Kathmandu, Aug 1 - Scores of people who call themselves the clan of Rajmata Gayatri Devi, the daughter of the former royal family of Cooch Behar in India, began mourning her death in the traditional way in eastern Nepal Friday with a final Hindu rite scheduled Aug 9.

The Rajbanshi community of Nepal, migrants who descended from the powerful 16th century Koch kingdom that had its capital in India's Cooch Behar town, Saturday held a mass meeting in Jhapa district in eastern Nepal, where the community is concentrated.

'Since she was our queen, we have decided to perform her last rites here in accordance with our traditions,' said Avay Rajbanshi, a young journalist in Jhapa.

Nearly 300,000 Rajbanshis live in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari near the Indian border and retain strong links with their clan scattered in India's north Bengal and Assam state.

The clan also mourned the fact that the death of Gayatri Devi, described as one of the 10 most beautiful women in the world by Vogue magazine and considered an icon for her grace and charm, was virtually ignored by Nepal's media.

'We downloaded her photograph from reports in the Indian media, framed it and put it up at today's memorial meet,' said Rajbanshi, whose name means royal-blooded.