After the country changed into republic, Narayanhiti Royal Palace was turned into museum in 2008 with the fall of Shah Dynasty who ruled the country for more than 240 years.
The Narayanhiti Royal Palace,deriving its name from the Narayan Temple and the traditional stone conduits situated at the southern premises, spreads over an area of about 15 acres. The existing palace was completed in 1969 during the reign of King Mahendra (1920-1972) and its construction took around 6 years. The palace stands on an area of 40820 sq feet and it has three wings: The guest wing, the state wing and the private wing each consisiting of approximately 30 rooms. Because the museum was opened for public viewing in a very short time without much preparation, the government managed to open only 19 rooms. The palace was built for residential purpose so it is difficult to manage one-way access inside every rooms for public viewings.
This palace was designed by an American architect, Benjamin Kauffmann Polk, who died in 2001 due to natural causes. The palace was one of the remarkable designs among his work. Besides this, there are significant input from King Mahendra as well. One can find various things related to Nepali culture, religion, places, people, art, etc. Each room has its own distinctiveness with various souvenirs and memorablias from different era holding definition and importance of itself. These collections are from different parts of the world that has made this palace turned museum an ideal place to visit.
