Mahārājdhirāja of Nepal | |
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Royal Coat of arms
(before 2006) |
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Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
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Details | |
Style | His Royal Majesty |
First monarch | Mahārājdhirāja Prithvi Narayan Shah |
Last monarch | Mahārājdhirāja Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah |
Formation | September 25, 1768 |
Abolition | May 28, 2008 |
Residence | Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal |
Appointer | Hereditary |
Pretender(s) | Mahārājdhirāja Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah |
The King of Nepal, traditionally known as the Mahārājādhirāja (Nepali: श्री ५ महाराजधिराज), was Nepal's head of state and monarch from 1768 to 2008. He served as the head of the Nepalese monarchy—Shah Dynasty. The monarchy was founded in 1768 and was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. The subnational monarchies in Mustang, Bajhang, Salyan, and Jajarkot were also abolished in October.
The Kingdom of Nepal was founded on 25 September 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha king who succeeded in unifying the kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur into a single state under his Shah dynasty. The Kingdom of Nepal was de jure an absolute monarchy for most of its history. However, from 1846 until 1951, the country was de facto ruled by the hereditary Prime Ministers from the Rana dynasty, reducing the role of the Shah monarch to that of a figurehead. In November 1990, after the Jana Andolan movement, the new Constitution was adopted and the country became a constitutional monarchy.