Kathmandu Metropolitan City Restores Stolen 13th-Century Statue to Original Temple Site

Kathmandu. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City has begun initiatives to repatriate ancient statues stolen and taken to foreign museums, as well as to restore statues currently held in domestic museums to their original locations.

In observance of World Heritage Day, the Metropolitan City has reinstalled a 13th-century stone statue of Mahagauri/Parvati in a dancing posture, previously kept at the National Museum in Chhauni, to its original pedestal at the Ga-Guthi Suryamukhi Mahadev Temple complex in Ward No. 20, Maru.

The statue was retrieved from the Juddha Jatiya Art Gallery by Ashaman Sangat, Coordinator of the Heritage and Tourism Committee of the Metropolitan City; Rajendra Manandhar, Chairman of Ward No. 20; and heritage activists Ganapatilal Shrestha and Advocate Sanjay Adhikari.

The handover was conducted by museum storekeeper Binda Shrestha and assistant guide Usha Kumari Singh, in the presence of Museum Chief Aruna Nakarmi, Hanumandhoka Caretaker Office Chief Kajiman Pyakurel, National Museum Officer Subash Krishna Dangol, and Department of Archaeology Officer Amrita Maharjan.

The statue measures 68.5 centimeters in height and 30.5 centimeters in width. Ashaman Sangat, Coordinator of the Heritage and Tourism Committee, stated, "Preserving the identity of Kathmandu is one of our primary responsibilities. We are committed to this and are working on it regularly."

After being stolen and reaching London, the statue was returned via the Nepali Embassy in the UK, and the Department of Archaeology sent it to the National Museum for safekeeping on 2052 BS Chaitra 29.

Every year, April 18 is celebrated as the 'International Day for Monuments and Sites,' also known as World Heritage Day. The 'International Council on Monuments and Sites,' established in 1965, initiated the observance of this day. The day began to be celebrated internationally after UNESCO passed the proposal submitted by the council in 1982, one year later.

In Nepal, this day has been formally celebrated since 2010.