"Vishnu Avtar" sacrifices goat, chicken, duck, jo bhi mila, to remain in power
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available to remain in power
Nepali king attends sacrifice in rare public appearance
Afp, Dakshinkali
Nepal's King Gyanendra Shah (L) and Queen Komal Shah leave in
their car following their five-sacrifice annual event in the Hindu temple at
Dakshinkali , some 18 km south of Kathmandu yesterday. Photo: AFP
Nepal's embattled king, whose centuries-old dynasty faces its end
within weeks, made a rare public appearance Monday for a ritual animal
sacrifice aimed at preserving power, priests said.
"Panchabali (five animal sacrifice) is undertaken to get power, to get
what you wish for and to ensure the wellbeing of the family," Mod Raj
Bhattarai, a royal priest told AFP at the elaborate ceremony.
"This puja (ceremony) will bring good consequences to the world and to
Nepal."
King Gyanendra is set to be removed from power after fiercely
republican former rebel Maoists scored a surprise win in landmark elections
for a body that will abolish the world's only Hindu monarchy and rewrite the
constitution.
The ultra-leftists have vowed that the monarchy will be formally ended
in the first meeting of the constitution-drafting body. The meeting is due
to take place before the end of the month.
Gyanendra -- who drove himself in a jeep in a small convoy to the
temple 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Kathmandu -- smiled and put his
hands together in the traditional "namaste" greeting when questioned by
reporters.
As part of the ceremony, temple assistants sacrificed a duck, chicken,
lamb, goat and buffalo in front of the king and queen in a centuries-old
tradition of offerings to the Kali, Hindu goddess of death and destruction.