Nepal Receives Two Stolen Cultural Artifacts Repatriated from the United States

Nepal has secured the return of two important cultural antiquities from the United States after American authorities recovered the stolen artifacts and formally handed them back to the Nepal government.

During a special handover ceremony held at the Consulate General of Nepal in New York, US authorities officially transferred ownership of a 13th-century bronze statue of Padma Pani and a 16th-century wooden statue of Nrityadevi (Goddess of Dance).

The transfer was formalized through the signing of the agreement by Dadhiram Bhandari, Consul General of Nepal in New York, and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

According to officials, the Padma Pani statue originally belonged to Tham-Bahil (Vikramashila Mahavihara, Bhagwan Bahal) in Kathmandu and is believed to have been illegally smuggled to the US sometime between 1971 and 1987.

Similarly, the Nrityadevi statue, originally from I-Baha Bahi in Lalitpur, was reportedly trafficked abroad between 1969 and 1983 before being seized from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The successful recovery was made possible through joint efforts involving the New York County District Attorney’s Office, US Homeland Security Investigations, and other partner institutions.

The two historic artifacts are scheduled to arrive in Nepal on June 25, after which they will be handed over to the Department of Archaeology for conservation and eventual restoration to their original heritage sites, marking another significant step in Nepal’s ongoing campaign to reclaim stolen cultural heritage.