Nepal banishes ghosts of royal massacre

Eleven days after the horrific palace massacre that killed King Birendra and almost his entire family, Nepal began exorcising the ghosts of its royal massacre with a traditional Hindu ceremony that marked the official end of the mourning period for the king.

A Brahmin priest, the holiest figure in the Hindu faith, broke one of the ancient religion's most sacred taboos in order to assume the ill-fortune of a troubled palace by eating a feast that he cooks himself, laced with animal marrow.

Riding precariously on a decorated elephant, he donned the slain king's robes and ornaments, and in a symbolic gesture of exile rode out to Kattepati in nearby Lalitpur escorted by the army and police where he will spend 24 hours before leaving the Kathmandu Valley forever.

The 75-year-old Brahmin, Durga Prasad Sapkota of Kavre wore the late King's glasses, his brown shoes, his socks and his walking stick. The 11th day ceremony was performed with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and other dignitaries watching the ceremony.

The ruling king does not attend such a ritual, though other members of the royal family do attend. None of the royal relatives were present. On the 11th day, the chosen Brahmin has to cook his own food and also eat the meat of a male goat in a ritual 'katto khani' or eating the cut one. While meat eating during the mourning period is forbidden, an exception is made for the "the King", who has to eat 84 food items on the menu.

Old-timers trace this ritual to the Shah dynasty that was established by King Drabya Shah in about 1559 AD. Few were able to say with any certainty if the previous dynasty, the Mallas, too had a similar ritual.

The late king's symbolic exile from the Kingdom so that his soul meets his ancestors in Vaikuntha, the eternal abode of Vishnu, the Protector in the Hindu trilogy, brought tears to the waiting crowd. According to Hindu belief, the King's soul was 'pret yoni, a ghost in the nether world until the 13th day purification ceremony that will symbolically take the king's soul to 'pitri yoni' ancestors abode.

A similar ritual for late King Dipendra is slated for tomorrow. The 13th day ritual will be a combined one for King Birendra and his son next Saturday. The Brahmin who played the King's role had volunteered himself as per the custom, said Lakshmi Prasad Rizal, of Kaushi Toshakhana, the royal treasury. Rizal said the custom was to announce that they were looking for a volunteer and then, pick the Brahmin who volunteers for it. If there is more than one volunteer, the oldest one is selected.

Sapkota, the man picked for the job yesterday will walk away from this a far richer man than he ever dreamed he would be. He arrived at a tent behind the Kalomochan, Lord Shiva temple, the traditional venue for the 11th day ceremony at 7 a.m. and straightaway set to work, assisted by palace and the treasury staff. His tent was packed with mattresses, quilts, woollen and cotton blankets, pillows, clothes, utensils, cupboards and different kinds of food.

The Brahmin is given every item that is needed for a family to live. He is also given land and anything else that he asks for. Sapkota has been given cash in lieu of the land, said Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai, the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, who was in charge of yesterday's arrangements. Besides household goods, the palace also gave Sapkota all the diamond, gold and silver ornaments and dishes used by King Birendra as well as a collection of new ones.

Some of Queen Aishwarya's belongings which were placed in the tent and other pieces of jewellery will be given to the Mul Purohit, the chief priest of the palace.