Click to play videoPuri: The former King of Nepal Gyanendra has lost power, kingdom and prestige in his own county, but he enjoys special rights in Puri's Lord Jagannath Temple.
The Lord Jagannath Temple administration and the Maharaja of Puri have passed a special resolution that allows the former Nepal king to offer prayers standing near the Lord's throne in the temple. Even the Maharaja of Puri is denied such special treatment.
"Political power often come and go. But culture and tradition is something, which is permanent. So irrespective of the political developments in Nepal, the King will enjoy all the privileges in the tradition," Gajapati Dibya Singhdeo, Maharaja of Puri, says.
The Nepal royal family's links with Puri are centuries old. The priests at the Nepal Bhavan in Puri have served Nepal's royal family for generations.
"I feel sad for the King of Nepal. He has lost power, palace…everything. But I feel proud of the Puri's Jagannath tradition that the King will continue to get all the respect and rights in the Lord's temple," Gangadhar Mahapatra, Lalmohari Panda of Nepal, says.
The doors of the royal palace in Nepal may no longer welcome the King, but in Lord's Jagannath temple the grand doors will forever remain open for the former King of Nepal.
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