Prince Hridayendra of Nepal
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Prince Hridayendra of Nepal (born 30 July 2002) is a member of the Nepalese Royal Family
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Nepal.-The Rajput Lineage :The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa . The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya, and Raja Bhoj....
and is second in line to the throne. The monarchy was officially suspended on 28 May 2008. Until the suspension of the monarchy he was known in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
by the title Nava Yuvaraj.
Nava Yuvaraj
Hridayendra was born at 12:49 pm in the Narayanhity Royal PalaceNarayanhity Royal Palace
The Narayanhiti Palace Museum, or Narayanhiti Durbar , is a palace in Kathmandu, Nepal which long served as a primary residence for the country's monarchs. Narayanhiti, in Narayanhiti Palace, is made up of two words ‘narayan’ and ‘hiti’...
in Kathmandu to Crown Prince Paras
Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal
Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the heir-apparent to the throne of Nepal from 2001 until the monarchy was abolished by the Interim Constituent Assembly in 2008 following Constituent Assembly elections.-Early life:...
and Crown Princess Himani
Himani, Crown Princess of Nepal
Himani Shah, Crown Princess of Nepal is the wife of the former heir apparent to the throne of Nepal, Crown Prince Paras.-Biography:...
. At birth he weighed 3.3 kg.
His grandfather Gyanendra
Gyanendra of Nepal
Gyanendra Shah was the last King of Nepal. During his life, he has held the title of the King twice: first between 1950 and 1951 as a child when his grandfather Tribhuvan was forced into exile in India with the rest of his family; and from 2001 to 2008, following the Nepalese royal massacre.King...
is the deposed king of Nepal and his grandmother is Queen Komal
Queen Komal of Nepal
Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah is the Queen Consort of King Gyanendra of Nepal. She was the last Queen Consort of Nepal before the Monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008.-Life:...
, a member of the Rana dynasty
Rana dynasty
The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary...
. Through his mother he is descended from the Indian princely family of Sikar
Sikar
Sikar is a city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan state in India. It is the administrative headquarter of Sikar District. Sikar is a historical city and contains many old Havelis which are a huge tourist attraction. The best way to reach the city is to use road transport from Jaipur...
, which belongs to the Shekhawat
Shekhawat
Shekhawat is a sub-clan of Kachwaha Rajputs found mainly in Rajasthan, India. The Shekhawat clan claims descent from the great rajput warrior Maharao Shekha Ji. The Shekhawats were the most prominent among all sub clans of Kachwahas of Jaipur. Shekhawats were the rulers of Shekhawati.-History:The...
clan. Following Hindu custom he was officially named Hridayendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in a ceremony at the Narayanhity Royal Palace eleven days after his birth. At birth he was given the title Nava Yuvaraj (Young Crown Prince) being the eldest son of the heir apparent.
In Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
there are a number of stages to groom a future king. Six months after his birth, in accordance with Nepalese royal tradition, Prince Hridayendra received the traditional rice feeding ceremony (Annaprasan ceremony) at the Narayanhity Royal Palace. The ceremony was carried out in accordance with Vedic tradition. During the ceremony he was fed rice by his mother, then by other members of the Royal Family. Following another traditional feature of the ceremony he was offered a gold coin by the prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand
Lokendra Bahadur Chand
Lokendra Bahadur Chand was the prime minister of Nepal four times: from 1983 to 1986, briefly during April 1990, briefly during 1997, and from October 2002 until June 2003. He is a major supporter of the Nepalese monarchy...
and other officials. Later Prince Hridayendra made his first public appearance in a chariot procession and was taken to holy sites in old Kathmandu where worship and rituals were held. The Prime Minister acts as guardian during this stage of the ceremony, and carries the prince around the temples to symbolise the roots between the people and the monarchy.
Place in line of succession
Prince Hridayendra was second in the line of succession to the Nepalese throneLine of succession to the Nepalese throne
The line of succession to the Nepalese throne was determined by absolute primogeniture. This meant that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender inherited the throne. In 2006 the Nepalese government proposed adopting absolute primogeniture. The House of Representatives subsequently...
from his birth until the monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008 after 2008 Constituent Assembly election
Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008
A general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Nepal on 10 April 2008 after having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution; it will therefore decide, amongst other things, on the issue of...
.
In August 2006, before the monarchy was suspended, the Nepalese government adopted a bill to replace the Agnatic succession law with equal primogeniture. The House of Representatives
Nepal House of Representatives
The House of Representatives was the lower house of parliament during the 1990 Constitution in Nepal. It consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. It had five-year terms, but it could be dissolved by the king on the advice of the prime minister before the ending of its term.On...
subsequently approved the bill. Had the bill become law, Prince Hridayendra wouldn't have been relegated to third in the line of succession with his older sister Princess Purnika being elevated to second, because the law also possessed the clause that the present Royals will not be relegated from their titles, till their lifetime.
In February 2007, there was speculation in Nepal that Prince Hridayendra's father and grandfather would make a way for him to take the throne. In July 2007, the Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala
Girija Prasad Koirala
Girija Prasad Koirala was a Nepalese politician and the President of the Nepali Congress, a major political party. He was Prime Minister of Nepal for four times, serving from 1991 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, 2000 to 2001, and from 2006 to 2008; he was also Acting Head of State from January 2007 to July...
repeated calls for the King and Crown Prince to abdicate in favour of Prince Hridayendra though this was rejected by the Maoists.
Post monarchy
On 24 December 2007 it was announced that Nepal would abolish the monarchy in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly electionNepalese Constituent Assembly election, 2008
A general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Nepal on 10 April 2008 after having been postponed from earlier dates of 7 June 2007 and 22 November 2007. The Nepalese Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution; it will therefore decide, amongst other things, on the issue of...
s. On 28 May 2008 the monarchy was officially suspended, replaced by an interim secular federal republic.
Prior to the suspension of the monarchy Hridayendra attended Rupy’s International School in Kathmandu with his sisters Princesses Purnika
Princess Purnika of Nepal
Princess Purnika Rajya Lakshmi Devi of Nepal is the eldest daughter of Paras, former Crown Prince of Nepal and former Crown Princess Himani, she is a granddaughter of former King Gyanendra....
and Kritika
Princess Kritika of Nepal
Princess Kritika Rajya Lakshmi Devi of Nepal is the youngest daughter of Crown Prince Paras and Crown Princess Himani. She is a granddaughter of King Gyanendra....
. In July 2008 Prince Hridayendra left Nepal with his mother and sisters to move to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to join his father who had been making arrangements for the family to live in the country.