Mahendra of Nepal vs Muhammad Ahmad al-Mahdi

Mahendra became King of Nepal upon the death of his father, King Tribhuvan. He inherited a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected government, a system he would later dismantle.

King Mahendra dismissed the elected government of Prime Minister B.P. Koirala, arrested political leaders, and assumed direct executive power. He accused the government of corruption and inefficiency, ending Nepal's first democratic experiment.

King Mahendra pursued a foreign policy of non-alignment, establishing diplomatic and aid relations with both China and India. He secured significant economic and military assistance from multiple countries, including the US, USSR, and China, to reduce dependence on India.

King Mahendra promulgated a new constitution establishing the Panchayat system, a party-less, guided democracy. This system concentrated power in the monarchy, banned political parties, and created a hierarchical council structure from village to national level.

Muhammad Ahmad publicly proclaimed himself the Mahdi, the Islamic redeemer, on June 29, 1881. He called for a jihad against Ottoman-Egyptian rule and British influence, gaining widespread support among Sudanese tribes.

Mahdist forces under Muhammad Ahmad defeated a 10,000-strong Egyptian army commanded by British officer William Hicks at El Obeid. The victory eliminated Egyptian military presence in Kordofan and established Mahdist control over central Sudan.

Mahdist forces besieged Khartoum from March 1884 to January 1885. The city fell on January 26, 1885, resulting in the death of British General Charles Gordon. This victory gave the Mahdi control over Sudan's capital and most of the country.

Following the fall of Khartoum, Muhammad Ahmad established a theocratic state with its capital at Omdurman. He implemented Islamic law, abolished taxes, and organized a centralized administration based on religious principles.