Nepal: Official portrait of King Mahendra of Nepal (r. 1955-1972)

Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was King of Nepal from 1955 to 1972.

Mahendra was crowned on 2 May 1956. He succeeded Tribhuvan as King of Nepal. On 15 December 1960 he suspended the constitution, dissolved parliament, dismissed the cabinet, imposed direct rule and imprisoned then prime minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and his closest government colleagues. Mahendra instituted a Panchayat hierarchical system of village, district and national councils, a variant of guided democracy. He pursued a foreign policy of neutrality between China and India.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Credit:

Pictures From History