Narayanhiti Palace Museum
Kathmandu, Nepal
About
The Narayanhity Palace Museum, or Narayanhity Durbar (formerly Narayanhity Royal Palace), is a palace in Kathmandu, Nepal which long served as a primary residence for the country's monarchs.[1] The original palace was constructed under order of the Shah dynasty in the 18th century and destroyed in an earthquake in 1934. It was rebuilt in a contemporary style in the 1960s on the design of Architect Benjamin Polk(Chatterjee & Polk). On 1 June 2001, the palace was the site of the Nepalese royal massacre, where King Birendra of Nepal and Queen Aiswarya were shot dead along with seven other members of the Royal Family.For centuries the Narayanhiti Palace stood as a symbol of royalty and of affluence, and was one of the structures in Nepal that no-one has been able to enter, except for those authorized or invited by the royal family. It has been a building shrouded in controversy, scandal and mystery, as the thick walls and armed guards tried to shield the palace and its inhabitants from the world. But in 2008, the Shah monarchy was brought to its knees and the gates to the Narayanhiti Palace opened to the public in February 2009. The breathtaking Narayanhiti Palace was constructed in the eighteenth century, and has been home to the Shah monarchy for almost two hundred and forty years. Its grandeur has been marveled at for centuries, and with the demise of the monarchy in May of 2008, the public has been given the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of their royal ancestors and explore the world of the privileged. The Nepal Government decided to transform the palace into a museum, to share the history and riches of the country with its people and tourists, and to conserve this vital part of the past. The part of the palace that has been opened to the public as a museum covers an area just over forty thousand square feet, where visitors will be able to view the old furniture and art that has been in the palace for centuries. They will be able to marvel at the ornaments and lifestyle enjoyed in the walls of the palace. Valuable medals and idols are also on display, including a fleet of historical vehicles, of which one was given to the monarchy by the feared German leader, Hitler. Some items, such as the royal crown and throne are not open to viewing due to security reasons, as they are extremely valuable pieces. The fall of the monarchy does conjure up some mixed emotions from the Nepali public. They do feel sympathetic to the royal family that had to leave th
