Rakta Kunda meaning ‘pool of blood’ is a Nepali novel by journalist Krishna Abiral. Based on the accounts of real event that took place in the year 2001, precisely the Royal Massacre, the novel tries to describe and explain the context and the background as well as the activity that took place before, during and after the monstrous act.

The story is based on the conversation with a mother and daughter duo, who served as the maids to Queen Mother Ratna Rajya Laxmi and former queen Komal, respectively. To be on the safe side, the writer labeled the book as a novel, although everything written in it is true. He interviewed the ladies and cross examined their answers and descriptions with other palace and security officials.

The book gives an account of series of events that took place before and during the massacre which is said to be masterminded by the then Crown Prince Dipendra because he has arguments and fight with his mother, the then queen Aishwarya. Although the people of Nepal and the world are made to believe that the massacre was masterminded by the then Crown Prince, the book suggests otherwise. It mentions that the Crown Prince was framed and the killing had continued even after the prince fell to the ground after he shot himself in chest. Also, the absence of firearms near his body points somewhere else. It also mentions what the Royal family members and their guests were doing when the tragedy struck.

The book has revealed many secrets of the palace and the Royal families, not only of that in-fateful night but also those that had happened years ago during the times of King Mahendra as well as King Tribhuvan. It also explains the misdeeds of the previous kings, highlighting the negative aspects and part of the Nepali Royal Family.

The novel was published some years after the massacre took place as the informant as well as the writer feared for their safety. Rakta Kunda by Krishna Abiral is a good read if you are curious about what had happened on that night in 2001, however, the mystery still looms and has not been solved although the book opens up many untold stories and accounts of the night.

Shaha Bamsiko Salyakriya

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Krishna Abiral

Nepali Literature

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