A stolen Nepali statue has returned to its temple decades later in the US | Art and Culture Issues

The two-hundred-year-old Hindu statue has been reestablished in Kathmandu almost 40 years after its abduction.

A two-week-old Hindu statue has been rebuilt at its temple in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, about 40 years after it was stolen and later discovered in the United States.

The stone statue of the gods Laxmi and Narayan was returned to Nepal in March by the Dallas Museum of Art by the FBI after several months of research by freedom fighters and Nepali and American authorities.

It was taken from the temple in 1984 and displayed at the Dallas Museum six years later, thanks to a collector.

The work, dating back to the 13th and 16th centuries, is one of the most iconic paintings back in Nepal from this year’s foreign museums and collectors.

A priest sang a hymn and the locals sang traditional songs on Saturday as the statue was carried by the palanquin back to the pagoda-like temple, which was wrapped in marigold wreaths to receive the service.

He also placed it on its original stones, which bore the image of the locals who worshiped it and instead moved to its side.

“We are very happy. Our three- or four-year efforts have been rewarding, everyone is celebrating, “said Dilendra Raj Shrestha of the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign.

‘Depth of culture and spirituality’

Laser sensors and CCTV cameras have now been installed in the temple to protect the image, he added.

“We are seeing the beginning of the practice of bringing Nepali gods back to the United States, to Europe, and to other countries where they are extinct,” said United States Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry.

“I believe this is the first of many such festivals.”

Nepal is a very religious country, and its Hindu and Buddhist temples, as well as their landmarks, remain a vital part of daily life.

“What could be an art for many, has a deep and spiritual significance in the generations of Nepalese people,” said Ramyata Limbu of Al Jazeera, commenting on the occasion in Patan.

Many places do not have old statues, paintings, decorative windows or even doors, which were often stolen when the country opened up outside the 1950s.

Many of the pieces were taken with the help of fraudulent officials to feed the technical markets in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

“I think there is a global change … Many countries want their artefacts restored and Nepal is in a good legal position because exports are not allowed,” malpractice professor Erin L Thompson told AFP.

Thompson’s Titter inquiring about the origin of the sculpture and its history led him to re-examine the sculpture.

Six pieces have been returned to Nepal this year and authorities are seeking more information from France, the US and the UK.