Nepal celebrates return of stolen 13th-century Buddha statue from New York
A 13th-century Buddha statue stolen from a temple in Nepal in the 1980s has been returned from New York and reinstalled in its original location in Kathmandu. The repatriation, part of a broader effort to recover stolen cultural artefacts, was celebrated during the Buddha Jayanti festival. US officials attended the ceremony, acknowledging past wrongs in the acquisition of cultural items.
- ▪The Buddha statue was stolen in the 1980s and later appeared at Tibet House US in New York before being returned to Nepal in 2022.
- ▪The statue was reinstalled in its original temple in Kathmandu during a ceremony coinciding with the Buddha Jayanti festival.
- ▪Nepal has recovered about 200 artefacts to date, with at least 41 returned to their original sites, while hundreds more remain missing.
- ▪US special envoy Sergio Gor emphasized efforts to return cultural artefacts that ended up in foreign hands decades ago.
- ▪Experts estimate thousands of Nepali artefacts have been looted since the 1950s, with many ending up in markets in the US, Europe, and elsewhere.
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News|ReligionNepal celebrates return of stolen 13th-century Buddha statue from New YorkThe Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.ListenListen (3 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoDevotees prepare to reinstall a sculpture of the Buddha at a temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 1, 2026 [Prakash Mathema/AFP]By AFPPublished On 2 May 20262 May 2026A centuries-old Buddha statue stolen from a Nepali temple has been reinstalled in its original location, one of several artefacts returned from foreign museums and collectors in recent years.The statue, dating to the 13th century, was carried in a palanquin back to its pagoda-style temple…
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