KATHMANDU, Jan 14: Nepali Buddhists worshipped King Gyanendra on Monday as an incarnation of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, in an ancient ceremony that takes place once every 50 years.

Thousands of Nepalis lined the streets to watch the 54-year-old monarch being driven in a limousine to the Samyak Puja ceremony — which translates as auspicious worship — near the Swyambhunath temple, the main Buddhist landmark in Kathmandu.

Gyanendra became king last June after his popular brother, King Birendra, and most members of the royal family were slain by Crown Prince Dipendra who later killed himself.

On arriving, the monarch, wearing a multi-coloured flower garland, was escorted to a dais where he sat on a special gilded throne that resembled a five-headed serpent god.

Devout Buddhists sprinkled holy water on the king and washed his feet as he sat barefoot during the elaborate religious ceremony that lasted 90 minutes and was accompanied by traditional pipe bands.

“We worshipped the king like the Buddha, praying for world peace and the well-being of all living beings,” said Gautam Sayami, an organizer of the event.

The monarch and the deities were offered gifts and a feast that included 84 delicacies. But the king did not eat.

“The Samyak Puja is very important in Buddhist culture because it seeks the liberation of the living beings from misery to enlightenment,” said Mukunda Raj Aryal, who teaches Nepali culture at the Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.—Reuters