http://www.boston.com/dailynews/162/world/Nepal_holds_rare_Hindu_ceremon:.shtml

Nepal holds rare Hindu ceremony to banish ghost of slain monarch

By Neelesh Misra, Associated Press, 6/11/2001 16:00

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) Hoping to quiet the soul of the beloved monarch slain in a royal massacre, Nepal conducted a rare Hindu ceremony Monday to banish his ghost, a centuries-old rite meant as a final farewell.

After feasting on a lavish lunch prepared from 84 different items including the dead monarch's ashes a frail Brahmin priest dressed as the late King Birendra became his symbolic substitute.

Sitting on cushions under a bamboo canopy by the river, the priest took possession of some of the king's belongings, including clothes, a briefcase and a radio. Later, he rode astride an elephant as crowds of Nepalese chased him off.

The ceremony did little to assuage the frustration of Nepalese still waiting for an explanation of the June 1 massacre that ended in the deaths of 10 royals.

''They are holding the 11th-day ceremony, they are having all kinds of religious events, but they have still not given us the answers,'' said Bikram Srestha, a 23-year-old college student. ''Who is the killer?''

Many do not believe witness accounts saying Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly distraught over his parents' objection to his choice of a bride gunned down his family before fatally shooting himself.

On Monday, a Maoist rebel leader called the new monarch, King Gyanendra, the ''villain'' behind the massacre, calling it revenge for Birendra's refusal to deploy troops to fight the rebels.

Nepal's king is largely a figurehead but serves as the country's supreme military commander. Analysts predict Gyanendra, who was out of town during the massacre, will be more assertive than Birendra.

''Because King Birendra was not ready to let the army be used to quell the patriotic movement of the people, he and his family were assassinated,'' the Maoist leader known as ''Prachanda'' said in a statement.

''It has already been revealed that Gyanendra was the villain of the massacre at the palace,'' he asserted.

Gyanendra, Birendra's younger brother, has promised an inquiry into the slayings, and granted palace-appointed investigators a four-day extension on the report originally due Sunday.

The Supreme Court chief justice who is heading the investigation, Keshav Prasad Upadhyay, attended Monday's ceremony. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Cabinet members and top military officials also attended. Gyanendra did not.

In ancient times, the Brahmin priest would eat a part of the dead king's body. Officials said only the late king's ashes were used in Monday's ceremony. A leg of a sacrificed goat sat in a clay pitcher nearby.

Pieces of Birendra's wardrobe jackets, shawls, ties, shirts, socks and two pairs of shoes were kept in a steel cabinet in a tent symbolizing the king's home, along with a sofa set, desk and a fan made of peacock feathers.

Another priest placed a silver crown with a long plume similar to the ancient Shah dynasty crown on the head of the priest, Durga Prasad Satkota, 75, who was dressed in glittering brocade and shielded from the public view by guards.

Everything in the tent and the elephant now belong to the priest. According to tradition, the palace must grant all demands from the priest, who is then banished from Katmandu Valley.

The priest rose and mounted the elephant, Nirajan, which was named after Birendra's younger son, who was also killed.

Several thousand people waited by the banks of the Bagmati River, ready to chase the elephant. Nirajan lumbered down a narrow path leading to the rank, muddy waters of the polluted river and slowly waded across.

-- Anonymous, June 12, 2001