New York, December 5
The US government has repatriated four archaeologically important statues of different periods to Nepal. These artefacts were stolen from Nepal.
The statue was handed over to the Government of Nepal through the Nepali Consulate General on Tuesday in a special programme at the District Attorney’s office in New York.
The two bhairav masks were stolen from the Nakchhen Pradhan family in Dolakha and were kept at the Rubin Museum and Dallas Museum of Art.
The Uma Maheshwor idol, which is now being returned, was stolen from Chyasal Hiti Falcha in Lalitpur. It was housed at the Brooklyn Museum. Similarly, the Mahalaxmi/Durga idol, also part of the return, originated from Hanumanghat in Bhaktapur and was previously in Subash Kapoor’s collection.
New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Senior Officials of the District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, New York and officials from the Department of Home Affairs handed over the statue to Acting Consul General of Nepal, Bishnu Prasad Gautam.
The Nepali Consulate General, New York, requested the District Attorney’s Office to assist in the return of Nepali antiquities that were smuggled from Nepal to the USA.
Acting Consul General Gautam said that after repeated initiatives of the Nepali Consulate General in New York, the US government handed over these statues to the Nepal government only after a long investigation. He expressed his gratitude for the return of Nepal’s archaeological heritage and expressed special thanks to the officers involved in its investigation.
District Attorney Bragg expressed his commitment to breaking such a network, no matter how complicated it is, saying that they have started the investigation by targeting the smuggling network of antiquities. He also said that he would always help in the search for other historical objects lost in Nepal.
Earlier, on the initiative of the Consulate General, the Government of Nepal succeeded in returning 16 archaeological statues and objects from the 10th century to the 17th century.
According to the Consulate General, the received statues will be sent to Nepal soon in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal Archeology Department and other related agencies.
