THE PALACE TURNED MUSUEM

The Narayanhiti Palace opened as a museum from 26th February 2009, nine months after the abolition of monarchy. The museum was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Ministers, foreign delegates, lawmakers, government officers and other senior citizens attended the inauguration function. A huge queue of the people was seen from the very first day. They came all along from different places of Kathmandu with so much expectation. The patience to queue in the line for many hours reflected their enthusiasm and respect for the royal family and the palace as well.

The museum opens from 11.00am to 3.00pm everyday except Tuesdays, Wednesdays and public holidays. Approx. 400-500 people turn up everyday to visit the royal palace. The museum as a whole consists of 52 rooms of which only 19 rooms are in display. All the rooms or blocks are named after the districts of Nepal. The entry fee is Rs.20 for students, Rs.100 for general people (excluding students), Rs.250 for Chinese visitors and Rs.500 for other tourists. The Museum complex spreads over 40,820 sq ft of the Narayanhiti complex. The complex includes Foreign Ministry office, Security Division of Nepal Army, Special Security Force and Police Division besides the Museum. Tribhuvan Sadan, where the royal massacre took place is also open for the visitors however other complexes of the prince and princess are still not open. The museum currently showcases the possessions of the former kings and other royal members of the palace though the wardrobes and the crown are still not yet showcased.

All the nineteen rooms have their own significance. The complex is entered through a huge entrance gate named after one of the highest peak Gaurishankar. It is tremendous and built with gold and silver. There are big statues of fish, peacock, horse, elephant and lion pairs at the stairs heading towards the entrance gate. These statues seem as the major attraction for the people. The entrance gate leads to an immense living room, the Kaski Baithak, used by the King for the general or formal meetings with the ministers, foreign delegates and visitors. Myagdi is a tea room along with a special room named Parbat used for signing special legal documents by then king. The bed room of the king and queen is called Dhankuta followed by the restroom of the king Dhading. The enormous banquet hall Lamjung, used for formal dinners with visitors and delegates, comes next. The major appeal of the complex is the consecutive merging of the three rooms named "Dolpa", "Tanahun" and the larger one "Gorkha". Each of them holds a special significance. Gorkha hall, possessing a height of 60ft. conducted all the special programs such as announcement of the king or other nation's affairs. These programs were seen and observed by the council of ministers, secretaries and other officials from the very next joined room Tanahun which was then again joined by Dolpa where the queen attended the program. A special one sided glass was attached to this room (dolpa) through which queen used to see the programs. Gorkha hall comprises the very throne of the king fabricated by gold and silver. The vital collections of King Tribhuvan are kept in a special room Mugu. Other appeals of the museum are the wall crocodile, statues of tigers, stupendous interiors, floorings, paintings of kings with excellent gestures and chandeliers.

The royal palace turned museum had gained much appreciation and love from the people however there are still some negative aspects. The Tribhuvan Sadan where the massacre took place has been knocked down. Due to this, the investigation regarding the royal massacre has been hampered. Also, there is no water facility: supply has been cut by the authorities. Similarly, only nineteen rooms out of fifty-two are open for the public, but the officials have pledged to open more... with time. One museum official said the reason for this was the shortage of staff. There is no proper timing of lunch and additional meals. The entry fees vary drastically for different categories, grouped according to nationalities, age groups etc. A visitor has to queue up several hours to gain entry to the palace/museum.