| Desh_Bhakta_Bhattarai |
Posted
on 23-Nov-02 05:03 PM
Book Review
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Title: Massacre in the Palace
Author: Jonathan Gregson
June 1, 2001, a date marked in Nepal's history as a day of infamy. Nothing can be compared to the incident in Narayanhiti that day, not even the legendary Kot Massacre in 1839. However, this is certainly not the first time that there were these kinds of huge massacre, but certainly this was the first incident within the palace. Internal conspiricies and strifes have always been a part of Nepal's Royal families. Whether they were Lichchhavi, or Mallas, or the Shahs, Nepal's Royal family has many times been stained by conspiracies.
In this book, writer Jonathan Gregson amazingly defragments Nepal's long and controversial history from the time King Prithivi Narayan Shah ascended the throne of Gorkha and annexed his kingdom to make the modern Nepal, to the time of the Narayanhiti Massacre. He has written almost every detail possible about the conspiracies within the palace. Skillfully merging the epic turbulance of Nepal's past with intimate knowledge of the current state of the court, Gregson offers a reveting account of birth of the Kingdom of Nepal, and the role of its semi-divine monarchy and what this means to ordinary people. He portray's the Narayanhiti "Parba" as equal proportion to Shakespearean tragedy, in mordan times.
My Comments: Read it. You could find it in the Queens Library, New York (Thats where I found it)
From this Book:
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"...'Which is Nepal?' His companions pointed out at Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan, the capitals of three wealthy and independant kingdoms then known as Nepal. Upon seeing them, King Prithivi Narayan Shah reaccounted, 'The thought came into my heart that if I might be king of these three cities, why, let it be so.'..." (pg.4)
"...Holding up his curd-splattered hands, Gorakhnath prophesied that there would be kings of Prithivi Narayan Shah's lineage for ten generations--one for each of his ten fingers that had been defiled. After those ten generations had passed, the Shah dynasty..." (pg. 5)
"...During that first attack Birendra was struck by two 9mm bullets from the stubby German-made submachine gun..."(pg. 192)
"...Looking towards his son Birendra said very quietely: 'Kay gardeko?' -- 'What have you done?'..."
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~DBB
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