Kathmandu: Nepal's dethroned king has come
out in support of a campaign to restore the country as a Hindu
state at rare public appearance near the world famous
Pashupatinath temple in the capital.
64-year-old Gyanendra and former queen Komal went to
the Bankali forest area near Pashupatinath yesterday where
Kali Baba, a popular saint in the country, has been conducting
a 'Maha Yagnya', a ritual to restore Hinduism as the state
religion in Nepal.
Nepal was converted into a secular state three years
ago by the Parliament.
The former monarch also took part in the ritual as per
the Hindu tradition on the occasion, according to
eye-witnesses.
The former monarch was greeted with cheers by the
large crowd when he arrived at the temple. Wearing garlands,
Gyanendra spoke to the media briefly, saying Nepal should be
restored as a Hindu state as per people’s desire.
"I will extend my support to the campaign if Nepalese
people want to restore the Hindu state status, he said.
The 'Sahasra Rudrachandi yajna' by Kali Baba from
March 1. It has been drawing thousands of Hindu devotees
including senior politicians and ministers.
Kali Baba has announced that he would sacrifice his
life if Hindu state status is not restored within the next
nine days.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 19:16