Tribhuvan Sadan

Tribhuvan Sadan
त्रिभुवन सदन
Former names	Happy Cottage
General information
Status	Being rebuilt
Location	Narayanhiti Palace
Town or city	Kathmandu
Country	Nepal
Coordinates	27.715450841455088°N 85.31746608557542°E / 27.715450841455088; 85.31746608557542
Named for	King Tribhuvan of Nepal
Owner	Narayanhiti Palace Museum

The Tribhuvan Sadan (Nepali: त्रिभुवन सदन) is a mansion in the Narayanhiti Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal. It is known for being the site of the Nepalese royal massacre where ten members of the royal family, including King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, and Crown Prince Dipendra were killed. The mansion was formerly occupied by King Tribhuvan and his family and later by Dipendra, Crown Prince of Nepal. The Tribhuvan Sadan was demolished after the orders of the Queen Mother Ratna however It is currently being reconstructed.

History

King Tribhuvan lived in the Tribhuvan Sadan with his family and he rebuilt the mansion after it was destroyed by the 1934 Nepal earthquake.[1][2] It was originally known as the Happy Cottage but it was later renamed after King Tribhuvan.[1][3] It was later occupied by Dipendra, Crown Prince of Nepal who had lived with his family at the Shree Sadan, but, he had moved after the coronation of King Birendra as the king of Nepal as he was not allowed to live with his father until he turned 18 due to royal tradition.[2][4]

On 1 June 2001, the infamous Nepalese royal massacre took place in the Tribhuvan Sadan where ten members of the royal family, including King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, and Crown Prince Dipendra, were killed in a mass shooting.[5] The Tribhuvan Sadan was demolished after the orders of the Queen Mother Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah.[6][7] However, this decision became controversial and it aided in conspiracy theories about the massacre.[7] After its demolition, only a small portion of the wall and the layout of the building remained.[8][9] After the downfall of the monarchy, Narayanhiti Palace was turned into a museum and the museum had added labels where the rooms of the Tribhuvan Sadan were located.[10]

In 2009, then Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said in a speech that the Tribhuvan Sadan would be rebuilt.[11][12] In 2015, part of the mansion was built and other parts were being reconstructed.[10] Next year, the reconstruction of the Tribhuvan Sadan was reported to be nearly finished.[13] Ministry of General Administration said that the reconstruction of the mansion will provide proof about the massacre to Nepalis.[10]

References

1. Sijapati, Alisha (30 August 2020). "Erika and King Tribhuvan". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
2. Sijapati, Alisha (6 August 2020). "Preserving King Birendra's family home". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
3. "Nepal royal massacre site to be opened to public". The Times of India. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
4. Bahadur Ale, Chandra (6 February 2021). "Inside Narayanhiti: A tour of King Birendra's private residence". OnlineKhabar. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
5. McCarthy, Rory (7 June 2001). "Revealed: secrets of palace massacre". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
6. Reed, David (2002). The Rough Guide to Nepal. Rough Guides. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-85828-899-4. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
7. O'Neill, Tom (12 May 2016). The Heart of Helambu: Ethnography and Entanglement in Nepal. University of Toronto Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-4875-1081-7. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
8. "Nepal to save royal massacre home". BBC. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
9. Bhattarai, Tara (10 September 2012). "Royal Palace Turned Museum Reminds Visitors of Nepal's Uncertain Political Future". Global Press Journal. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
10. "The Memory Palace – Part 3". The Record. 10 November 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
11. "Nepal says to rebuild royal massacre palace". Reuters. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
12. "New investigation of royal massacre urged". United Press International. 23 July 2009. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
13. "Narayanhiti Durbar Museum collects over Rs 174 m revenue". The Kathmandu Post. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.