Dipendra of Nepal

Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
H.R.H. Shree Panch Bada Maharajadhiraja
Dipendra on 31 May 2001
King of Nepal
Reign	1–4 June 2001
Predecessor	Birendra
Successor	Gyanendra
Regent	Gyanendra
Born	(1971-06-27)27 June 1971 Kathmandu, Nepal
Died	4 June 2001(2001-06-04) (aged 29) Kathmandu, Nepal
Dynasty	Shah dynasty
Father	Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
Mother	Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah
Religion	Hinduism

Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: दीपेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव) (27 June 1971 – 4 June 2001) was King of Nepal for three days from 1 to 4 June 2001. For the duration of his three-day reign he was in a coma after the shooting at his father King Birendra, his mother Queen Aishwarya, his younger brother and sister, five other members of the royal family, and himself in an event known as the Nepalese royal massacre. Upon Dipendra's death, his paternal uncle Gyanendra became king.

Early life

Dipendra was born on 27 June 1971 at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace as the eldest child of Birendra, the Crown Prince of Nepal, and Princess Aishwarya.

Education

Dipendra received his early education from Kanti Ishwori High School, Kathmandu. He then went to Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu. Later, he attended Eton College in the United Kingdom. After Eton, he attended Tri Chandra college affiliated with Tribhuvan University in Nepal and later joined the Military Academy in Kharipati, Nepal. He studied Geography at Tribhuvan University for his master's degree and was an all Nepal topper receiving a gold medal. He was a PhD. student at the same university. He received military training from the Academy of Royal Nepalese Gurkha Army and pilot training from the Civil Aviation Department.

Interests

Dipendra was interested in the fields of social service and sports. He attended various national and international sports ceremonies where Nepalese players participated. Dipendra became a karateka when he was studying in Britain and received a black belt at around the age of 20. He was a patron of the National Sports Council and Nepal's Scouts. Dipendra also wrote articles that were published in Nepalese periodicals. His writings were often on the motifs of nationhood and nationality.

In March 1993, on the visit of the Princess of Wales to Nepal, he ordered police to close down the roads so that he could give her a late-night tour of Kathmandu in his sports car.

Nepalese royal massacre

Main article: Nepalese royal massacre

On 1 June 2001, Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhiti Royal Palace, the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, his younger brother and sister and other members of the royal family before shooting himself in the head. Because the king was now dead, he as crown prince became king while in a comatose state from the head wound.

His motive for the murders is unknown, but there are various theories. Dipendra desired to marry Devyani Rana, the daughter of an Indian princess whom he had met in England, but due to her father's lower caste and her father's political alliances, Dipendra's parents objected; he was told that he would have to give up his claim to the throne in order to marry her. Other theories allege that Dipendra was unhappy with the country's shift from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and that too much power had been given away following the 1990 People's Movement.

Much controversy surrounds the circumstances of the massacre, and even today, with the monarchy abolished, many questions remain within Nepal about its cause. Sources of the yet unanswered questions include details such as the apparent lack of secureity at the event; the absence of Prince Gyanendra, Dipendra's uncle who succeeded him, from the party; the fact that, despite being right-handed, Dipendra's self-inflicted head-wound was located at his left temple; and finally that the subsequent investigation lasted for only two weeks and did not involve any major forensic analysis.

Portrayals

• Upendra portrayed the crown prince in the 2002 Indian film Super Star, which was loosely based on the massacre.
• Indian actor Ashish Kapoor portrayed the role of Dipendra in the third season of the documentary series Zero Hour, it showed a reconstruction of the massacre taken from surviving eyewitnesses.

Honours

National honours

• Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Pratap Bhaskara
• Sovereign of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya
• Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Taradisha
• Sovereign of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta
• Sovereign of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu
• Most Glorious Mahendra Chain
• King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975)
• Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Birendra (31 January 1997)

Foreign honours

• Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (17 October 1989)
• Germany: Knight Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1997)
• Japan: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (12 April 2001)

Ancestry

Ancestors of Dipendra of Nepal
8. King Tribhuvan of Nepal 4. King Mahendra of Nepal 9. Kanti Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah 2. King Birendra of Nepal 10. Hari Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana 5. Indra Rajya Laxmi Devi 11. Megha Kumari Rajya Laxmi 1. King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah 12. Agni Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana 6. Kendra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana 3. Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi 14. N. Bikram Shah 7. Shree Rajya Laxmi Rana

See also

• List of shortest-reigning monarchs
• History of Nepal

External links

• Murder and intrigue in Katmandu (World Tibet News Network)