MAHENDRA BIR BIKRAM SHAH DEV

On 13 March 1955, His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ascended to the throne as a constitutional monarch after his father’s death. His coronation took place precisely at 10:43 am on 2 May 1956 as advised by court astrologers.

As a King, His Majesty supported the multi-party democratic system in Nepal and promulgated the constitution in 1959 (2015 B.S) to take the country towards a parliamentary system. However, on 15 December 1960, King Mahendra used his emergency powers and took charge of the State once again because the leading Congress government had fostered corruption, promoted party above national interest and failed to maintain law and order. His Majesty suspended the constitution, dissolved the elected parliament and the cabinet, imposing direct rule and imprisoned the then-prime minister B. P. Koirala and his closest government colleagues. Political parties were outlawed. This led to the introduction of the Panchayat system on 13 April 1961, a partyless political system of village, district and national councils.

The role played by His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in establishing Nepal in the international arena is unparalleled. He initiated the task of receiving membership of the United Nations (UN) to establish Nepal as an independent nation and was successful.

On 14 December 1955, Nepal also became a member of the UN. Rishikesh Shah became the first Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN. Under his guidance and policy, Nepal was elected as a Member of the UN Security Council in 1969. Nepal was elected in the Security Council the second time again in 1988. Nepal established its image as a committed member of the UN and Nepal was well recognized by the member countries. HM King Mahendra established diplomatic relations with 45 countries to further strengthen Nepal’s position as an independent nation.

In 1955, shortly after Nepal had opened its doors to the first tourists under the reign of his father, HM King Tribhuvan, King Mahendra issued a 15-day visa for a group of 20 tourists from Calcutta — the first of its kind. Until then, obtaining tourist visas to Nepal was a struggle. King Mahendra made tourist visa obtaining easier, thus giving tourism in Nepal a big boom. In 1959 Nepal also became a member of the International Union of Official travel organization, now known as World Tourism Organization.

His Majesty’s reign is also seen as a golden age for Nepal in foreign relations. In addition to establishing diplomatic relations with many countries, the government was able to establish close ties with the Chinese government. Adopting the principle of Panchsheel, he maintained diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, China and India. One of the historical diplomatic achievements of His Majesty is his success in the Nepal-China Boundary Treaty of 1961. The border adjustments were made on grounds of equality by performing land-swapping with Nepal gaining more land than it gave. After the treaty Nepal gained 302.75 square kilometers more land from China.

During his reign, His Majesty King Mahendra went on multiple state visits and initiated a non-aligned diplomatic stance for Nepal. He became the first Shah King to visit the UK, the USA, Sweden, Germany and Russia among other nations as part of building strong diplomatic ties. His Majesty established diplomatic relations with 45 countries, winning considerable international recognition and extended relations. He personally also attended the 1st Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade, FPR Yugoslavia in 1962, making Nepal one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement.

His Majesty King Mahendra also introduced a number of socio-economic and legal reforms of far-reaching consequences, designed to encourage all round development of the country. The start of a planned mechanism of development in 1956 AD, the New Civil Code (Muluki Ain) in 1963 AD and Land Reform Act in 1964 AD are some of its best examples.