DAKSHINKALI, Nepal (AFP) — Nepal's king put in a rare public appearance Monday at an Hindu animal sacrifice ritual designed to preserve power, just weeks before the monarchy is due to be abolished.
King Gyanendra will likely be the last ruler of a centuries' old dynasty by fiercely republican Maoists who scored a surprise victory in landmark elections last month.
"Panchabali (five animal sacrifice) is undertaken to get power, to get what you wish for and to ensure the well-being of the family," Mod Raj Bhattarai, a royal priest, told AFP at the elaborate temple ceremony.
"This puja (ceremony) will bring good consequences to the world and to Nepal," he predicted.
The Maoists have vowed that the monarchy will be scrapped during the first sitting of the constitutional assembly, which is due to meet before the end of the month.
Gyanendra -- who drove himself in a jeep in a small convoy to the temple in a deep gorge 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Kathmandu -- smiled and put his hands together in the traditional "namaste" greeting when questioned by reporters.
"I came here to see the king and pay him my respects as this might be the last chance," said Tseten Sherpa, a Buddhist monk from a monastery nearby, told AFP.
The usually dour-looking king appeared relaxed throughout the annual ceremony and he had clearly lost weight, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
Several dozen royalists also attended the dark and secluded Dakshinkali temple, telling AFP that getting rid of the monarchy would be a mistake.
"The king is part of our culture and traditions. He must remain. He is the symbol of sovereignty and nationalism in the country," said Tirtha Man Lama, 82, who was a member of a royally-appointed government in the late 1950s.
At the height of the ceremony, temple assistants slit the throats of a duck, chicken, lamb, goat and buffalo before the king and queen in an ancient tradition of offerings to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction.
As blood flowed, the animals were decapitated in front of a fearsome Kali statue. Their livers were cut out and placed in a small container that the king took back to the palace.
Seen by supporters as a reincarnation of the Hindu protector Vishnu, the king's fall from god-king to sidelined monarch has been spectacular.
The 61-year-old has already been stripped of most of his powers, including his roles as head of state and army chief.
Gyanendra took the throne in 2001 in tragic and bizarre circumstances after a drunk and drugged crown prince massacred nine members of the royal family and then killed himself, after being forbidden from marrying the woman he loved.
Already unpopular when he came to the throne, his popularity hit rock bottom when he sacked the government and took direct control of the impoverished nation in February 2005.
The move pushed Nepal's mainstream political parties into a tactical alliance with their former foes, the Maoist insurgents, and resulted in the landmark 2006 peace pact that ended a civil war in which more than 13,000 people died.
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