Nava Yuvaraj
Prince Hridayendra was born at 12:49 pm in the Narayanhity Royal Palace in Kathmandu to Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Crown Prince of Nepal and Crown Princess Himani Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah. At birth he weighed 3.3 kg.
His grandfather Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is the deposed king of Nepal and his grandmother is Queen Komal Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah, a member of the Rana dynasty. Through his mother he is descended from the Indian princely family of Sikar, which belongs to the Shekhawat clan. Following Hindu custom he was officially named Hridayendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in a ceremony at the Narayanhity Royal Palace eleven days after his birth. At birth he was given the title Nava Yuvaraj (Young Crown Prince) being the eldest son of the heir apparent.
In Hinduism there are a number of stages to groom a future king. Six months after his birth, in accordance with Nepalese royal tradition, Hridayendra received the traditional rice feeding ceremony (Annaprasan ceremony) at the Narayanhity Royal Palace. The ceremony was carried out in accordance with Vedic tradition. During the ceremony he was fed rice by his mother, then by other members of the Royal Family. Following another traditional feature of the ceremony he was offered a gold coin by Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand and other officials. Later Hridayendra made his first public appearance in a chariot procession and was taken to holy sites in old Kathmandu where worship and rituals were held. The prime minister acts as guardian during this stage of the ceremony, and carries the prince around the temples to symbolise the bond between the people and the monarchy.
Read more about this topic: Prince Hridayendra Of Nepal