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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Labour of love to save Nepal's royal statues AFP - Sunday, February 22 KATHMANDU (AFP) - - Nepal's monarchy may have been toppled from power last year by the Maoist revolutionaries who now govern the country, but one man is determined to keep their memory alive. ADVERTISEMENT Laxman Khadka has dedicated himself to preserving the stone statues of former kings that still decorate the streets of the capital Kathmandu. The statues were often vandalised during protests in 2006 that eventually forced king Gyanendra from the throne and ended the Hindu monarchy's 240-year rule. Such attacks desecrated Nepalese culture and ignored the royal family's contribution to the nation's history, Khadka told AFP as he gave a statue of king Birendra a fresh lick of paint. "Whenever I feel the statues are getting dirty, I go and treat them. First I clean them with soap and water, then I touch up the paintwork. "Birendra was a good person. He wanted Nepal to be a zone of peace but he died before he could see his dream fulfilled," said Khadka, before climbing up a ladder armed with a pot of green paint and a brush. In extraordinary circumstances, Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other members of the royal family were murdered in 2001 at the palace by a drunken crown prince who later shot himself. Gyanendra then came to the throne and for a period imposed absolute rule -- before the monarchy was finally thrown out in 2008. Khadka said he is not a monarchist but loves his country's past and is determined to save the statues out of respect for the role that the former monarchs played in the creation and development of Nepal. "The kings were the ones who gave us the identity of being a Nepalese. Without their efforts, Nepal would have never existed as a nation," said 60-year-old Khadka, a former farmer. Prithvi Narayan Shah, the first in the Shah line of succession, is credited with founding modern Nepal out of a patchwork of small Himalayan fiefdoms in 1769. The royal family was finally consigned to history last year when the Maoist-dominated constitutional assembly declared Nepal a republic. After the Maoists' election victory, deputy prime minister Bamdev Gautam announced all royal monuments in public places would be removed and replaced by statues of "martyrs". Home ministry spokesman Nabin Ghimire told AFP last week that officials were waiting for the government's formal decision to move the dozen life-size royal statues out of the Kathmandu valley. "The statues are the heritage of Nepal. They chronicle our history. The government must not wipe out the past by removing them," said Khadka. "I think the work I do is very worthwhile. People appreciate it. They recognise me for what I've achieved." Khadka said his self-imposed task has caused him domestic difficulties. "My wife and children don't respect me because they said I threatened the family's reputation in the society, but I have no regrets." Khadka, who is funded with donations from friends and well-wishers, started cleaning the statues eight years ago, when the monarchy was faced by a growing and violent Maoist insurgency. In 2006, a gang of Maoists found him cleaning a statue of Prithvi Narayan Shah, Nepal's founding father. "Around 40 Maoists who had come to destroy the statue surrounded me. But after an argument, they let me carry on with my work. They knew I had been doing such work for some time," he said. "Some people think I'm a mad man but I don't care," he said. "I will continue cleaning the statues as long as my health supports me." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Actors union rejects studio contract offerReuters - 1 hour 11 minutes ago SAG rejects 'final offer' from producersAP - 1 hour 14 minutes ago 'Love Guru', Paris Hilton are top of the flopsAFP - 1 hour 22 minutes ago Oscars set to shake up their actReuters - 1 hour 26 minutes ago Hollywood actors reject contract offerAFP - 51 minutes ago Enlarge Photo Nepalese monarchist Laxman Khadka is seen painting a statue of the late Nepalese King Birendra, in Kathmandu. Nepal's monarchy may have been toppled from power last year by the Maoist revolutionaries who now govern the country, but Khadka is determined to keep its royal heritage alive. Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Huge gamma-ray blast spotted in space Seductive chemicals hidden in sloppy kisses US moves to dispel bank nationalization rumors Malaria: Spoonful of sugar could save thousands of children Bank fears drag down world markets View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

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