Mahendra of Nepal

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महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
King of Nepal
Mahendra of Nepal (second from left) in a 1958 visit to Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science.
Reign 1955-31 January 1972
Born June 11, 1920(1920-06-11)
Died 31 January 1972 (aged 51)
Place of death Diyalo Bangala, Chitwan, Nepal
Predecessor Tribhuvan
Heir-Apparent Birendra
Successor Birendra
Issue Birendra,Gyanendra
Royal House Shah dynasty
Royal anthem Shrimann Ghambir

Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव), King of Nepal (June 11, 1920 - January 31, 1972) was king of Nepal from 1955 to 1972. He was also made a British Field Marshal in 1960. He succeeded his father, Tribhuvan, who had, after years as a puppet of the Rana family, finally managed to break their more than 100-year hegemony over the country. Unlike his father, however, Mahendra was not a supporter of parliamentary democracy, and he banned opposition parties in the 1960s. After his sudden death, he was succeeded by his son Birendra.

A younger son, Gyanendra, was king as a small child from 1950 to 1951 when Tribhuvan, Mahendra and Birendra had fled the country to escape from the Rana family. After 50 years, Gyanendra reassumed the throne when his brother King Birendra was killed in 2001.

[edit] See also

Preceded by
Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
Crown Prince of Nepal
19201950
Succeeded by
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
Preceded by
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
Crown Prince of Nepal
19511955
Succeeded by
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
Preceded by
Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah
King of Nepal
19551972

1. ^  Possibly no heir for the time period of 1911 through 1920. Previous Crown Prince: Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, from 1906 to 1911.