The name,
Narayanhiti, is made up of two word narayan and hiti Narayan is the name of an
incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, whose temple is located opposite to the
place.
Hiti means “water spout” which is located to the east of main entrance
in the precincts of the palace, a landmark that features prominently in the
local legends. The palace compound is located in the north central part of
Kathmandu, at the head of Darbar marg. It is designed to be a contemporary pagoda
with aprawling, park-like grounds covering an area of (30 hectares) all fully
enclosed with walls and guarded gates. The current Narayanhiti palace was built
in 1970, replacing the original 1915 building which had been destroyed in an
earthquake. It was first used on the occasion of the marriage of King Birendra
Bir Bikram shah Dev, the then heir apparent to the throne. The southern gate of
the places is located at the intersection of Prithibi path and Durbar marg
streets. The palace also was the scene of the 2001 Nepalese Royal massacre. After
the 2006 revolution toppled the monarchy, the newly elected assembly declared
Nepal a republic and ordered the king to vacate the palace. It has since been
turned into a museum.