History
The palace compound is located in the north-central part of Kathmandu, at the head of Durbar marg. It is designed to be a contemporary pagoda with sprawling, park-like grounds covering an area of (30 hectares (74 acres)) all fully enclused with walls and guarded gates. The current Narayanhiti Palace was built in 1970, replacing the original 1915 building, which had been destroyed in an earthquake. It was first used on the occasion of the marriage of King Birenda Bir Bikram Shah, the then heir apparent to the throne. The southern gate of the palace is located at the intersection of Prithvi path and Durbar marg streets. The palace was also the scene of the 2001 Nepalese Royal Massacre. After the 2006 revolution toppled the monarchy, the newly elected assembly declared Nepal a republic and ordered the King to vacate the palace. It has since been turned into a museum.
Read more about this topic: Narayanhity Palace Museum
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today.... In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the exceptional Now that blocks good thinking.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)