Accessibility links

Breaking News
News

Nepal's Deposed King Loses Ancestral Home in Gorkha


Nepalese officials say the country's dethroned monarch has lost his palace in the town of Gorkha, after the leader of former Maoist rebels, Prachanda, declared it a museum.

Gorkha, some 80 kilometers west of the capital, Katmandu, is the ancestral home of the royal family.

King Gyanendra, who lives at the Narayanhiti royal palace in Katmandu, was deposed Wednesday after Nepal's Constituent Assembly voted overwhelmingly 560 to four to bring an end to the 239-year-old monarchy.

Lawmakers gave the former king two weeks to leave the palace. Nepalese media say he is preparing to move out, but that he has asked for help in finding new housing.

The Communist Party of Nepal (former Maoist rebels) is set to lead the country's next government. It emerged as the largest political force after April's elections for a special assembly to draft a new constitution.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

XS
SM
MD
LG