Officials and local media say Nepal's King Gyanendra, 58, made his first public appearance Friday since he restored democracy in the face of mass protests.
The king visited the shrine of Dakshinkali, south of the capital of Kathmandu, where he prayed and sacrificed a water buffalo, a goat, a lamb, a rooster and a duck to the Hindu goddess of power.
The monarch was accompanied by his wife, Queen Komal.
The visit, under heavy security, was the king's first public outing since he gave up absolute control of Nepal late last month after weeks of violent pro-democracy protests.
He seized all power and dismissed the parliament early last year, saying the government had been ineffective in putting down a Maoist insurgency.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
