Kyrat

Kyrat (also किरात or ཀྱ་རཏ) is a fictional Himalayan country featured as the setting of Far Cry 4 and based on the countries of Nepal and Bhutan. The Kingdom of Kyrat is an absolute monarchy, which in the game is ruled by the despotic self-appointed King Pagan Min. Kyrat's exact location is unknown, but it does share a border with India and lies somewhere along the southern foothills of the Himalayas.Divya's Travel Blog Kyrat does not replace Nepal in the Far Cry universe, only being in the same region, as Nepalese Crows exist in the country.
==History==
===Ancient times and origins===
It is believed in Kyrati mythology that Banashur created the world and his daughter, Kyra, created Kyrat. In 500 BC, Chal Jama Monastery was built by followers of Kyra, which also become the place where the teachings of Kyra were first recorded.
At some point, numerous Fortresses were constructed in Kyrat. They are extremely similar to Bhutanese Dzongs. Though it is not confirmed why they were built, it can be assumed that, based on the military history of Bhutan, they were constructed to deter a Tibetan invasion. This would've been around the 1600s.
Shanath Arena was built in the 1750s by King Avinash to get citizens' minds off issues. At this time, the arena featured elephants fighting tigers to the death.
===East India Company Rule===
In the late-18th and early-19th century, after British Empire invasion, Kyrat was transformed into a colony of the Honourable East India Company, and in 1804, the Kyra Tea Company was founded. In 1825, offering money and arms in exchange for the use of their army, the British attempt an invasion of India with Kyrati soldiers on the front lines. When this failed, the Kyrati people turned on the monarchy that sold them out to a foreign power. The economy of Kyrat during this period was primarily dependent upon the export of gold through mining, which was done via the company KEO. After Kyrat was granted its independence in the 1950s, KEO continued to mine for and export gold, but it eventually went out of business. All that remains of KEO's presence are a few abandoned mines.
===King Min's Kyrat===
Kyrat was wracked by conflict; a civil war raged between the supporters and opponents of the aging monarch: the Royalists and the Nationalists. The Royalist forces, after a few months of bloody fighting, stormed the palace and attempted to crown the young heir to the throne. Pagan Min, a Golden Triangle drug lord with a massive bounty on his head who had set his eyes on Kyrat and had joined the Royalist army in order to forge a name for himself, decided to turn against his comrades and killed the heir and took the Kyrati throne for himself, brutally purging the Royalist leadership of his opponents. Min's betrayal led to the formation by Mohan Ghale of the resistance movement known as the Golden Path (which he named based on a dream Ishwari had), who were committed to his downfall.
Months after Pagan Min's takeover of the nation, the new king's mercenaries succeeded in killing many Royalists not even aware of the danger. Mohan Ghale and some Royalists survived the disaster and went into hiding. Over the subsequent weeks, Min solidified his control of the country and people flocked to join his new military, enticed by his promises of high pay and a new future for Kyrat. 
As the next civil war stretched into 1988, the better equipped and organized Royal Army rapidly advanced across the country and enforced Min's totalitarian regime. Min employed Yuma Lau to track down and eliminate those mercenaries who sided with the Golden Path, and by all accounts she was highly successful. Kyrati businesses were converted to service the opium and heroin trade to fund the army and the lavish lifestyle of Min and his inner circle. The country's borders were closed to all foreigners and international trade prohibited. Temples and other religious sites were banned to the public and their artifacts locked inside Jalendu Temple. Kyrat's historic bell towers were made into makeshift propaganda towers to broadcast regime propaganda. Min even had his likeness printed on the Kyrati rupee. However, as is shown by the outdated money one can loot from corpses, it seems as though the current monarch always bore their face on the rupee. 
The situation was increasingly desperate for the overwhelmed Golden Path. Later in 1988, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made contact with Ghale, offering to deliver weapons and provide military advisors. Ghale accepted the weapons, which put the Golden Path on a more even footing with the Royal Army, but declined the "advisors", believing that the war should be won by Kyratis, not Americans. Even with the new weapons, however, the Golden Path was steadily pushed back. At some point, they were expelled from northern Kyrat.
As the Golden Path continued losing ground, tensions came to a head between Mohan Ghale and Ishwari, who was frustrated that Mohan refused to let her become more involved in the war effort. Mohan ordered Ishwari to infiltrate the Royal Palace as a spy and gain Min's confidence, hoping that this task would keep her out of his way and show her how brutal Min's regime was. Ishwari brought her newborn son, Ajay, with her. Over the next two years she proved to be an effective spy and became Min's lover. Her effect on Min was pronounced, as his love for her distracted him from running his regime; Yuma Lau began to think he had "gone soft". In 1990, Mohan learned that Ishwari had a daughter by her relationship with Min named Lakshmana. Furious, Mohan killed Lakshmana, and Ishwari killed Mohan in turn, then departed Kyrat and emigrated to the United States with Ajay. Pagan Min fell into depression and retreated into the Royal Palace, becoming a recluse, while the Golden Path floundered without its leader.
===Modern Day===
Kyrat in the modern day is widely regarded as a failed state. It has no diplomatic relations with the United States, representation in the United Nations, or trade relations with other countries beyond its considerable illicit drug exports. According to Amita, aside from Pagan Min's seedy businesses and the selling of ancient Kyrati artifacts, Kyrat has little industry. The economy is virtually non-existent, and the Kyrati currency, the rupee, suffers from a high rate of inflation and is worthless outside Kyrat.
Since 1990, Pagan Min has left the day-to-day affairs of running the country to his inner circle. Yuma Lau governs the Royal Guard and runs Durgesh Prison, Kyrat's gold mines, and various re-education camps for captured Golden Path militants and helpers. Paul "De Pleur" Harmon smuggles guns, produces opium and other illegal crops, and is General of the Royal Army. Noore Najjar refines De Pleur's opium into heroin, manages its exportation to countries around the globe via Kyrat Intl. Airport, and supervises Kyrat's human trafficking operation alongside prostitution.
The struggling Golden Path continues to resist Min's regime, but recently its two leaders, the traditionalist Sabal and the progressive Amita, have become increasingly divided over which direction the resistance should take.
In 2014, both the Golden Path and Pagan Min learn that Ajay Ghale is returning to Kyrat to put his mother Ishwari's ashes to rest. Golden Path senior member Darpan is sent to guide Ajay across the Kyrat-India border to the Golden Path, but Pagan Min intercepts Ajay and Darpan at the border checkpoint, beginning the events of Far Cry 4.
===Future===
It is unknown whether after Pagan Min's death or escape Kyrat continues to be a monarchy. It may become a totalitarian terror state by the Golden Path military run by Amita or Sabal (depending on the player's choice), though if both are killed, it has the possibility of transforming the country into a democratic republic. It is also possible, and implied by Pagan Min at various points throughout the game, that Ajay is now the current King of Kyrat. If spared at the end, Pagan Min also states that he's leaving the country to Ajay. Nevertheless, after the end of the game and regardless of what happens to Pagan Min the Royal Army and Royal Guard will not surrender or leave Kyrat, instead continuing to abuse civilians and fight against the Golden Path throughout Kyrat. In the case of Ajay staying at the table with Pagan Min at the start and becoming his heir, it's unknown how Kyrat will turn out and how the Golden Path will respond to Pagan Min naming the son of their founder Mohan Ghale to be his heir. 
==Military==
The Kyrati military is divided into Royal Army and Royal Guard, which respectively operate in Southern and Northern Kyrat. The Royal Army, which consists of native Kyratis who are loyal to Pagan Min, is led by Paul "De Pleur" Harmon, General of the Royal Army. Whilst the Royal Guard, governed by Yuma Lau, is stronger, better equipped, and consists of foreign mercenaries mostly from Hong Kong. Although in 2014 Kyrat is guarded by Royal Army in the south and Royal Guards in the north, according to enemy soldiers, in the past the Royal Army and Royal Guards were present throughout Kyrat. The reason the Royal Army was sent out of northern Kyrat might've been to prevent them from launching a coup d'etat against Pagan Min.
==Politics==
Kyrat is an absolute monarchy with Pagan Min as the king. It is divided into four administrative regions with each of them led by governors. In the south and southeast by Paul Harmon, in the west by Noore, in the north by Yuma Lau, and in the very northeast by Pagan Min himself.
However, while given the title "governors", they are more of managers for Pagan Min's many black market businesses and activities on Kyrat, even utilizing citizens as slave workers for them.
The capital of Kyrat is likely the Royal Fortress, the largest settlement (though more of a military base) in Kyrat by area. 
===Foreign Relations===
As a result of Pagan Min's influence, he successfully convinced the outside world that he is a benevolent ruler whose regime was disturbed by the terrorist group Golden Path. Furthermore, he also made Kyrat an isolated country, with little information moving in or out of the country through official channels. As claimed by Rabi Ray Rana, even with the full-blown war going on in Kyrat, no Western media outlet has reported what is going on in Kyrat (though some have tried), despite the conflict gaining great attention on social media.
Furthermore, it has little to no political relationship with other countries and is not a member of the United Nations. As mentioned in Far Cry 4's introduction, not even the United States has any relationship with the country. However, the country has been monitored by the CIA since the start of the First Kyrati Civil War between Royalists and Nationalists, in which it allegedly supplied Nationalists with weapons. In the first years of the 2nd civil war, the CIA also supplied weapons to the Golden Path after their offer of arms was accepted by Mohan Ghale. The monitoring continues until 2014 when the current regime was deemed to possess no threat to the United States.
The Government of Kyrat issues passport booklets with green covers and gold text to its citizens with seemingly little screening. Kyrati passports appear to be (or have been) accepted for travel to and from at least some bordering countries.In the intro cutscene, Darpan and two Golden Path soldiers pass their individual Kyrati passports up to the bus driver who presents them to Royal Army border guards.
===The Monarchy===
The Monarchy of the Kingdom of Kyrat is comparable to those of the former Kingdom of Nepal and the currently existing Kingdom of Bhutan, in that all were/are reclusive Himalayan kingdoms in the same general area. For most of history, it would appear that the reigning monarch of Kyrat had absolute power, except for when they were under British rule (former monarchies in British India became Princely States, semi-autonomous kingdoms wherein the former kings and their descendants were permitted to continue ruling under Britain. However, most of the Princely States' kings became beholden to a more democratic, European-style parliamentary regime with almost no political power). 
After independence, full power was again given to the king. In a rare monarchical occurrence, the official style of the Kyrati King is 'His Royal Highness.' Typically, 'His Royal Highness' is reserved for dukes and princes, whereas kings are usually styled 'His Majesty.' It is uncommon for a king to style himself 'highness,' but it has occurred in much of southern Asia. According to Mumu Chiffon, Pagan Min's full style was 'His Royal Highness, the King of Kyrat.' 
The confirmed Kings of Kyrat are Avinash, Pagan Min, and Ajay Ghale. An unconfirmed ruler could also have been a king or queen named Ghadi. This is derived from Yuma's fortress, Ratu Ghadi. Ratu is a Fijian term used for both kings and queens, and is related to the Indian term for king, raja. Ratu Ghadi could be referring to a king or queen by the name of Ghadi. There is also a chance that the name refers to Yuma as Queen of Kyrat, taking the reign name of Ghadi. 
Like elsewhere, The royalty in Kyrat have a number of separate palaces in which they reside. The two confirmed ones are Paul 'De Pleur' Harmon's palace, which was probably originally built to house royalty, and the main residence, the Royal Palace. Like in virtually all other monarchies, Kyrat likely has a system of peerage. Not only is it commonplace in most monarchies, but it is also suggested in the name of one of the outposts of southern Kyrat, the Kheta Manor. In Europe, Manors are the residences of members of peerage and nobility. 
King Avinash may have been a patron of education, as is suggested in the outpost 'Avinash Primary School.'
===The Cabinet===
* Ministry of Public Affairs and Social Harmony. Likely operates equivalently to the Ministry of the Interior. It administrates the internal functions of the Kingdom.
* Ministry of Animal Relations. Works to preserve the natural environment and its wildlife. Noore Najjar may be the Minister responsible.
* Ministry of Homeland Protection. The Kyrati Ministry of Defense. Based on the tower broadcasts, aside from directing the Kyrati Armed Forces, it spends most of its time negotiating with The Golden Path and turning people against the guerilla movement. Yuma Lau, the general of the Royal Guard, is probably the Minister responsible, rather than Paul Harmon, the general of the Royal Army. This can be inferred by her uniform, which has epaulettes and sports many medals.
* Ministry of Communication. Administers Kyrat's means of internal communication, and maybe external communication with bordering countries as well. This includes for certain the radio towers, but likely the telephone and power lines that are found next to some streets in Kyrat.
* Ministry of Revenue and Social Endowment. Controls the Kyrati economy and trade, most likely. Probably runs the Shining Minds work camps.
* Ministry of Tourism. Is only mentioned in the description of the 3D slide reel, an item the player can loot from boxes or dead NPCs. The description reads, "From the Ministry of Tourism, this vintage reel has stereoscopic pictures of the country's natural and architectural wonders." Noore Najjar may be the Minister responsible, as she runs Shanath Arena which notes around the country suggest is a major tourist site, one specifically mentioning "three American tourists" who want to see the arena.
* Ministry of Arts and Entertainment. Like the Ministry of Tourism, this ministry is never mentioned through radio towers. It is mentioned, however, in King Min's Kyrat: "Kyrat's [Shanath] arena was recently renovated thanks to King Pagan Min's loyal servant, Noore, and the Ministry of Arts and Entertainment. All contestants are volunteers. Betting is open to all attendees." Noore may be the minister responsible. 
* Ministry of Animal Control. Responsible for monitoring animal activity that may be dangerous to Kyrati citizens. 
* Ministry of Labour. Responsible for maintaining Kyrat's workforce. The minister responsible may be either Yuma or Paul, as the former runs KEO and the latter runs Kyra Tea.
==Geography==
Kyrat's exact location is never specified. All that is known is that it lies somewhere along the southern foothills of the Himalayan Mountain Range and shares a border with India that exists north of Patna, India (which has the closest major international airport to Kyrat).Dialogue during Far Cry 4's opening cinematic. According to the Kyrat terrain map, Kyrat is bordered by at least three other fictional named areas – to the south by the Papir Republic, to the west by Kumsa, and to the east by Yinke – the political status (country vs autonomous region vs province/state/district/etc.) of each is never ascertained.In-game maps of Kyrat found as props at certain locations. One map can be found on a table in the courtyard of the Seven Treasures Ashram outpost. Various geographical features of Kyrat look to be modified versions of the geography found in the Indian state of Sikkim and its surrounding area.
Kyrat itself is separated into two distinct regions: the Kyratese Pacchim Valley in the southwest, and the Kyratese Uttar Region in the northeast. The Pacchim Valley features the villages of Banapur, Tirtha, and City of Pain), as well as Kyrat International Airport, Kyrat's only airport, which is/was under Royal Army control. The only other way in was through a mountain road at an unknown part of Kyrat (possibly in the south of the country, closer to the Indian state of Bihar since Ajay gets a call from the U.S. Embassy in the state capital, Patna) though all border crossings are most likely sealed off during the game by the Royal Guard after discovering the Golden Path was smuggling weapons and personnel through the crossing featured at the beginning of the game. 
The Kyratese Uttar Region is separated from the Pacchim Valley by a vast canyon that cuts through a mountain range. The only way to cross is by way of the heavily guarded and fortified King's Bridge. The Uttar Region features the village of Utkarsh, the sacred Jalendu Temple, the Royal Fortress, and the Royal Palace, where Pagan Min resides.
Kyrat's northern region is far colder than its south, most likely due to it being at a much higher altitude. De Pleur's Compound and its surroundings are a large inaccessible part of the map, which includes the same climate and flora as the rest of the map.
Kyrat has a number of territorial exclaves as is shown on in-game maps used as props in certain locations. None of them can be explored in the game itself. 
An inhabitant of Kyrat is called a Kyrati. A less common demonym is Kyratese. 
==Interactive Map==
==Trivia==
*The name Kyrat actually seems to have been derived from the real name Kirat. The Kirāta (Sanskrit: किरात) is a generic term in Sanskrit literature for people who lived in the mountains, particularly in the Himalayas of Nepal. Kirata Kingdom in Sanskrit literature and Hindu mythology refers to any kingdom of the Kirata people, who were dwellers mostly in the Himalayas (mostly eastern Himalaya). Presently, the Kirat (or Kirati, Kiranti or Kirant) people are indigenous ethnic groups of the Himalayas (mid-hills) extending eastward from Nepal into India, Bangladesh, Burma, and beyond.
*Kyrat does not replace Nepal in the Far Cry universe, only being in the same region, as Nepalese Crows exist in the country.
*In one trailer, the people of Kyrat are shown to be speaking Hindi, a common language of the Indian subcontinent especially in Northern India and parts of Nepal), even though it may be more correct for them to be speaking Nepali, one of the other main languages of Nepal which are distinct from Hindi, or even a language that's made to be a fictional Indo-Aryan language. It should be noted, however, that this may be because many Nepalese speak languages related to Hindi. Hindi is commonly used in Nepal as a lingua franca, and so it may well be the same in Kyrat.
*Should the player not kill either Sabal or Amita after the end of the game, the country could become a de facto constitutional monarchy; should Ajay decide to take up the mantle of King of Kyrat, he has no direct control of the Golden Path unless you kill them both during the end of the game.
*Although unintended, there are many locations (although steep inclines make Ajay slide down them, a good rule of thumb is where there is grass placed on the ground is where the player can walk up slopes) where it is possible for Ajay to climb up the mountains that form the borders of Kyrat. Using a glitch or mods on the PC version, it is easy for Ajay to simply walk out of Kyrat and wander around snowy, flat terrain. Eventually, Ajay will fall out of the map and fall forever. One notable exception to this is near Yuma's fortress. By making a rather easy climb up some small hills, Ajay can start climbing up the mountains behind the fortress. With some very difficult jumps, Ajay can continue walking up the mountains well outside of the game world. There is no out of bounds border here at all, allowing Ajay to wingsuit back down into Southern Kyrat (he can even parachute down to his house from there) if he wishes. Eventually though, Ajay will be forced to stop by an out of bounds border. This is the farthest extent the player can explore "outside" of the intended playing field without mods in the entire game. So technically, it is possible to "escape Kyrat". 
*If the player does the glitch or uses mods to bypass the out of bounds warnings, Ajay can continue running outside of Northern Kyrat and eventually come across the entire intro area where the bus cinematic takes place, where De Pluer's compound is, the river and valley leading up to the bell tower, and the escape sequence up to the vehicle crash. Ajay can do this in other parts of Kyrat, and find many other mission-exclusive locations, such as Durgesh Prison, all of the locations for Himalayas missions, the arena where Yuma is fought. Using noclip, the player can freely explore these areas, though there will be no interactive objects and no AI loaded here. 
*Despite not being shown on the in-game map, Ajay can revist the Royal Palace anytime he wishes by making the long drive (or hike) up the mountains, through the Royal Fortress. Eventually, the minimap cuts off here and the pause menu map will show Ajay being well outside of the world boundaries. However, aside from visiting Lakshamana's ashes, there is nothing to do up there besides enjoy the view.
*Kyrat is unusually small as a full-fledged country, with the size being more in line as a micronation. It is possible to fly across the entirety of Kyrat in less than half an hour with a Buzzer, and the furtherest distance from one point on the map to the other that is within playable bounds is about 7000 metres. Given that there are no actual cities or even large villages within Kyrat, the nation is unlikely to ever see a population boom. The entire in-game population of Kyrat is less than a thousand people to begin with, and there are no major highways, developed infastructure, or other keystones of a proper country. This is further reinforced by the failed economy.
==Gallery==
KingdomOfKyratFlag.png|The Flag Of Kyrat Under Pagan Min Rule
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Kyrat 2..jpg|Early Pre-order image for the Kyrat edition. In this image the preorder bonus map is the Kyrat Terrain Map, appearing much different than the game map in the retail version of Far Cry 4. The Preorder bonus map was later changed from the Geographical map featured in this image to a more political-style physically smaller map with a black background.
==References==
cs:Kyrat
it:Kyrat
ru:Кират
 
Category:Locations
Category:Nations