Dipendra of Nepal

 

Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Nepali: दीपेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 27 June 1971 – 4 June 2001) was the King of Nepal for three days from 1 to 4 June 2001. For the duration of his three-day reign, he was in a coma after he shot his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, his younger brother and sister, and other members of the royal family before turning the gun on himself in an event known as the Nepalese royal massacre.

As the eldest of the three children of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, Dipendra was the crown prince. Under the Nepalese constitution, the Privy Council named Dipendra king upon the death of his father. Upon Dipendra's death, his paternal uncle Gyanendra became king.

Early life

Dipendra was born on 27 June 1971 at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace as the eldest child of Birendra, the Crown Prince of Nepal, and Princess Aishwarya. In his family he was known as "CP" and famously as "Dippy" among his friends.

Education

Dipendra received his early education from Kanti Ishwori High School, Kathmandu. Then he went to Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu. Later, he attended Eton College in the United Kingdom. After Eton, he attended Tri Chandra College affiliated with Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and later joined the Military Academy in Kharipati, Nepal. He studied Geography at Tribhuvan University for his master's degree and was a Nepal topper receiving a gold medal. He was a PhD student at the same university. He received military training from the Academy of Royal Nepalese Gurkha Army, and piloting training from the Civil Aviation Department.

Interests

Dipendra was interested in the fields of social service and sports. He attended various national and international sports ceremonies where Nepalese players participated. Dipendra became a karateka when he was studying in England and received a black belt at around the age of 20. He was a patron of the National Sports Council and Nepal's Scouts. Dipendra also wrote articles that were published in Nepalese periodicals. His writings were often on the motifs of nationhood and nationality.

Nepalese royal massacre

On 1 June 2001, Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace, the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, his younger brother and sister, and other members of the royal family before shooting himself in the head. Because he had killed most of the line of succession, he became king while in a comatose state from the head wound.

His motive for the murders is unknown, but there are various theories. Dipendra desired to marry Devyani Rana, the daughter of an Indian royal family whom he had met in England, but due to her family's lower caste and her father's political alliances, Dipendra's parents objected; he was told that he would have to give up his claim to the throne to marry her. Other theories allege that Dipendra was unhappy with the country's shift from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy and that too much power had been given away following the 1990 People's Movement.

Much controversy surrounds the circumstances of the massacre, and even today, with the monarchy abolished, many questions remain within Nepal about its cause. Sources of the yet unanswered questions include details such as the apparent lack of security at the event; the absence of Prince Gyanendra, Dipendra's uncle who succeeded him, from the party; the fact that, despite being right-handed, Dipendra's self-inflicted head-wound was located at his left temple; and finally that the subsequent investigation lasted for only two weeks and did not involve any major forensic analysis.

Portrayals

Upendra portrayed the crown prince in the 2002 Indian film Super Star, which was loosely based on the massacre.

Indian actor Ashish Kapoor portrayed the role of Dipendra in the third season of the documentary series Zero Hour, which showed a reconstruction of the massacre taken from surviving eyewitnesses.

Honors

National honors

Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Pratap Bhaskara

Sovereign of the Order of Ojaswi Rajanya

Sovereign of the Order of Nepal Taradisha

Sovereign of the Order of Tri Shakti Patta

Sovereign of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu

Most Glorious Mahendra Chain

King Birendra Investiture Medal (24 February 1975)

Commemorative Silver Jubilee Medal of King Birendra (31 January 1997)

Foreign honors

 Denmark: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog (17 October 1989)

 Germany: Knight Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1997)

 Japan: Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (12 April 2001)