A Hindu stele dating from between the 12th and 15th centuries, recently found in a museum in the United States, was reinstalled on Saturday in the temple of Kathmandu where it had been stolen 37 years earlier.
Stolen in 1984, this stone stele representing the Hindu deities Lakshmi and Narayan was returned to Nepal in March by the FBI and the Dallas Art Museum, which had rented it to a collector since 1990.
An investigation of several months carried out by Nepalese and American experts and by the authorities of the two countries had made it possible to discover its fraudulent origin.
On Saturday, the sculpture was taken back to its temple on a palanquin and rested on its original plinth, to the sound of religious songs and traditional music. A replica that locals have revered since the original disappeared has been tucked to the side.
“We are very happy. Our efforts of the last three or four years have been crowned with success, everyone is delighted,” said Dilendra Raj Shrestha, responsible for the Campaign for the recovery of Nepal’s heritage.
The stele will now be protected by laser sensors and video cameras, he said.
“We are witnessing the start of a trend, which consists in repatriating the gods of Nepal from the United States, Europe and the other countries where they landed”, rejoiced the American ambassador in Kathmandu, Randy Berry. . “I hope this is the first celebration in a long series.”
In Nepal, Hindu and Buddhist temples and heritage sites punctuate daily life. But many of them were plundered from their centuries-old treasures, sometimes with the help of corrupt local officials, to fuel Western art markets after the country opened up to the outside world in the 1950s.
“I believe that there is a change at the global level. Many countries are demanding the restitution of their works. And legally Nepal is in a very good position because exports have never been authorized”, explained the professor. Erin L. Thompson, expert in artistic crime, whose tweet questioning the origin of the stele had triggered the investigation.
The repatriation of heritage has become a thorny subject for museums around the world. Nepal has obtained the return of six stolen works this year, and is seeking to recover more in France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
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