A 13th-Century Buddha statue, stolen from a Nepalese temple in the 1980s, was reinstalled in its original location on Friday. The statue was carried on a palanquin to its temple in the capital city of Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music.
“I feel so happy, we all do. Our God is coming back,” 67-year-old worshipper Sunkesari Shakya told the AFP news agency.
The statue, which was returned from New York in 2022, was placed back on its original stone plinth in a ceremony attended by Washington’s special envoy to South and Central Asia Sergio Gor. The event aligned with Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the religious figure.
The temple devotees had been worshipping a replica in its place before the reinstallation. The substitute was subsequently moved to another area in the temple.
The statue was stolen from the temple in the 1980s and was later discovered at the cultural centre Tibet House US in New York. According to Nepal’s Department of Archaelogy, it was gifted to the centre by an unknown monk.
Gor, who was on a three-day visit to Nepal, told AFP, “One of the things we are focusing on is to be able to bring back some of these incredible artefacts that decades past got into the wrong hands.”
He further added, “We are trying to right a wrong from the past.”
The nation, known for its rich history and, abundance of Hindu and Buddhist temples and heritage sites, had been a victim of numerous thefts since the 1950s, with ancient sculptures, paintings, ornamental windows, and doors going missing after the country opened up to the outside world.
Corrupt officials also played a part in stealing items to cater to the art markets in the United States and Europe, in spite of their exports remaining illegal.
The Department of Archaeology reported that around 200 artefacts had been returned to the country, including wood and stone carvings, paintings, scriptures, and idols of Gods and Goddesses, with at least 41 objects being placed back in their original locations.
Nepalese authorities are working to return more artefacts from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
