that they also had a child before their marriage, Rabindra Shah. He was born out of wedlock, so he did not become the king of Nepal, and Birendra Shah became the king.
Legacy and Criticism
Mahendra is one of the most controversial but development-loving kings in Nepal’s history. He laid the foundation for Nepal’s development, but he did so under the shadow of a ruthless monarchy.
There are two types of differences of opinion about the actions taken during his reign.
Criticism of King Mahendra
Those who criticize King Mahendra mainly criticize him on the following grounds:
- King Mahendra destroyed the newly established democratic system in Nepal in 2017 and established an absolute monarchy, which took away the fundamental freedoms and rights of the Nepali people.
- After the king changed the system, political parties in the country staged major uprisings and struggles, in which thousands of people were victimized, killed, or injured, and disappeared. The communists of Nepal waged a violent struggle in 2028 BS, due to which unrest and insecurity increased in the country.
- The Panchayat monarchy ruled Nepal until 2046 BS, or for 30 years. During this period, the country was constantly involved in political conflicts and movements, which hampered its development.
- As mentioned in the previous chapter, some people also criticize King Mahendra’s behavior towards his two queens and his first lover. In addition, it is argued that King Mahendra ignored the advice of his father, King Tribhuvan, and did not respect his father’s feelings on various matters, including his marriage.
Appreciation of King Mahendra
Monarchists praise King Mahendra as a visionary ruler who laid the foundation of modern Nepal. Because during his time, new development programs were started in Nepal for the first time.
People also define King Mahendra as an ambitious king. But those who look for the dark side in King Mahendra’s ambition will also find many bright sides. His bright side is alive and well, as the infrastructure for development throughout Nepal is recorded in history.
The previous palace explained what reforms and development programs King Mahendra implemented. Therefore, people thank and praise him for those creative works.
King Mahendra’s fame is alive in Nepali political history. Many structures, institutions, places, and monuments have been built and named in his memory. After the restoration of the parliament in 2063 BS and the end of the monarchy in 2065 BS, some of the monuments built in his name were renamed.
Similarly, many monuments and development structures were dedicated to Queen Indra and Queen Ratna. Some were changed with the political changes, but some are still intact.
Hundreds of names have been kept in the memory of kings and queens, including Mahendra Highway, Mahendra Multiple Campus, Mahendra Morang Campus, Mahendra Police Club, Mahendranagar Municipality, Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Campus, Indra Rajya Lakshmi Maternity Home, Ratna Park, etc.
Untimely Death
King Mahendra had a great passion for hunting in the forest. In the same vein, while he was hunting in Chitwan, he suffered a second major heart attack. His trusted doctors, Dr. Mrigendra Raj Pandey and Dr. Sache Kumar Pahadi, worked tirelessly to treat him. But unfortunately, the king’s condition became serious.
Finally, on 31 January 1972, he died at the Diyalo Bungalow, the royal palace in Bharatpur. He was only 52 years old at the time and had only been king for 17 years.
Then his body was taken to Kathmandu by helicopter for a state funeral with full state honors. Thus, one of Nepal’s development-loving kings died an untimely and tragic death at a younger age.
After King Mahendra’s tragic death, his 26-year-old son Birendra immediately ascended the throne of Nepal. However, according to Hindu rituals, his coronation was held on 24 February 1975 at the age of 29 because Hindu astrologers had predicted auspicious dates for the work, saying that it should not be done before that date.
Conclusion
It is not easy to define King Mahendra in a nutshell, because in Nepal, the monarchists and republicans have opposite opinions about him. But in two main sentences, King Mahendra was a contradictory ruler because he brutally destroyed the new democracy that the Nepali people had just achieved through hard struggle.
But from another perspective, he is the only development-loving king of Nepal with a very high vision because he created as much development infrastructure in Nepal in a very short time as any other king has been able to.
Therefore, whether criticized or praised, King Mahendra is immortalized in Nepali history as a great figure of Nepal.
Biograph Nepal pays heartfelt tribute to the historical King Mahendra.
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