Nepal Secures Return of Centuries-Old Antiquities Trafficked to the US
Nepal has successfully secured the return of two significant cultural antiquities from the United States, marking another milestone in the country’s efforts to recover its stolen heritage. The ownership transfer was formally completed during a special ceremony held at the Consulate General of Nepal in New York.
The repatriated artifacts include a 13th-century bronze statue of Padma Pani and a 16th-century wooden statue of Nrityadevi, the Goddess of Dance. The transfer was formalised through the signing of the Minutes of Concurrence by Consul General Dadhiram Bhandari and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
According to Nepalese officials, the Padma Pani statue originally belonged to Tham Bahil, also known as Vikramashila Mahavihara or Bhagwan Bahal, in Kathmandu. It is believed to have been smuggled out of Nepal between 1971 and 1987. The Nrityadevi statue, originally from I Baha Bahi in Patan, Lalitpur, was reportedly trafficked abroad between 1969 and 1983 before being recovered from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The recovery was made possible through close cooperation between the New York County District Attorney’s Office, US Homeland Security Investigations, and other partner institutions. The artifacts are scheduled to arrive in Nepal on June 25, where they will undergo conservation by the Department of Archaeology before being returned to their original sites, preserving an important part of the nation’s cultural legacy.
