The Curse Of The Nepalese Royal Family
Photo credit: Romanian National Archives
Back in 2001, the entire world was shocked when Nepalese Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed his father, mother, and seven other members of the royal family before turning the gun on himself. It had been speculated that he was distraught over his family’s refusal to accept his bride and had been drinking heavily before the massacre took place. The prince lapsed into a three-day coma, during which he was proclaimed king before passing away. His uncle Gyanendra became king and ruled for a number of years in a period marked by turbulence and conflict before the monarchy was finally abolished in favor of a democratic republic in 2008.
Some superstitious citizens, however, were less than surprised by the outcome, since the end of the monarchy had already been predicted more than 200 years ago. According to the legend, Prithvi Narayan Shah—Nepal’s first king—met and gave some curd to a yogi named Gorakhnath, who promptly vomited and offered it back to the king. Disgusted (and we would be too), the king refused his regurgitated offering, which earned the ire of Gorakhnath. Gorakhnath announced that the king’s descendants’ reign would end after the tenth generation. As foretold, Dipendra (tenth generation) and Gyanendra (ninth generation) actually became the last kings of Nepal.
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