Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the

King of Nepal The King of Nepal (traditionally known as the Mahārājdhirāja i.e. Great King of Kings; it can also be translated as "Sovereign Emperor" ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजधिराज)) was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 ...

from 13 March 1955 until his death in 1972. Following the 1960 coup d'état, he established the partyless Panchayat system which governed the country for 28 years until the introduction of multiparty democracy in 1990. During his reign, Nepal experienced a period of industrial, political and economic change that opened it to the rest of the world for the first time after the 104-year-long reign of the Rana rulers, who had kept the country under an isolationist policy, came to an end in 1951.

Early life

King Mahendra was born in the year 11 June 1920 (1977 B.S) at the

Narayanhiti Palace The Narayanhiti Palace Museum ( Nepali: नारायणहिटी दरवार) is a public museum in Kathmandu, Nepal located east of the Kaiser Mahal and next to Thamel. The museum was created in 2008 from the complex of the former N ...

to King

Tribhuvan of Nepal Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (30 June 1906 – 13 March 1955) was King of Nepal from 11 December 1911 until his ...

. King Mahendra was the eldest child of King Tribhuvan and Queen Kanti. Under the

Rana dynasty Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...

, the power of the king was reduced to that of a

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...

. Although Tribhuvan was nominally king since 1911, the royal family had been held captive in

since the rise of the prominent

. Even though he had not take any official education, he took private education inside the palace and learned politics, economics and Nepali literature, history and culture. Inside the palace, King Mahendra had a love affair with a concubine, named Geeta Gurung through which a child was born at the age of 13.There was only one child named Rabindra Shah/Gurung. Since the concubine was not a Thakuri, his marriage could not take place and the royal family decided to marry their son with the Rana family. In 1940, He married Indra Rajya Lakshmi, the granddaughter of

Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana Field Marshal Shree Shree Shree Maharaja Sir Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana ( ne, जुद्ध शम्शेर जङ्गबहादुर राणा) (19 April 1875 in Narayanhity Palace, Kathmandu – 20 November 1952 in Dehrad ...

and daughter of General Hari Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. Mahendra had three sons, Birendra, Gyanendra, and Dhirendra and three daughters Shanti, Sharada, and Shobha. His first wife, Crown Princess Indra died in 1950. In 1951 King Tribhuvan launched a successful political movement against the Ranas and established

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

as a constitutional monarchy. Mahendra was not happy that King Tribhuvan had reduced the rights of the monarchy in the 1951 (2007 B.S) Interim Constitution while bidding farewell to the

after the 1951 revolution. After the death of his first wife Indra Rajya in 1950, the then Prince Mahendra was in a love affair with sister in law,

Ratna Ratna (रत्न) (also Rathna or Rathan) is a Sanskrit term for " jewel". It is also a popular female Hindu name. Ratna may refer to: People * Ratna, Queen Mother of Nepal (born 1928), Queen Consort of Nepal from 1955 to 1972 * Ratna Fabr ...

, but King Tribhuvan was planning to prevent his son from marrying Rana's daughter Ratna under any circumstances. Prince Mahendra did not like the pressure of his father to marry the girl of his choice. King Tribhuvan, on the other hand, was not in favor of expanding relations with the Rana family, even more so with Shamsher's Clan. King Tribhuvan was outraged by the insult inflicted on him by Juddha Shamsher, but the dispute had been going on for a long time. In 1952,two years after the death of his queen, Mahendra married Indra's younger sister, Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi. This created bad relations between him and his father. This marriage produced no children as King Mahendra had married on the condition his personal life should not hinder his national duties and the queen agreed to be childless.

Early reign

Mahendra became the king of Nepal as the successor of King Tribhuvan. When King Tribhuvan left for Europe for treatment, Mahendra got the authority from the then King Tribhuvan. He inherited the throne aged 34 as a

constitutional monarch A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. He became king on 13 March 1955 but his coronation took place on 2 May 1956 due to the one year mourning period of death of his father.

Tanka Prasad Acharya's cabinet

On January 27, 1956 (Magha 13, 2012 B.S) King Mahendra appointed Acharya as the Prime Minister of Nepal. The first five-year plan was launched during his tenure as prime minister. During his time,

Nepal Rastra Bank The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) ( ne, नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंक) was established April 26, 1956 A.D. ( Nepali Date: Baisakh 14, 2013 B.S.) under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 1955, to discharge the central banking responsibili ...

and the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

were established. Acharya's tenure is also seen as a golden age for Nepal in foreign relations. In addition to establishing diplomatic relations with many countries, the government was able to establish close ties with the Chinese government. The Chinese government had provided Rs 60 million to Nepal on 7 October 1956 (Ashwin 22, 2013 B.S). Tanka Prasad Acharya resigned as Prime Minister in July 1957(Ashadha 2014 B.S).

Kunwar Indrajit Singh's cabinet

Kunwar Indrajit Singh was appointed Prime Minister by King Mahendra in 1957 (2014 B.S) His cabinet included Education Minister Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota. He tenure was mostly spent in attempts to curtail his own enemies He was later replaced by a government led by Suvarna Samsher Rana. According to General Nara Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, he was dismissed by King Mahendra because he tried to stage a coup against the king and relegate him to a 'puppet king', just like in the Rana days.

Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1959

King Mahendra had promulgated the constitution in 1959(2015 B.S) to take the country towards a parliamentary system. On the basis of the royal announcement on February 1, 1958, a Constitution Drafting Commission was formed on March 27, 1958, to take the country towards a parliamentary system. On the basis of the draft prepared by the Constitution Drafting Commission, the Constitution of the Dominion of Nepal(2015) was announced on February 12, 1959 (Falgun 1, 2015 B.S) from King Mahendra. Sections 73 and 75 came into force on February 12, 1959, and the rest of the sections came into force from June 17, 1959. In that law, which has a bicameral system, the lower house was the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ca ...

and the upper house was the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. There was a system of 109 members elected from 109 constituencies in the House of Representatives, while in the General Assembly there were 36 members with 18 elected and 18 nominated. Candidates were required to be 25 years of age to become a candidate for the House of Representatives and 30 years of age to be a candidate for the General Assembly. After reaching the age of 21, one could become a voter. The constitution had made the first provision of Public Service Commission which required one-third member to have not had served government job for last 5 years. The arrangement of the Auditor General was also made for the first time while there was no arrangement for an Election Commission. The constitution recognized Nepali as the official language and

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

as the official script of the country. The 1959 election was held in accordance with this constitution BP Koirala taking oath as 22nd Prime minister of Nepal

BP Koirala taking oath as 22nd Prime minister of Nepal

General election 1959

In order to elect 109 representatives to the

, the lower house of the Parliament of Nepal, the first democratic election of Nepal was held in 45 days from Falgun 7, 2015 until Chaitra 21, 2015. B.S. This election was held in accordance with the Constitution of the

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu king ...

1959, which was implemented on Falgun 1, 2015 B.S. The

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...

, achieved two-third majority and merged as the largest party in the election.

BP Council of Ministers

The

, which emerged as the largest party in the election, elected party president B. P. Koirala as the leader of the parliamentary party and fielded him as Nepal's prime minister. On Jestha 13, 2016 B.S. Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala of the

took the oath of office before the then King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah. The first assembly of the house took on 1 July 1959 (Ashadha 17, 2016 B.S.)

1960 coup d'état

On 15 December 1960, King Mahendra used his emergency powers and took charge of the State once again claiming that the Congress government had fostered corruption, promoted party above national interest and failed to maintain law and order. The King suspended the constitution, dissolved the elected parliament, dismissed the cabinet, imposed direct rule and imprisoned the then-prime minister B. P. Koirala and his closest government colleagues. Political parties were outlawed.

Panchayat Regime

On 13 April 1961, Mahendra made a televised appearance, in which he introduced

Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical menti ...

, a partyless political system of village, district and national councils. At first, the

leadership propounded a non-violent struggle against the new order and formed alliances with several political parties, including the Gorkha Parishad and the United Democratic Party. However, the king would abolish political activities, jail political dissenters calling them anti-national elements and introduce a new constitution in which the people could elect their representatives, while real power remained in the hands of the monarch.

Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1962

The Constitution Drafting Commission was formed on May 8, 1962, with the then Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs

Rishikesh Shah Rishikesh Shah (May 16, 1925 – November 13, 2002) was a Nepalese writer, politician and human rights activist.Angur Baba Joshi as the only female member. The commission was assigned to submit the draft constitution to the king within 23 days until June 1, 1962. On December 16, 1962, King Mahendra promulgated a new constitution institutionalizing a four-tier Panchayat System. The constitution had a unicameral legislature named as Rashtriya Panchayat. Sovereign power and residual rights were vested in the King based on Article 90. There was a provision that the constitution could be amended by a

royal proclamation A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

from the king. This constitution made the provision of

Election Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

and the Commission for Prevention of Abuse of Authority for the first time. The arrangement of 6 class organizations was made which could send its class representatives in the Rashtriya Panchayat while the basic duties of citizens were also designated. The Constitution officially recognized

Hindu religion Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global pop ...

as the national religion and introduced country's first

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europe ...

by giving official recognition to Shriman Gambhir. It also introduced the new modernized

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...

of the country and therewith introduced the method to draw out the flag for the first time . In addition to that, it introduced national emblem such as Lali gurans as the national flower, crimson colour as the national colour, the

cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

as the national animal and Danphe as the national bird of Nepal. The constitution, which has been amended 3 times, was first amended on January 27, 1967. Through the first amendment, the various English words used in the constitution were replaced with Nepali, Nepal was divided into 14 zones and 75 districts and the arrangement of zonal commissioner was made. The constitution would officially abolish political parties and substitute a ''" National Guidance" system'' based on local panchayat led directly by the king.

Panchayat election 1963

The first elections to the National Panchayat took place in March and April 1963.The panchayat election of 1963 was held on the basis of constitution of kingdom of Nepal 1962. Although political parties officially were banned and the major opposition parties publicly refused to participate, about one-third of the members of the legislative were associated with the

. There were 4,000 village assemblies at the local level, electing nine members of the village assemblies, who in turn elected a mayor . Each village assemblies sent a member to sit on one of seventy-five district ''panchayat'', representing from forty to seventy villages; one-third of the members of these assemblies were chosen by the town ''panchayat''. Members of the district ''panchayat'' elected representatives to fourteen zone assemblies functioning as electoral colleges for the National Panchayat in Kathmandu. In addition, there were class organizations at village, district, and zonal levels for peasants, youth, women, elders, laborers, and ex-soldiers, who elected their own representatives to assemblies.

Panchayat system (1962–1972)

Adopted on the second anniversary of the royal coup and founded on the idea of having a system "suitable to the soil", the new constitution, created a four-tier Panchayat System. The National Panchayat of about ninety members could not criticize the royal government, debate the principles of partyless democracy, introduce budgetary bills without royal approval, or enact bills without approval of the king. Mahendra was supreme commander of the armed forces, appointed (and had the power to remove) members of the Supreme Court, appointed the Public Service Commission to oversee the civil service, and could change any judicial decision or amend the constitution at any time. To many of the unlettered citizens of the country, the king was a spiritual force as well, representing the god Vishnu upholding

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

on earth. Within a span of ten years, the king had, in effect, reclaimed the unlimited power exercised by

Prithvi Narayan Shah Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...

in the eighteenth century. Support of the king by the army and the government bureaucracy prevented opposition to his rule from developing within the Panchayat System. Real power came from the king's secretariat, and in the countryside influence rested in the offices of zonal commissioners and their official staffs or the parallel system of development officers. The

leadership made increasingly conciliatory statements and began to announce its faith in democratic ideals under the leadership of the king. In 1968 the king began to release political prisoners, including B. P. Koirala, who was freed on 30 October. At this point, a three-way split developed in the

. B.P. Koirala went to India, where he headed a wing committed to democratic revolution and violent overthrow of the Panchayat System. He was a symbol for youth but powerless politically. Subarna Shamsher's wing continued to advocate local cooperation with the king outside the Panchayat System. A third wing tried to work within the Panchayat System in the expectation that it would evolve into a democratic system. The disunity of the political opposition left King Mahendra to do as he wished.

Attempts to overthrow the regime

There were multiple struggles and attempts to remove the king from power both before and during the Panchayat regime.

1957 coup d'état attempt

King Mahendra used his residual power of

Royal prerogative of mercy In the English and British tradition, the royal prerogative of mercy is one of the historic royal prerogatives of the British monarch, by which they can grant pardons (informally known as a royal pardon) to convicted persons. The royal prero ...

and pardoned KI Singh in 1955 when he was declared a traitor and rebellion against the state by former state powers. He was then allowed to enter the country and listening to his nationalist view,

Kunwar Inderjit Singh Kunwar Indrajit Singh ( ne, कुँवर इन्द्रजीत सिंह; 1906 – 4 October 1982), popularly known as Dr. K.I. Singh or just K.I. Singh was a Nepali politician and revolutionary who served as the 20th Prime Mini ...

was appointed Prime Minister by King Mahendra in 1957. He tenure was mostly spent in attempts to curtail his enemies while he also tried to stage a coup against the king with the help of the army. However, the head of the army, General Nar Shamsher, being loyal to the king informed him about the coup and KI Singh was immediately dismissed.

Janakpur bomb incident

On January 22, 1962, King Mahendra visited the Janaki Temple after completing his eastern tour. Arvind Kumar Thakur and other anti-panchayat youths under the leadership of Durgananda Jha threw a bomb at the car he was traveling in when he was returning to the arena after performing religious visit. Fifty nine people were arrested on the charge of their involvement in the incident and a special court was formed to investigate the incident. The court found three people, Durgananda Jha, Arvind Kumar Thakur and Dal Singh Thapa, guilty on July 3, 1962. They were slapped death penalty on grounds of treason and rebellion on September 4, 1963, after the introduction of new Nation's Legal Code (Muluki Ain ) on 17 August 1963 since the old law did not allow the punishment of a person of Brahmin descent. On January 29, 1964, Durgananda Jha was hanged until death while Arvind Kumar Thakur and Dal Singh Thapa had their sentenced changed to life time imprisonment.

Notable works and improvements

Promotion of nationalism

King Mahendra's role in the promotion of nationalism has been unforgettable. In nearly two centuries since Prithvi Narayan Shah, Nepal was administered as a single political entity from

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

and was treated as a single country by its neighbouring powers including like China,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

but its citizens never had a unified sense of "Nepali-ness".Mocko, A. T. (2016). ''Demoting Vishnu: ritual, politics, and the unraveling of Nepal's Hindu monarchy''. Oxford University Press. page 36-37 Even the citizens of the country did not know where and what

was. calling

Kathmandu valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

as Nepal, lower plains around

Birgunj Birgunj ( ne, वीरगञ्ज) is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhesh Province of southern Nepal. It lies south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul in the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entry ...

Biratnagar Biratnagar () is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Province No. 1. With a population of 242,548 as per the 2011 census, it is the largest city in the province and also the headquarters of Morang district. As per the ...

area as Madesh, upper gorkha region as

Gorkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...

, and western Nepal as Khas and even the king as Gorkhali King rather than a king of Nepal.Rana, Mani, and Dhurba Hari Adhikari.
''Interview with B P Koirala''
(in Nepali), BBC London, 9 Nov. 2020, Accessed 26 July 2022. It is said that Nepal was built before, but Nepal as a political boundary and country was institutionalized by King Mahendra. Before 1960, foreigners were free to purchase land in Nepal. After coup d'état of 1960, King Mahendra banned foreigners from purchasing land in Nepal. At that moment there was no single mother language used by the whole nation, and Nepalese were increasingly influenced from foreign languages. Indian cultures,

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

s, teaching of

Hindi language Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been d ...

in the schools were all the signs leading towards the amalgamation of Nepal into India. Mahendra was uncomfortable with the widespread changes happening in the country: a diverse elected cabinet under BP Koirala; political parties in the

Terai , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna ...

advocating for an autonomous province; and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been d ...

, lingua franca of the people of Indian origin, being spoken in Parliament. The king was troubled by how democracy had allowed people to assert their identity and culture forcing communalism, regionalism, and other anti-national motives . When Hindi dominance was increasing in communities, he devised the policy of national language by selecting Khas Kura as the national language as it was the lingua franca and made it nationwide. The language was transformed from

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

, to

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

and then later to

national language A national language is a language (or language variant, e.g. dialect) that has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a nation. There is little consistency in the use of this term. One or more languages spoken as first languages in the te ...

. By establishing the

, King Mahendra made Nepali currency compulsory throughout the kingdom. At that time, 90 percent of Indian currency was in circulation in Nepal. By creating a distinct language, distinct currency, distinct dress, distinct political system and distinct religious identity from those of the neighbouring nations, Mahendra created a distinct identity of the people which in turn promoted national unity and nationality. King Mahendra personally funded 2 lakh 50 thousand rupees to build a martyr's gate at Bhadrakali, Kathmandu in order to honor the great

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

s who died for the rights and democracy of the people during the

rana regime Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other ...

. He is also credited for introducing country's first

by giving official recognition to Shriman Gambhir. The constitution introduced by King Mahendra in 1962 introduced the modern

of the country which is being used until today. In 1955 King Mahendra appointed a commission headed by famous writer Balkrishna Sama to make nominations of

National heroes of Nepal National Heroes of Nepal ( ne, नेपालका राष्ट्रिय विभूतिहरू, translit=Nepalka Rashtriya Bibhutiharu) is a list of 18 Nepali people, that also includes those from ancient and medieval times, who were ...

since ancient times on the basis of their contributions to the nation.

Diplomatic campaign

The role played by Mahendra in establishing Nepal in the international arena is important. From the thought of achieving membership of the United Nations to establishing Nepal as a zone of peace major attributions goes to King Mahendra. Adopting the principle of Panchsheel and non-aligned foreign policy, he maintained diplomatic relations with neighboring countries and kept them in balance. King Mahendra established diplomatic relations with 45 countries to show the world that Nepal is an independent nation. In 2012 B.S, Nepal also became a member of the United Nations.

Rishikesh Shah Rishikesh Shah (May 16, 1925 – November 13, 2002) was a Nepalese writer, politician and human rights activist.United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

. On Magha 13, 2012 B.S, King Mahendra appointed Acharya as the Prime Minister of Nepal. He established friendly relations by visiting China and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Under his guidance and policy, Nepal was elected as a Member of

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

in 1969. Nepal was elected in the

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

the second time again in 1988. Nepal established its image as a committed member of the UN and Nepal was well recognized by the member countries. Nepal's active role and the role she played on the Security Council twice are the proof of a success policy guided by the King. King's tenure is also seen as a golden age for Nepal in foreign relations. In addition to establishing diplomatic relations with many countries, the government was able to establish close ties with the Chinese government. He pursued a foreign policy of neutrality between China and

. One of the historical diplomatic achievement of king Mahendra is his success in Nepal-China Boundary Treaty of 1961. The border adjustments was made on grounds of equality by performing land-swapping with Nepal gaining more land than it gave. After the treaty Nepal gained 302.75 square kilometer more land from China.

Development policy

King Mahendra introduced five years government plans to plan and oversee development in the country. Seeing the importance of planning in better development, the king established the National Planning Commission in 2013 BS. The highway built by the king has greatly contributed to the all round socio-economic development of the country. He launched the Back to the Village National Campaign in 1967 which was one of his largest rural development efforts. He established Nepal Sports Council to oversee the development of the sports activities in the country. For the first time the industrial policy of 1957 formally recognized the responsibility of the government in "promoting, assisting and regulating" industrial development in the country and the First Plan intended to establish state monopolies in the fields of transportation, telecommunication, hydro-electric power generation and irrigation, and to run some big industries, such as cement, sugar, cigarettes, textiles, iron and steel He introduced Company Act for the first time in Nepal on 1964 to facilitate and manage the industrialization of the economy. Following the promulgation of Nepal Electricity Corporation Act 2019, Nepal Electricity Corporation (NEC) came into operation in 1962 which was the main authority for responsible for providing electricity to the citizens.Shrestha, H. M. (2017)
Facts and figures about hydropower development in Nepal
''Hydro Nepal: Journal of Water, Energy and Environment'', ''20'', 1-5. The provision of planning for five years known as the five-year plan started during his reign from 1956.

Economic reforms

Before 1956, Nepal did not have its own foreign currency reserve but rather maintained it in central bank of India. For getting the foreign currency amounts required to bear the expenses of Nepalese Embassies and treatment expenses of King, an application had to be submitted to the

Reserve Bank of India The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible for ...

. One of the problems that distressed Nepalese economy was the circulation of two types of currency, Nepalese and Indian simultaneously.

had a dominant use of

Indian rupee The Indian rupee (symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency in the republic of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 '' paise'' (singular: ''paisa''), though as of 2022, coins of denomination of 1 rupee are the lowest value in use wh ...

. Exchange rates between the Indian and Nepali currency were fixed by local traders. Between 2007 and 2011 B.S, Nepal's economic dependence on India was 95 percent. Seeing this, King Mahendra, established a central bank on 26 April 1956 in order to reduce dependence on India, replace Indian currency being circulated in the market and strengthen the countries' sovereignty by making Nepal independent in foreign currency exchange. Mahendra had managed to bring this dependency below 60 percent. The responsibility of notes issuance was transferred from "Sadar Muluki khana" (Central Treasury) to the NRB. On 19 February 1960, NRB released its first bank notes in the denomination of Mohru 1. The Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 1955 and Later, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1963 and Nepal's choice for a fixed exchange rate with Indian Currency along with supporting government policies contributed significantly in stabilizing confidence in both the domestic currency and in exchange rate among the local traders. Additionally, during this decade, the national policy of relations with foreign institution were implemented which created the foundation for membership with international organization such as the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster glob ...

(IMF) and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

(WB) in 1961. Because of these policies, Nepal succeeded in the circulation of the new

Nepalese rupee The Nepalese rupee ( ne, रुपैयाँ; symbol: रु; code: NPR) is the official currency of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The Nepalese rupee is subdivided into 100 ''paisa''. The issuance of the currency is controlled by t ...

as the

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in pa ...

in Nepal's

region which was predominated by Indian currencies and facilitated for the elimination of the dual currency period in 1964 in the country and making Nepal independent in foreign currency exchange. Many financial institutions, such as Rastriya Banijya Bank, Rastriya Beema Sansthan, Nepal Co-operative Banks among others were gradually established to make the Nepalese economy more engaging and sustainable.

Industrialization of economy

In July 1959, Nepal Industrial Development Corporation started serving as an industrial finance organization to expand Nepalese industries and services, including hotels, and industrial estates. King Mahendra laid the foundation of economic development by building physical infrastructure with the help of foreign aid. The foundation for the Industrial Estates (IEs) was laid with the establishment of Balaju Industrial Area in 1963 (2018 BS) with technical and financial assistance from the United States of America (USA). Patan Industrial Area, Hetauda Industrial Area, Dharan Industrial Area, Birgunj Sugar Mill,

Nepal Oil Corporation Nepal Oil Corporation Limited (NOC) ( ne, नेपाल आयल निगम लिमिटेड) is a monopoly state owned trading enterprise of Nepal that imports, stores and distributes various petroleum products in the country. In Nepa ...

, Janakpur Cigarette Factory, Himal Cement Industry, and Balaju Textile Industries were all established during his time. Salt Trading Corporation was established in 1963 (2020 BS), with objective to make iodized table salt accessible to all citizens. Later, again to deal with the import and export for the purpose of rendering support to the economic development of the country Mahendra established National Trading Limited. On 12 March 1969, (Falgun 29, 2025 B.S) with the help of Chinese aid, Mahendra inaugurated Nepal's First Brick and Tile Factory in Harisiddhi which started its production two months later in Baishakh 17 2026 BS. Similarly, Bansbari leather Shoe Factory was also established in 1965 with help of Chinese aid. Similarly, he started the era of stocks and bonds by issuing the first

Government Bond A government bond or sovereign bond is a form of bond issued by a government to support public spending. It generally includes a commitment to pay periodic interest, called coupon payments'','' and to repay the face value on the maturity dat ...

in 1964. To providing a guaranteed market for milk to the rural farmers with fair price and for the purpose of economic advancement of the farming communities Dairy development corporation (DDC) was established in 1969 . During the Cold War, Nepal tried to boost the economy by creating an environment of economic cooperation between the two neighboring sides.

Contribution to health

The death of the first wife of King Mahendra due to birth complications led to the building of the kingdom's first

maternity hospital A maternity hospital specializes in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth. It also provides care for newborn infants, and may act as a centre for clinical training in midwifery and obstetrics. Formerly known as lying-in hospitals, mo ...

, Paropakar Shree Panch Indra Rajya Lakshmi Maternity Hospital later renamed as Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital, commonly known as the Prasuti Griha, on the grounds of Charburja Durbar on 17 August 1959. Kanti Children's Hospital was established as a general hospital in 1963 with the economic aid from

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and was later specialized mainly for children in 1968. In 1964, Royal Drugs laboratory was established to perform scientific research and analysis of drugs as well as development of new drugs. Also, Nepal Ausadhi Limited was established in 1972 with technical collaboration with

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

. In the same year, Institute of Medicine (IOM) was established under

Tribhuvan University Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is ...

with the purpose of producing and training all categories of medical manpower required for the nation which immediately initiated courses for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Community Medical Assistants. The first ayurvedic school, Rajakiya Ayurvedic Bidyalaya was also established in this year. Malaria Eradication Project in the Terai region was launched for the first time in 1958 with the help of USAID. After its success, several other projects to control and prevent smallpox, tuberculosis and leprosy were initiated in successive years. Programs to prevent nutritional disorders, and family planning, maternal and child health issues were also launched in successive years. Various health centers were established between 1955 and 1958 such as in Dailekh (1955), Ramnagar Bhutaha,sunsari (1956) and Chainpur, Sankhuwasabha (1957). Biratnagar Hospital, Dang Hospital and Baglung Hospital were also opened between 1955 and 1958. In 1958, government announced to build one health center in each 105 electoral constituency and announced to establish zonal hospitals in all 14 zones in 1961. Within this policy the numbers reached 32 for hospitals and 104 for health centers in the public sector In the year 1963. Similarly in this period, hospitals funded by various NGO missions were established such as Scheer Memorial Hospital in banepa (1957), Pokhara Shining Hospital in Kaski (1957), Amp Pipal Hospital in

(1957), Okhaldhunga Hospital in

Okhaldhunga Okhaldhunga is the headquarters of the Okhaldhunga District in the Sagarmatha Zone of Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3761 living in 790 individual households. Background The name Okhaldhunga originates from ...

(1963), Bulingtar Hospital in Nawalparasi (1962) and United Mission Hospital in Palpa(1954),Anandban Leprosy Hospital in patan (1963), Green Pasteur Hospital in kaski (1957) and Dadeldhura Leprosy Hospital in Dadeldhura.

Agricultural development

To support animal husbandry and agriculture and to modernize the traditional agriculture ''

Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science Tribhuvan University's Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) is the oldest institute in Nepal which provides higher education in agriculture and animal science. Overview IAAS was founded in Kathmandu in 1957 as a school of agricu ...

'' (IAAS) was established in 1957 as an independent institute for the motive of training agriculture technicians which was later brought under Tribhuvan University's management. In 1964, to process sugar from sugar cane, Birgunj Sugar Mill was established with economic aid from the then

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

in Parsa. Visioning better future prospects of the Tea industry in Nepal, in 1965 a Tea plantation Estate, Soktim Tea was set up in the plains of

Jhapa District Jhapa ( ne, झापा जिल्ला; ) is a district of Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal named after a Rajbanshi word "Jhapa" meaning "to cover" (verb). The latest official data, the 2021 Nepal Census, puts the total population of the ...

. Nepal Tea Development Corporation was established in 1966 by Government of Nepal to aid the development of Tea industry. Agriculture Supply Corporation, which was later split into Nepal Food Corporation, Krishi Samagri Company Ltd. and National Seed Company Ltd was established in 1965 to distribute high quality agricultural inputs such as seeds, and agro-chemicals at a price accessible to the farmers across the country. In order to provide credit to farmers and people of rural areas, financial institutions dedicated to agriculture development, Agricultural Development Bank was established in 1967 . This bank has also been executing Small Farmer Development Program (SFDP) for motive of

poverty alleviation Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...

in rural areas. Agricultural Tools Factory was initially established in Birgunj in 1967 and later also in Biratnagar to produce required agricultural tools for the farmers in cheap cost within the country with the technical and economic aid of

. Dhan Chamal Company was established to produce rice produced from the fields of newly extended agriculture region after the extinction of malaria in the Terai region. Eradication of

Malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, fatigue (medical), tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In se ...

in the Terai region and the land settlement programs contributed to a massive movement of population from the hills into the

, resulting in a large increase in the area devoted to agriculture. In late 1950s, king Mahendra gave a direct order to make feasibility studies of agricultural development in various parts of the country. In the early 1960s, buckwheat and millet were the main agriculture products in Mustang, which were easy to produce but were extracting very little income since rice and wheat were the main products beyond its borders. The then government of Nepal invested in apple farming for the first time in several areas around the region like mustang and Baitadi, by setting up a regional agricultural outpost in 1966 which was later restructured as the Temperate Horticulture Development Center. Along with the horticulture expert Pasang Sherpa and help of the

Nepali army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...

, government tested different varieties of the fruit on various qualities parameters, while disseminating the most successful cultivated ones to local farmers. The technical and economic assistance provided to the farmers, as well as harvest and grooming tools and equipment promoted apples and agro products in Marpha,

Jomsom Jomsom (), (Ward No. 4 of Gharpajhong Rural Municipality) also known as Dzongsam (New Fort) is the centre of Gharapjhong rural municipality in Mustang district and a former independent village development committee situated at an altitude of ...

and Thak Khola villages of

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, th ...

which eventually introduced this region as the apple farmland of the country. According to the Companies Act, "The Timber Corporation of Nepal Limited" (TCN), later restructured as Nepal Forest corporation, was established in 1960 to systematically collect and chop firewood produced by forest management and supply it to the general public. Cigarette was one of the major import during panchayat regime so people were encouraged to cultivate tobacco and Janakpur Cigarette Factory was established to make use of such tobacco and reduce the import of cigarette in the country.

Tourism development

He also focused on the development of tourism in Nepal. Apparently, he built many houses, rest houses,

Tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

s and water taps in this beautiful country. Under his reign, Nepal was first open to the foreign people laying the foundation of tourism in the nation. The first tourist group aside from the Foreign Diplomat and

Bureaucrat A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can compose the administration of any organization of any size, although the term usually connotes someone within an institution of government. The term ''bureaucrat'' derives from "bureaucracy", w ...

s arrived for the first time during his reign. In 1959 Nepal became the member of International union of Official travel organization,Agarwal, M. K., & Upadhyay, R. P. (2006). ''Tourism and economic development in Nepal''. Northern Book Centre. page 292-293 now known as

World Tourism Organization The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency entrusted with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. UNWTO is the leading internat ...

. In the same year, a separate directorate for tourism was setup by the government and a general plan for organization of tourism of Nepal was prepared with cooperation with the

Government of France The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

. In 1960 the first handicraft exhibition was performed with the royal approval. In 1964, the King travelled to Rara Lake and penned his famous poem ''Rara Ki Apsara'' since he got mesmerized by beauty of Rara''.'' His visit and the famous poem afterwards brought this lake to limelight and the reader of the poem started visiting the lake. The royal family established Soaltee hotel in 1965 and was inaugurated by King Mahendra in 1966. Similarly, Annapurna Hotel was also established in 1965 with cooperation with foreign diplomats and tourists by the royal family.Shakya, S. (2013). ''Unleashing Nepal''. Penguin UK. The hotel tax act was first time devised in 1960 defining hotel, restaurants, casinos and bringing them under the jurisdiction of law. Also, the first professional trekking took place in 1960 when Mahendra opened the Himalayas to tourists for trekking. The first tourism act was enacted in 1964 with the motive of increasing foreign tourist and the first travel agency "Mountain Travel Nepal" was established immediately afterwards. With his initiation, Nepal association of Travel agents was established in 1966. In the same year, eight members of the hotels together established Hotel association of Nepal (HAN) which became the one of the main contributor to governmental decisions making regarding tourism. The first casino for the purpose of promoting tourist was established during his reign in 1968. The five-year plan of 1965-1970 devised a plan to dedicate a commission for recognizing and promoting the tourism of the country. Under this plan, a high level Tourism development board was later established in 1969 After being member of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

, King Mahendra invited the

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

U Thant Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...

to Nepal and involved him in the development of

Lumbini Lumbinī ( ne, लुम्बिनी, IPA=ˈlumbini , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth ...

as a Birthplace of

Lord Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

. With this initiation, a 13 nation International Lumbini development Committee was established in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

to develop the Ancient Lumbini area. It was in his time the famous

Hippie trail Hippie trail (also the overland) is the name given to the overland journey taken by members of the hippie subculture and others from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s between Europe and South Asia, mainly from Turkey through Iran, Afghanis ...

started in Nepal and Nepal's existence started being known to the outside world. The famous Mahendra Cave in Pokhara got his name after he officially inaugurated it and since then it is one of the most visited places in

Pokhara Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living in 101,669 households in 2021. It ...

. In 1972 a tourism master plan was created emphasizing public-private partnership model with the view of creating more jobs and more revenue to the government. Under this master plan, Hotel management and tourism training center (HMTTC) was established with the economic and technical assistance of ILO and

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

with the motive to produce skilled workers inside the country in 1972 which was later renamed as Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management. Later the establishment of Royal Nepal Airlines and opening of Himalayan trek for the first time brought more influx of tourist.

Transportation development

Earlier, Nepalis were compelled to travel via Indian territory while visiting from one district to another district. King Mahendra ended this situation by constructing a highway with foreign assistance. King Mahendra had initially requested India to build this highway. However, when India refused, he sought the help of the

. India was also attracted after the road from Dhalkebar to Pathalaiya was built by

, the Mechi section from Dhalkebar (

Jhapa Jhapa ( ne, झापा जिल्ला; ) is a district of Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal named after a Rajbanshi word "Jhapa" meaning "to cover" (verb). The latest official data, the 2021 Nepal Census, puts the total population of the ...

Janakpur Janakpurdham or Janakpur ( ne, जनकपुर, ) is a sub-metropolitan city in Dhanusha District, Province No. 2, Madhesh Province, Nepal. The city is a hub for religious and cultural tourism. A headquarter of Dhanusha District, Dhanusha dist ...

) was constructed by India, while the Hetauda-Narayanghat section was constructed by the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field office ...

, the Narayanghat -Butwal section by the

and the Butwal-Kohalpur section by India. In 1961, King Mahendra laid the foundation stone for the construction of the

Mahendra Highway Mahendra Highway (), also called East-West Highway () runs across the Terai geographical region of Nepal, from Mechinagar in the east to Bhim Datta in the west, cutting across the entire width of the country. It is the longest highway in Nepal ...

(also called East-West Highway) at

Gaindakot Gaindakot (, ; sometimes spelled Gaidakot) is a municipality in Nawalpur District in the Lumbini Zone of southern Nepal. It became a municipality in May 2014 by merging the existing Mukundapur, Amarapuri, and Gaindakot VDCs. It was again ex ...

. The highway has greatly contributed to the all round socio-economic development of the country. In his efforts to diversify Nepal's connectivity beyond India, he created

Kodari Kodari is a small village located at the border with Tibet-China. The village is located at the end–point of the Arniko Highway, which connects Kodari with the capital city of Kathmandu. Kathmandu is away from Kodari. Kodari is a major border c ...

road link with China's Tibet Araniko Highway . India was furious when China said it would build the Kodari Highway. The highway construction was started in June 1963 and completed with Chinese aid in April 1967 (2024 B.S.) Again, with the aid of

Indian government The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

, Tribhuvan Rajpath from

Hetauda Hetauda ( ne, हेटौडा, ) is a sub-metropolitan city in the Makwanpur District of Bagmati Province in central Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of the Makwanpur District and the capital of Bagmati Province as declared by ...

to Thankot was built. This Rajpath was famously known as "By road" when lots of Indians using this road to travel to Kathmandu. Similarly, another major Highway, the

Prithvi Highway The Prithvi Highway () is a highway connecting Naubise of Tribhuvan Highway, 26 km from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and Prithivi Chowk, Pokhara, a tourist city in the western part of Nepal. History The construction of the highway sta ...

was also built under King Mahendra's plan in 1967 (2024 BS). This highway connects Naubise near

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

to Prithvi Chowk,

. Kanti Highway, a 92 Kilometer feeder road connecting Lalitpur to

was started in 1954 by

King Mahendra Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until h ...

. In 1964, with the help of

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

, Kathmandu-Hetauda ropeway was started to reduce the cost of goods transportation from India. On 15 June 1955,

Tribhuvan International Airport Tribhuvan International Airport ( Nepali: त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल) (, colloquially referred to as TIA) is an international airport located in Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal. I ...

was inaugurated by Mahendra and later named in memory of his father. In 1957, depart of aviation was established and it started its first scheduled service in 1958. However, there were no any airports inside the country other than

and to remain sustained it required various airports to be built. This led to the policy of building airports inside the country. Under this policy, Bhairahawa Airport later renamed as

Gautam Buddha Airport Gautam Buddha International Airport , also known as Bhairahawa Airport, is an international airport located in Siddharthanagar (formerly and colloquially still called Bhairahawa) serving Lumbini in Lumbini Province, as well as the Butwal﹣ Si ...

Biratnagar Airport Biratnagar Airport is a domestic airport located in Biratnagar serving Morang District, Province No. 1, Nepal. Biratnagar Airport is the third busiest airport in Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara. There are plans to upgrade the airport to s ...

Bharatpur Airport Bharatpur Airport ( ne, भरतपुर विमानस्थल) s a domestic airport located in Bharatpur serving Chitwan District, a district in Bagmati Province in Nepal. The airport is one of two airports in the vicinity of Bharatp ...

and Dhangadhi Airport, Pokhara Airport,

Simara Airport Simara Airport ( ne, सिमरा विमानस्थल) is a domestic airport located in Jitpur Simara serving Bara District, a district in Madhesh Province in Nepal. It also serves Birgunj, Nepal's fifth biggest city. History T ...

was established in 1958. In 1959 Rajbiraj Airport was officially inaugurated. In the same year

His Majesty's Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

started Royal Nepal Airlines Cooperation (RNAC) as a public undertaking. However it was only in 1963(2019 B.S), when King Mahendra enacted Nepal Airlines Corporation Act, Royal Nepal Airlines was effectively established. Funds were temporarily transferred from development of suspension bridge to establishment of the airline when the Soviets promised to help with the civil aviation after the King's state visit to the

. Under his leadership, Nepal became the member of

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

in 1960.

Janakpur Airport Janakpur Airport is an airport serving Janakpur, a city in Mithila region of Nepal and the administrative headquarters of the Dhanusa District in Madhesh Province in Nepal. Facilities The airport is at an elevation of above mean sea level. It ...

and Palungtar Airport was established in 1960 and Nepalgunj Airport and Meghauli Airport in the

Chitwan District Chitwan District (, , ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers . In 2011 it had a population of 579 ...

was established next year in 1961.

Bhadrapur Airport Bhadrapur Airport , also known as Chandragadhi Airport, is a domestic airport located in Bhadrapur, primarily serving Jhapa and Ilam districts in Province No. 1, Nepal. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal considers it an important hub for ...

was established in 1963,

Surkhet Airport Surkhet Airport , also known as Birendranagar Airport is a domestic airport located in Birendranagar serving Surkhet District, a district in Karnali Province in Nepal. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal considers it an important hub for cargo ...

in 1966,

Syangboche Airport Syangboche Airport is a domestic airport located in Namche Bazaar serving Solukhumbu District, a district in Province No. 1 in Nepal. The airstrip is the closest airstrip to Mount Everest and Everest Base Camp. However, it is not often use ...

at Solukhumbu was established in 1971 and Rumjatar Airport and Tumlingtar Airport established in 1972. After, the establishment of country own airlines, air service agreement was needed for which first air service agreement was made in 1963. Mahendra also established Sajha Bus Yatayat in order to provide cheap and accessible transport to the local people in 1961.

Buildings and structures

He built the modern

after the demolition of the old palace from the old Rana architecture . King Mahendra also built Ratna Mandir, the Lakeside palace for Queen Ratna in 1956. Nepal's first golf course, the Royal Nepal Golf Club (RNGC) at Tilganga, Kathmandu, was inaugurated on 2022 BS. by him. He is also given credit for the construction of Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu. Diyalo Bangla, a palace for the former royal family was constructed in Bharatpur,

Chitwan Chitwan District (, , ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers . In 2011 it had a population of 579 ...

to allow former royal family members to relax and hunt wild animals during their visit. The Koshi River Barrage, a product of multiple ideas to control monsoon floods was constructed during his reign between 1959 and 1963 with the motive of irrigation of agricultural fields, flood control and generation of hydroelectricity. In 1959, king Mahendra and Indian Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 2 ...

jointly inaugurated and laid foundation of

Koshi Barrage The Koshi Barrage is a sluice across the Koshi river that carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between Saptari district and Sunsari district of Nepal. It is near the International border with India. It was built between 1958 and 196 ...

. Koshi Barrage was believed to be biggest water project of south Asia at the time of its construction. A similar dam, the Gandaki river dam was built between the period of 1959 to 1964 on the border between India and Nepal at Gandak for the purpose of flood control, irrigation and hydropower generation. Also, Trisuli dam was built in 1971. In 1956 (2013 BS), the first 1728 KW diesel plant of the country was established for the coronation of king Mahendra which opened the door for supply of electricity to the public and made it more accessible. Hydro Power generated at Trishuli Hydropower Station, Sunkoshi Hydro Power Project, Panauti Hydro Power, Kulekhani Hydro Power are some of the few power projects built during King Mahendra's rule. He is also credited for the vision of Kathmandu water project also known as Melamchi Water Supply Project though his early demise could not bring the plan into implementation. The first bridge connecting Nepal with China was also built during his reign in 1964.

Educational reforms

At the beginning of king's reign the literacy rate of the country was estimated to be 5 percent and it reached 10 percent in 1960 while it reached 18 percent in 1971. After the 1960 coup, efforts were made to establish an education system. The All Round National Education Committee was established in 1961, and the National Education Advisory Board in 1968 in order to implement and refine the education system. Nepal 's 1965's education plan and 1971's education plan hastened the educational development in the country. In the year 1971 (2028 BS), it was King Mahendra who formulated the education policy of the nation and implemented it by making the Education Act. In this year, Nepal's own education came into operation as an integral part of the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1970–75) designed to address individual as well as societal needs towards the goals of national development. This new education system boycotted foreign books and education system. Furthermore, he wrote books named Mahendra Malla for schools to give priority to Nepal and Nepali language and boycotted Indian Books. The introduction of the first University of the country,

was the landmark contributions made by King Mahendra in reforming education sector. At that time King Mahendra's family raised 16 lakh rupees by selling gold jewelries in order to fund the project. He later modernized Tribhuvan University, creating conditions for higher education in Nepal, and displaced Indian books from the curriculum. He also started production of books in Nepal with the introduction of Jana Shiksha Samagri Kendra Limited. King Mahendra's diplomacy also made arrangements to send Nepali students to study in Russia on scholarships. As a memorial to his wife, one of the famous public college, Ratna Rajya Campus was established in Putalisadak, Kathmandu and its school was established in Taulihawa,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

and Mukundapur in 1961 during his reign. With the need to provide higher education institution for a growing settlement n Chitwan, Birendra Intermediate Arts College was established on April 13, 1965 (Baishakh 1, 2022 BS.) later renamed as Birendra Multiple Campus. In order to produce skilled workers inside the country, Pulchowk Engineering Campus was established in 1966 with assistance from

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

and Thapathali Engineering Campus was established in 1967 with technical assistance of Germany. Later in 1972, these two institutes were brought under the umbrella of

Tribhuvan university Tribhuvan University (TU; ne, त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालय) is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest university in Nepal. In terms of enrollment, it is ...

to constitute the

Institute of Engineering The Institute of Engineering (IOE) ( Nepali: ईन्जिनियरिङ अध्ययन संस्थान), established in 1930, is the first technical school of Nepal. It was reformed in the present shape in 1972 as an organ of ...

. These two engineering institution are still regarded as one of the best engineering institution in the county. The king was in forefront to bring women forward for participation in the society. With the heated discussion to bring women in the schools a girl school was established in Dillibazaar, Kathmandu which was with effort of the king later converted in to a higher institution, Padma kanya campus, and moved to Baghbazar within a greater college premises and facilities

Information and communication development

The telephone service in the country was initially, exclusively aimed for use in the Palaces of feudal Rana rulers. However, since the day of coronation of King Mahendra, the first distribution of telephone line was made available to the general public. Beginning in 1959, with support from

, Nepal developed 1,000 telephone lines in the capital. It also established its first public exchange in 1962 and converted its manual exchange into the country's first automatic telephone exchange within 1964. In 1961 (2018 BS) Rastriya Samachar Samiti commonly abbreviated as RSS, was established under the Rastriya Samachar Samiti Act, 2019 B.S, with a view to facilitate news for newspapers and broadcasting media. It is still one of the major source of news and photos in the nation. Understanding the value of newspaper in spreading knowledge and information, he modernized

Gorkhapatra ''Gorkhapatra'' () is the oldest Nepali language state-owned national daily newspaper of Nepal. It was started as a weekly newspaper in May 1901 and became a daily newspaper in 1961. It is managed by the Gorkhapatra Sansthan. ''The Rising Nepal' ...

and converted it from weekly newspaper it to a daily newspaper in 1961. Similarly, to address the English language influence and increment of foreign tourists, The Rising Nepal was established on 16 December 1965 (1 Poush 2022 BS) by the then Panchayat Government. In 1971, Nepal received its first

telex The telex network is a station-to-station switched network of teleprinters similar to a telephone network, using telegraph-grade connecting circuits for two-way text-based messages. Telex was a major method of sending written messages electroni ...

service. He increased tower infrastructures so that

Radio Nepal Radio Nepal ( ne, रेडियो नेपाल) is the state-owned Radio broadcasting organisation of Nepal. It was established 2 April 1951. Radio Nepal airs programs on short wave, medium wave ( AM) and FM frequencies. Regular broadcasts ...

could reach all corners of the country.

Political reforms

After the 1962 war between China and India, Chinese troops occupied mountain areas east and west of Nepal in an attempt to resolve border disputes with India by simply occupying disputed territories. The reversal, Indian armed force were deployed in the country's norther border. and Indian diplomats were involved in the ministry as well as every decisions made by the Nepalese Government. King Mahendra played an important role to oust the Indian armed force from Nepali territory. Moreover, there were multiple representatives from India claiming that Nepal cannot handle its foreign policy and defense policy on its own. King Mahendra removed all the Indian representatives and politicians from the ministry and only kept Nepalese representatives. He was the first king to introduce constitution as the fundamental law in the country. King Mahendra incorporated the phrase ' Hindu Kingdom' in the newly introduced constitution. He scientifically divided Nepal into 14 administrative zones with 75 districts in it. In order to perform proper administration and to secure decentralization of power to every zone, each zones were appointed a zonal commissioners. This was the first decentralization of power in history of Nepal. There were more than 4000 villages and 35 municipalities. Every village was divided into nine wards and every municipalities were divided between 9-35 wards as per the size of the town. During his rule an extensive legal and judicial reforms were carried out. In order to provide good governance and social justice to people he nullified

Royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

s and introduced local courts in 1961 through introduction of two new acts Petty States and Rulers Act and royal court nullification act (Nepali: राज्य रजौटा ऐन, २०१७ र राज्य अदालत उन्मूलन ऐन, २०१७) and introduced Supreme court in Nepal on 21 May 1956. Even though royalty act removed many smaller kings, it still recognized 17 small kings including that of Salyan,

Bajhang Bajhang District ( , a part of Sudurpashchim Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Chainpur, that is part of Jaya Prithvi Municipality, as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has a populati ...

, Jajarkot,

, Bhirkot, Malneta and Darna. King Mahendra publicly declared his will for rule of law in the nation. The ''Legal Practitioners Act, in 1968'' was introduced to institutionalize this willingness of a systematic rule. He introduced the separation of power within the state by dividing legislative power to the '' Rastriya Panchayat'' , executive power to the

Council of ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

and judicial power to the

. The Commissions of Inquiry Act introduced in 1969 opened the legal means through which government could appoint various investigative committees for the purpose of making inquiries into matters of national importance He also established the Office of the Auditor General in Nepal by appointing the first auditor general in 1963 according to the Nepalese constitution of 1958. Section 77 and Section 78 of Part 13 of 1962 constitution provided a provision for establishment of Public Service Commission to employ and train government officials in the country. Section 78 (a b c) of Part 13 (a) of the same constitution made the arrangement of the

which later became the sole authority to regulate and conduct elections in the country.

Social reforms

In 1955 (2012 B.S), with the enactment of the Police Act, there were attempts to boost the morale of the army. National Police Academy was established under this act. The electricity produced in the country at the beginning was exclusively aimed for use in the Palaces of feudal rulers. However, since the day of coronation of King Mahendra in 1955, electricity became more open and accessible to the public. On 17 August 1963 a new legal code was promulgated replacing the Muluki Ain of 1854 with the new Muluki ain. The Muluki Ain (people's code) and made attempt to break untouchables, caste discrimination and policy of gender-discrimination. He then introduced the Nepal Civil Service Act to develop employee skills, ending the long era of the Panjani practice. Nepal Public Commission was established under this act for reforming and developing the civil service. This move ended the long-standing tradition of directly electing, dismissing and transferring government officials by the king and started the tradition of electing only eligible candidates. In 1963,a Central Police Training Centre was established to train and reform the police. ''Rajya'' reform abolished special privileges of some aristocratic elites in western Nepal. The new ''panchayat'' system managed to bring 50,000 to 60,000 people into a single system of representative government in a way that had been rendered impossible for the elite-based political parties. Nepal was able to carry out its second plan (1962–65) and third plan (1965-70), and to begin the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1970–75). He was also the first ruler to bring high class Brahmin rulers under the equal rule of punishment. His wife, queen Ratna had huge love for children for which he desired to establish an orphanage. So he provided 25 ropanies of land to establish the first orphanage of the country to Daya Bir Kansakar under the name of Paropkar Sansthan. Moreover, he became the first king to donate blood in Nepal in order to create awareness between people about blood donation. He was also concerned about illegal Indians entering the nation and taking benefit in the name of local, so he introduced the system of citizenship in 1964.

Promotion of art, history and culture

In order to preserve the local traditions, religion and culture, way of life, festivals and languages, he had established the Royal Nepal Academy (Nepali:- नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठान)व्यवस्थापिका संसदले बनाएको २०६४ सालको ऐन न. २१, नेपाल प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठान ऐन २०६४ and National Dance Academy (Nepali: राष्ट्रिय नाचघर) and other institutions. Royal Nepal Academy later renamed as

Nepal Academy The Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), formerly known as Royal Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), is an autonomo ...

started translating foreign literature to Nepali language giving access to the people for foreign literature. In 1961 Nepal Association of fine arts later known as Nepal Academy of Fine Arts (Nepali:नेपाल ललित कला प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठान ) was established .This along with Srijana Fine Arts School were some prominent established made to promote contemporary art in the nation. Furthermore, under the instruction of Mahendra, the government established Ratna Recording Sansthan to facilitate Nepali artists who otherwise were travelling to

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commerc ...

for recording songs. This corporation paired with

to increase the reach of produced records of Nepali national music. King Mahendra was a great lover of Art. In his leadership National Numismatic Museum was established in 1962 to preserve the national history, art and culture. To promote the art and the artist in the nation, he conceived a Public-Private partnership organization and established Nepal Art Council in 1962. In 1962,Nepal Sahitya Sansthan was established to stimulate public's interest in art and culture through literature.Brisbane, K., Chaturvedi, R., Majumdar, R., Pong, C. S., & Tanokura, M. (2005). ''The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Volume 5: Asia/Pacific''. Routledge. page 410-415 In 1965, Panchayat Government initiated a program where actors and directors were sent to India for special training. Later, Mahendra Pragya puraskar was introduced which awarded to contributors of Nepali language, arts and culture every two years. King Mahendra as a chancellor of Nepal academy started the tradition of All Nepal poetry competition on his birthday where winners are awarded with cash prizes. In 1966, on the personal request of Mahendra, the first private bannered Film, Maitighar was produced in the country. Mahendra wrote songs for the film and also provided some funding. In 1967, National archive was established to document and preserve the history and historical documents.

Kaiser Library The Kaiser Library is a government-run public library in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is located in the Keshar Mahal palace complex. The library was established in 1907 by the then Prime Minister of Nepal, Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana for his son, ...

was established in 1969 when the ownership of Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana's history and books collection came under the ownership of the government. King Mahendra made this property accessible to the public with the donated personal collection by his widow Krishna Chandra Kumari Devi. In 1970, the king discussed with Dev Anand, an Indian actor, director and producer, to produce film in Nepal to promote the local cultural heritage and depict the hippie culture. The movie showcased the cultural heritage of the country to the world for the first time such as ancient Kasthamandap, Basantapur Durbar Square as well as Bhaktapur durbar square and showcased the hippie culture.

Promotion of religion

Royal Nepal Academy started translating religious text to Nepali and Sanskrit language giving access to the people for religious text. The constitution introduced by King Mahendra in 1962 officially recognized

as the state religion. In addition to that, it introduced national emblem such as crimson colour as the national colour, the

as the national animal which had its root in Hinduism. The constitution guaranteed promotion of Hindu religious festivals and religious discourses including the use of Sanskrit and a ban on

proselytizing Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or ''Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as involu ...

. A Being a state religion Hinduism was promoted and protected under the expense of the state and prohibited the slaughter of the animal. Under his reign, the king and the queen was started being worshipped in every Nepalese homes as the incarnation of Vishnu. After being member of the UN, King Mahendra invited the

and involved him in the development of

as a Birthplace of

. In 1962 (2021 BS), King Mahendra, set up a Guthi Sansthan with the objectives to continue preservation and promotion of festivals, heritage and culture of the people. During the kings reign, Sikhism flourished in Nepal as a number of Sikhs entered Nepal as a businessman with the permission of the king. King Mahendra was the one to provide first citizenship to Sikhs for their help during the drought in 1960s. During his entire rule, he enhanced the religious responsibilities of the royal family and enhanced the ritual status of the king in the society by routinely referencing himself in his speeches and writings "as the last remaining Hindu king of the world" He also promoted Dashain as a religious practice to integrate the entire state through integration of the local leaders into national government. All local and regional leaders were expected to receive Tika from the hands of the king and similarly from their bureaucratic superior and thus dispensing the political hierarchy from the center to all the corners of the country. Dashain embraced the vision of the panchayat regime to create a religiously and ethnically homogeneous society which accepted an hierarchical system with the king at its center to bring the country into a single integrated unit.

Land reforms

In 1959, the Birta Abolition Act was enacted which gave poor people and farmers ownership to the land they were historically working on. Birta land was then converted into Raikar through this act. Similarly, the Land Survey and Measurement Act was introduced in 1962. It classified land as Abal, Doyam, Sim, and Chahar. This act effectively established a Land Administration Office (Nepali:भूमि प्रशासन कार्यालय).The Agricultural Reorganization Act, passed in 1963 emphasized security for tenant farmers and put a ceiling on landholdings. Likewise, land reform act 1964 ended the feudal land ownership practice and secured the right of farmers. This land reform policy led to the confiscation of large Rana estates and provided land to many landless people. In the meantime, the Land Administration Act, 1966 was promulgated which further reformed the land administration office changing it into Land Revenue office(Nepali: मालपोत कार्यालय). Moreover, He had provided accommodation to ex- soldiers who knew how to wield weapons and to Nepalese who were expelled from Burma and set up settlements of Nepalis in the Terai from

to Kanchanpur so that the Indians would not oppress them. He also provided passport to the people of Manang region and waived custom duty for them so that the people of the region could use their lands to grow herbs and trade in the nearby regions. Eradication of

and the land settlement programs contributed to a massive movement of population from the hills into the

, resulting in a large increase in the area devoted to agriculture.

Criticisms

Dismantling of democracy

Mahendra seized power after dissolving the government of

, jailed any objectors and moved steadily towards an authoritarian rule. He considered political parties anti-national elements and put a complete ban on them in favor of a partyless system. While he believed himself to be a supporter of democracy and considered the Panchayat system to be a democratic regime, the claim was rejected by many. He also criticized and objected to King Tribhuvan's decision to accept a multiparty democracy and an arrangement for a

constituent assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. Mahendra once said, "The

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...

is given by the King. It is not supposed to be made by the people. "(''translated from Nepali'').

Authoritarianism

Mahendra gave himself absolute power following the coup and tried to establish his image as a patriotic and benevolent ruler. He suppressed all his critics and launched a propaganda campaign through radio, newspapers and pamphlets that boosted his popularity among the people and established himself as a god-like figure. Critics also see his one-country one-language one-monarch policy as the height of his abuse of authority. Some people also claim that his introduction of the reformed Muluki Ain was not to bring equality in the society but rather to give death sentences to the Brahmin leaders of rebellions who had tried to assassinate him. Some critics claim that Mahendra stole the development plans of B.P Koirala and credited himself as the architect of the developmental process of the era. Mahendra made a conscious effort to consolidate his hold over the Nepalese Army.

"One-Country, One-monarch, One-language, One-dress" policy

Mahendra's efforts to unite the multicultural country under a singular culture have faced heavy criticism. The system equated the identity of the country with the Nepali as the language, the Daura-Suruwal as the national dress and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

ism as the national religion. Everyone was required to wear a Dhaka topi for official purposes: to acquire their citizenship, passport, and driving license. This was criticized to be one sided as it dominated a country with pluralism and completely ignored the existence of the many minority groups within the country. This policy was disseminated in the Nepali language textbooks titled as 'Mahendramala' during the Panchayat era.

Accusations of creating an institution favoring the rich

Many critics consider the Panchayat system to be an institution that innately favored the rich and Mahendra to be the patron saint of the feudal lords and landlords of the country. Ganesh Man Singh criticized the establishment of the

saying, "The Central Bank, opened for the benefit of landlords and right-wing traders, does not benefit the poor." (''translated from Nepali'') Some also argue that the 1960 coup happened because the then BP Koirala government could not keep the feudal lords happy.

Memorial constructions

Mahendra was criticized for constructing various memorials and statues for himself and his wife and for naming various landmarks, schools and parks after him and his family members. Ratna Park, named after King Mahendra's wife Rani Ratna, a prime example of it. The statue of Queen Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi at Ratnapark was vandalized by republican protestors in 2062 BS. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City changed the name of the park to Shankdhar Udyan in 2077 BS and erected a statue of Sankhadar Shakwa instead of the one of Queen Ratna. Similarly, naming various development projects like

Prithvi highway The Prithvi Highway () is a highway connecting Naubise of Tribhuvan Highway, 26 km from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and Prithivi Chowk, Pokhara, a tourist city in the western part of Nepal. History The construction of the highway sta ...

Mahendra highway Mahendra Highway (), also called East-West Highway () runs across the Terai geographical region of Nepal, from Mechinagar in the east to Bhim Datta in the west, cutting across the entire width of the country. It is the longest highway in Nepal ...

, Kanti highway, Tribhuvan airport etc. after their family members was seen as his attempt to improve the image of the royal family among the common people.

Failed land-reform policy

The land-reform policy introduced by Mahendra is considered to be a major failure by many people. Land reform efforts began with the enactment of the Land and Cultivation Record Compilation Act (1956), through which the government began compiling tenant records and continued with the Lands Act (1957). These acts were not much successful in increasing small farmers so further efforts had to made. The Agricultural Reorganization Act, passed in 1963 emphasized security for tenant farmers and put a ceiling on landholdings. Likewise, land reform act 1964 ended the feudal land ownership practice and secured the right of farmers. However, there were loopholes in the acts which allowed landlords to control most of the lands. Though, these policies were successful in securing the rights of farmers, it was not so in the case of land redistribution. Until 1972, average landholdings remained small. Moreover, the double ownership law of land introduced by the Panchayat through 'Mohiyai hak' became a major hindrance in development in the decades to come.

Child-less second marriage

After the death of his first wife Indra Rajya in 1950, Prince Mahendra was in a love affair with his sister in law, Ratna, but despite sharp opposition from his father King Tribhuvan, Prince Mahendra married Ratna Rajyalakshmi two years later. This created bad relations between him and his father. Mahendra held many criticism from this marriage. Some people criticize him for not obeying his father and disregarding the obedience of a prince towards the king of Nepal. Moreover, some people also criticize him for pre-marriage sterilization of his new wife and snatching the right of his wife to be a mother

Personality

Historians define Mahendra as an ambitious ruler. He was courageous and visionary who would not be reluctant to take any steps. Swiss scholar, Toni Hagen described him as very clever ruler who could handle delicate issues. He was a deep admirer of Nepalese literature, art and culture which led to himself composing several poems which was later on sung by many famous singers. He was proficient in Nepali, English, Hindi and Sanskrit Language.

Hobbies

Mahendra went in for various activities like noblemen of his era and subsequent eras. MBB Shah (Nepali: म. वी. वि. शाह) is the literary name of King Mahendra. MBB Shah is a more passionate poet of the Romantic section of Nepali poetry. King Mahendra wrote various songs and poems. He is also called the first lyricist of Nepal by some sources. He penned ''Lolayeka Tee', Gajalu Tee Thula Thula Aakha,'' ''Garchin Pukar Aaama,'' ''Aakashma Tirmire,'' ''Kina Kina Timro Tasbir,'' ma mare pani mero desh bachi rahos, Rara ki Apsara etc. which were later sung by Gulam Ali and

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

. He was also fond of hunting and would regularly go to hunting with her queen to different places.

Offspring

Other than his 6 children, King Mahendra also had a son from one of his concubine Gita Gurung, who was born before any other child from his legal marriage. Gita worked in the royal palace as a servant when Mahendra was a prince.

Memorial

Many structures, institutions, locations and honors have been built and introduced in the memory of King Mahendra. Monuments erected in his name were renamed after the restoration of the parliament in 2063 BS and the end of the monarchy in 2065 BS. After the political changes of 2063 BS, an attempt was made to rename the highway built in the name of the king as Lok Marg. Even though the Ratna Park named after his queen was renamed as Shankhadhar Sakhwa Park, Ratna Park is still popular among the people. Mahendra jyoti school, Handikhola village

Mahendra jyoti school, Handikhola village

Bagmati Province

# Shree Mahendra Kiran Higher Secondary School, Manahari,( Makwanpur) # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Chhatiwan,( Makwanpur) # Shree Mahendra Jyoti Higher Secondary School, Handikhola,( Makwanpur) # Mahendra Chowk, Hetauda # Shree Mahendra Secondary, Padampokhari (

) # Mahendra Kiran Higher Secondary School, (

) # Mahendra Mriga Kunja (Mahendra Deer Park),

# Shree 5 Mahendra Memorial Eye Hospital, Bharatpur,

# Mahendra Bus Park, Chitwan # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Chaturale ( Nuwakot) # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Charghare, ( Nuwakot) # Shree Mahendragram Higher Secondary School, Nagarkot # Mahendra Jyoti village development committee # Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Sanga, Banepa # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Kunchok, Sindhupalchok # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Ichok, Sindhupalchok # Mahendra Pratap Secondary School, Dhuskun, Sindhupalchok # shree mahendra higher secondari school, Nilkantha,

Dhading Dhading Besi ( ne, धादिङ्ग बेसी) is a town (neighborhood) and the district headquarter of the Dhading District of Nepal. The town is located within Nilkantha Municipality. It is also administrative centre of Nilkantha Munic ...

# Shree Mahendrodaya Hss school,

Gandaki Province

# Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Narethanti, (

Baglung Baglung is a municipality in western Nepal, west of Kathmandu. It is the administrative headquarters of Baglung District and Dhaulagiri Zone. Baglung serves as the major center for business, finance, education, service and healthcare for the pe ...

) # Mahendra statue, Humde (

Manang Manang ( ne, मनाङ) is a town in the Manang District of Nepal. It is located at 28°40'0N 84°1'0E with an elevation of . According to the preliminary result of the 2011 Nepal census it has a population of 6,527 people living in 1,495 indiv ...

) # Mahendra Chowk, Putalibazar, (

Syangja Syangja District ( ne, स्याङ्जा जिल्ला; ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Syangja bazaar (a small town) as its district headquarters, covers an area of ...

) # Shree Mahendra secondary school, Malyangkot, (

) # Mahendra Cave,

# Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Pokhara lekhnath, (

) # Mahendra Secondary School, Naya bazar, (

) # Mahendra Secondary School, bhalam, (

) #

Mahendrapul Mahendrapul ( Nepali:महेन्द्र पुल) is the financial hub and busiest high street of Pokhara. It is one of the oldest and busiest marketplaces in the city. It is one of the centre locations in the city. Mahendrapul is one of the ...

# Mahendra Multiple Campus,

# Mahendra statue, Bhraga (

) # Mahendra Jyoti Secondary School, Lunkhu Deurali, ( Parbat) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School,

Bajung Bajung is a village development committee in Parbat District in the Dhawalagiri Zone of Western Development Region, Nepal. It is surrounded by Deupurkot to the north-east, Tilahar to the south-east, Durlung to the south-west and Kyang to t ...

, ( Parbat) # Shree Mahendra Shakti Secondary School, Bakrang, (

) # Shree Mahendra Leela Secondary School Siranchok, (

) # Mahendra Jyoti school, (

) # Mahendra Jyoti Secondary School, Durbar Marga, (

) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Sukhaura, (

) # Shree Mahendra Jyoti Higher Secondary School, Shyamgha,(

Tanahu Tanahun District ( ne, तनहुँ जिल्ला , or ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Damauli as its district headquarters, covers an area of and has a population (2011 ...

) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Lahachowk, Kaski # Shree Mahendra mandir secondary school, Sundarbazar, ( Lamjung) # Mahendra High school, Barangja, (Myagdi) # Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Jagat Bhanjyang, Syangja

Karnali Province

# Mahendra Daha # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Chhiwang, ( Rukum) # Shree Mahendra higher secondary school, Dullu, (

Dailekh Dailekh ( ne, दैलेख), locally known as Dailekh Bazar. Narayan is a town and the headquarters of Dailekh District located in Karnali Province of Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of ...

)

Kathmandu Valley

# Mahendra Bhawan Higher Secondary Boarding School, Gyaneshwor, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra statue, Durbar Marg, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra statue, Kaalimati, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra statue, Pashupatinath temple, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra Park, Balaju, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra Ratna Campus # Mahendra statue,

Hanuman Dhoka Hanuman Dhoka ( ne, हनुमान ढोका) is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu, Nepal. It is spread over five acres. The Hanuman ...

# Mahendra Bhawan Girls' Higher Secondary Boarding School, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra Museum,

# Mahendra Rastriya Secondary School, Baluwataar,(

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Mahendra statue as M.B.B shah (

) # Mahendra Adarsha Vidhyashram College, Lalitpur # Shree Mahendra Adarsha Higher Secondary School,

Mahalaxmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

, Lalitpur # Mahendra Adarsha Vidhyashram Secondary School / College, Satdobato, Lalitpur # Mahendra Manzil, Narayanhiti Palace # Shree Mahendra Gram Secondary School, Tikathali, Lalitpur # Mahendra Bhawan Marga, (

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

) # Shree Mahendra Shanti Secondary School, Balkot,(

Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...

) # Mahendra Vidya Ashram, Bhaktapur # Mahendra Bhrikuti Secondary School, Lalitpur # Mahendra Adarsha Marga, Lalitpur # Mahendra Boudha Secondary School,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

# Shree Mahendra Gram Higher Secondary School, Changunarayan, Bhaktapur # Mahendra Secondary School, Shankharapur ,

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

# Shri Mahendra Saraswati Sewa Lower Secondary School, Teku, Kathmandu

Lumbini Province

# Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Krishnanagar, Kapilvastu # Mahendra Chowk,

Butwal Butwal ( ne, बुटवल), officially Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City ( ne, बुटवल उपमहानगरपालिका), is a sub-metropolitan city and economic hub in Lumbini Province in West Nepal. Butwal has a city populatio ...

# Shree Mahendra Secondary School,

Banganga The Banganga Tank is a temple tank which is part of the Hindu Walkeshwar Temple complex in the Malabar Hill area of the city of Mumbai, India. History The tank was built in AD 1127 by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara kin ...

, Kapilvastu # Mahendra Stadium,

Nepalgunj Nepalgunj (), also spelled Nepalganj, is a Sub-Metropolitan City in Banke District, Nepal. It lies on the Terai plains near the southern border with Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, India. Nepalgunj is 153 kilometers south-west of Ghorahi ...

# Mahendra Park,

Mahendra Multiple Campus, Nepalgunj Mahendra Multiple Campus, Nepalgunj ( ne, महेन्द्र बहुमुखी क्याम्पस, नेपालगन्ज) is a public co-educational institution located in Nepalgunj city in western Nepal. It is one of the ca ...

# Mahendra Airport, Nepalgunj # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Mallarani, ( Pyuthan) # Mahendra Higher Secondary School, ( Pyuthan) # Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dang # Shree Mahendra higher secondary school, Dang #

Mahendra Sanskrit University Nepal Sanskrit University (formerly Mahendra Sanskrit University) was established in December 1986 and has its central office at Beljhundi in Dang district of Lumbini Province, Nepal. It is 13 km away from the city of Ghorahi. Academics The ...

, Dang # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Somani, ( Nawalparasi) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Sarawal, ( Nawalparasi) # Mahendra Hospital, Ghorahi, Dang # Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Tulsipur , Dang # Mahendra Model Secondary School. Tamghas,(

Gulmi Gulmi District ( ne, गुल्मी जिल्ला), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Tamghas as its headquarters, covers an area of , had a population of 296,654 in 2001, ...

) # Mahendra Adarsha School, Wamitaksar, (

) # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Kerunga, Arghakhanchi # Mahendra Bodi Higher Secondary School,

Tansen Tansen ( – 26 April 1589), also referred to and commonly known as Sangeet Samrat () , was a Hindustani classical musician. Born in a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya P ...

, Palpa

Madesh Province

# Shree Mahendra secondary school, Singyahi, Mahottari # Mahendra Adarsha Village Development Committee # Mahendranagar town, Dhanusha # Mahendra Chowk, Jaleshwor, Mahottari # Mahendra Janata H.S.School, Karmaiya,

Sarlahi Sarlahi ( ne, सर्लाही ; Maithili: सर्लाही), a part of Madhesh Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. According to new laws, a combination of more than two or four villages makes a municipality, whic ...

# Shri Mahendra National Higher Secondary School, Ramgopalpur, Mahottari # Shree 5 Mahendra higher secondary school, khadak, (

Saptari Saptari ( ne, सप्तरी जिल्ला}), a part of Madhesh Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Its district headquarter is Rajbiraj. Saptari is an Outer Terai district. This district covers an area of and ha ...

) # Shree Paanch Mahendra Chunni Secondary School, Manraja,

# Mahendra Bindeshwari Multiple Campus, (

)

Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus-2242

Province No 1

# Mahendra Ratna Multiple Campus, Illam # Mahendra statue, Mahendra Park( Chandragadhi) # Mahendra Park, Chandragadhi, (

) #

Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan (more colloquially : M. M. Campus, ne, महेन्द्र बहुमुखी क्याम्पस) is a public co-educational institution located in the Central part of the Dharan city and is one of ...

# Mahendra path,

Dharan Dharan ( ne, धरान) a sub-metropolitan city in Sunsari District of Province No. 1, Nepal, which was established as a fourth municipality in the Kingdom in 1958. It is the third most populous city in Eastern Nepal after Biratnagar and ...

# Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Itahari # Mahendranagar Municipality # Shree Mahendra Jyoti Secondary School, Chaurikharka, ( Solukhumbu) # Mahendra Chowk,

Pathari-Sanischare Municipality Pathari Shanishchare (पथरी-शनिश्चरे) is a Municipality in Morang District in the Koshi Zone of south-eastern Nepal. It was formed by merging three existing village development committees i.e. Hasandaha, Pathari and Sanischar ...

, ( Morang) # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School,

# Mahendra Chowk, Biratnagar # Mahendra Marga, Biratnagar # Mahendra Morang Adarsh Multiple Campus # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Kamal Gaun Palika, (

) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Sharanamati, (

) # Mahendra Jyoti Higher Seconday School, Garamani, (

) # Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School,

Khandbari Khandbari is the district headquarters of Sankhuwasabha District in Province No. 1 of north-eastern Nepal. The 2011 Nepal census counted 26,301 population. The area A road connects Khandbari directly south to Biratnagar and the Terai , ...

Sankhuwasabha Sankhuwasabha District ( ne, सङ्खुवासभा जिल्ला ) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. The district's area is 3,480 km2 with a population of 159,203 in 2001 and 158,742 in 2011 ...

# Shree Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Manebhanjyang,

# Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Bharaul, Sunsari # Mahendra higher secondary school, Itahara, ( Morang) # Shree Mahendra secondary school, Dangihat, ( Morang) # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Woplukha, ( Khotang) # Mahendranagar town, Sunsari # Shree Mahendra Secondary School, Mahendranagar, Sunsari # Mahendra Ratna Higher Secondary School, Birtamode, (

)

Back view of Mahendra Griha at Tikapur Park

Sudurpashchim Province

# Mahendranagar Bazaar, Bhimdatta # Mahendranagar Airport, Mahendranagar # Mahendranagar Town, Mahakali # Mahendra statue, Attariya ( Kailali) # Mahendra Higher Secondary School,

Darchula Khalanga (also called Darchula) is a town and the district headquarters of the Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It is part of the Mahakali Municipality in the Mahakali Zone. The town is located on the bank of Mahaka ...

# Mahendra Griha, Tikapur Park # Mahendra Statue Park, Bhimdatta # Mahendra Higher Secondary School, Bhimdatta # Mahendra Secondary School, Sanfebagar, Achham # Mahendra Secondary School, Amargadhi, Dadeldhura # Mahendra Higher Secondary School,Dahabagar, (Bajhang),

Others

# Mahendra Mala Book # Mahendra Police Club # King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation # Mahendra Mala Manapadvi # Mahendra Pragya Puraskar # Mahendra Gold Cup # Mahendra Bhawan Scout Troop # His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shaha Deva (An Analytical Biography) # ''King Mahendra Poetic Values and Technique Based on the Kashmiri Pandit Tradition'' (book)

Death and succession

Mahendra suffered a massive second heart attack whilst on a winter hunting trip in

where he was attended to by his trusted Physicians Dr Mrigendra Raj Pandey and Dr Sachey Kumar Pahari. King Mahendra was in a stable but critical condition and eventually breathed his last at Diyalo Bangala, the royal palace in Bharatpur on 31 January 1972. The King's body was subsequently flown to Kathmandu by helicopter in preparation for the State Funeral. His son Birendra ascended the Nepalese throne on 31 January 1972 immediately after his father's death at the age of 27. However, his coronation took place only on 24 February 1975 at the age of 29 due to Hindu ritual for an auspicious date and the astrologers had claimed only that time to be auspicious.

Honors

British Field Marshal

King Mahendra was appointed as a British Field Marshal in 1962.

King Mahendra and Queen's visit to US

King Mahendra and Queen Ratna visited the US in 1960 and 1967. In 1960 they were greeted by President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

and in 1967 they were greeted by President Lyndon B Johnson and Mrs. Johnson in Washington DC in 1967. The royal couple of Nepal was greeted with the 'guard of honor'. Other honors were as follows

National

* Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Pratap Bhaskara * Sovereign of the

Order of Ojaswi Rajanya The Most Glorious Order of Ojaswi Rajanya ( ne, Ojaswi Rajanyako Manapadvi) was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was given to foreign heads of state, foreign or Nepalese monarchs. History The order was instituted on 14 May 1934 by King Tribh ...

* Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Taradisha * Sovereign of the

Order of Tri Shakti Patta The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta ( ne, त्रिशक्ति पट्ट; Order of the Three Divine Powers) is an order of knighthood of the former Kingdom of Nepal. It is conferred on members of the Royal Family or Nepali citi ...

* Sovereign of the

Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu ( ne, गोरखा दक्षिण बाहु; Order of the Gurkha Right Arm ''or Hand'') was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was one of the highest honors given traditionally by the ...

* Mahendra Mala Manapadvi (26 February 1961) * Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Tribhuvan (11 December 1936)

Foreign

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...

: Commemorative Medal of the 2500th Anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire, ''14 October 1971''. * : Collar of the

Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously. Apart f ...

, ''19 April 1960'' * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint James of the Sword The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword ( pt, Ordem Militar de Sant'Iago da Espada) is a Portuguese order of chivalry. Its full name is the Ancient, Most Noble and Enlightened Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, of the Scientifi ...

, ''13 July 1960'' * : Grand Cross of the Order of

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

, ''24 February 1956'' * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgiu ...

, ''1964'' * : Grand Cross Special Class of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellec ...

, ''1964'' * : Collar of the

Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol The Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol, also called the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Umbrella ( lo, ອິສະຣິຍາພອນລ້ານຊ້າງຮົ່ມຂາວ ''Itsariyaphon Lan Sang Hom Khao ...

, ''1970'' * Grand Cross of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

, ''25 April 1967''. * :

Royal Victorian Chain The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it ...

, ''26 February 1961'' * : Honorary Doctor of Laws,

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

, 1960 * : Collar of the

Order of Sikatuna The Order of Sikatuna ( fil, Orden ng Sikatuna) is the national order of diplomatic merit of the Republic of the Philippines. It is conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philipp ...

, Rank of Raja, April 22, 1971.

Ancestry

Notes

* Possibly no heir for the time period of 1911 through 1920. Previous Crown Prince:

Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (30 June 1906 – 13 March 1955) was King of Nepal from 11 December 1911 until his ...

, from 1906 to 1911.

Regnal titles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahendra Bir BIkram Shah Dev 1920 births 1972 deaths Nepalese Hindus British field marshals Hindu monarchs Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Nepalese monarchs Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Shah dynasty