Stolen 13th-century Padmapani and 16th-century Nrityadevi idols repatriated to Nepal from US

June 24, Kathmandu: Two invaluable cultural antiquities stolen from the Kathmandu Valley decades ago have been formally returned to Nepal following their recovery by American law enforcement authorities.

At a repatriation ceremony held at the Consulate General of Nepal in New York, the New York County District Attorney’s Office officially transferred ownership of a 13th-century bronze statue of Padmapani Lokeswor and a 16th-century wooden statue of Nrityadevi (Goddess of Dance) to the Government of Nepal.

The legal transfer was finalised through the signing of the Minutes of Concurrence by Consul General Dadhiram Bhandari and Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

According to the Consulate General, the 13th-century Padmapani Lokeswor masterpiece originally belonged to Tham-Bahil (Vikramashila Mahavihara, Bhagwan Bahal) in Kathmandu and was smuggled into the United States between 1971 and 1987.

The 16th-century Nrityadevi statue, belonging to the historic I-Baha Bahi monastery in Patan, Lalitpur, was smuggled between 1969 and 1983 and was later seized by investigators from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The successful recovery of the sacred artifacts was completed through a joint investigation involving the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and partner institutions. Consul General Bhandari emphasized that the return of these statues represents the restoration of Nepal’s living heritage, noting they are active embodiments of deities central to local spiritual traditions.

The two antiquities are scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on June 25, where they will be handed over to the Department of Archaeology for conservation and eventual re-installation in their original shrines.