The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation informed that it has brought back two statues and a carved wooden block that were smuggled to the USA over different periods of time.
The government of Nepal was successful to get back the antique items valued at around $ 125,000 in total, the Ministry said in a press statement in Kathmandu today.
Ministry’s Secretary Yadav Koirala shared that those treasures of cultural and historical significance were smuggled to New York in the USA through an international racket of smugglers and were in the process of being sold out and put on exhibition.
Koirala extended his gratitude to one and all contributing from their side to bring back Nepal’s stolen antiquities to its country of origin.
He pledged for coordinated efforts among the stakeholders in the coming days to bring back stolen artworks, artefacts and treasures in other countries as well.
The carved wooden block has a celestial nymph in it while in a statue, Lord Buddha is projected sitting in Bhumisparsa posture and another one is Lord Ganesh’s statue.
These treasure troves were handed over to the chief of the National Museum, Jayaram Shrestha, through the Director General of the Department of Archeology Damodar Gautam.
According to the Ministry, Nepal has brought back 63 statues stolen/lost over different periods of time.
Earlier, on March 6, the US government handed over the idol to Nepal. The statue of the Laxmi-Narayan deity was kept at Dallas Museum in Texas State for 31 years.
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