Twenty-one stolen artifacts of archaeological significance, smuggled to the United States, have been successfully repatriated to Nepal, the Department of Archaeology confirmed at a press conference on Sunday, March 30.
Among the recovered relics are three Paubha paintings, originally lost from Itumbahal, Kathmandu, around four-and-a-half decades ago. A 9th-century stone idol of Buddha, stolen from the Machchhindra Bahal premises in Bungmati, has also been returned. Additionally, a 12th-century Buddha idol, which once belonged to a chaitya in Patan, was retrieved from an art institute of Chicago.
Saubhagya Pradhananga, Director General of the Department of Archaeology, said the relics were repatriated with assistance from the Department of Homeland Security in New York and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The artifacts were officially handed over a month ago to Chakra Kumar Subedi, Acting Consul General at the Consulate General of Nepal in New York.
The Department of Archaeology provided conclusive evidence of Nepal as the place of origin, leading to the artifacts’ return under international heritage laws. Various government agencies collaborated in the process, while Newa: Guthi, a New York-based organization, provided financial support to facilitate their repatriation.
According to the department, records of stolen cultural heritage from eastern Nepal after the 1950s remain incomplete. However, Nepal’s first repatriated artifact was received in 1986.
To date, 177 historically significant relics have been returned to Nepal with support from both national and international institutions, including those in the UK, Austria, the USA, Tibet, India, Germany, Australia, and Italy. Of these, 104 artifacts were repatriated from the United States alone, officials revealed at the press briefing.
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