KATHMANDU, AUGUST 25

The Consulate General of Nepal in New York and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York jointly announced the recovery and repatriation of a Nepali antiquity to Nepal today.

Acting Consul General Bishnu Gautam received the antiquity for Nepal from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L Bragg, Jr at a ceremony held at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The antiquity, a stone image of goddess Durga, (13.25 x 13.25 inches), which dates circa 14th to 18th century was lost from Kathmandu valley in around the 1960s, it was illegally owned and put on auction in March 2022 by an auction house in New York with a written sale value of US$ 12,000-18,000.

The Consulate General, Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Department of Archaeology of Nepal collaborated in its recovery.

Receiving the art object, Acting Consul General Gautam expressed deep gratitude to District Attorney Bragg Jr and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations in Charge Ricky Patel and their outstanding teams for their steadfast commitment and incredible cooperation. He conveyed gratitude from the Government of Nepal for their enduring efforts. This outcome has contributed to Nepal's national efforts of recovery and reinstatement of her lost cultural properties.

Recalling a similar collaboration with the District Attorney's Office in 2021 when three stolen Nepali antiquities were recovered from New York and repatriated to Nepal, Gautam expressed deep appreciation for the commitment and cooperation of the US authorities in the recovery of stolen cultural properties of Nepal.

District Attorney Bragg said, 'A single piece stolen from any country is one too many. The historical, artistic, and cultural values attached to the Durga Stele are immeasurable and I am delighted as it is being returned to the people of Nepal.'

The Homeland Security Investigations New York Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Ricky Patel said, 'We feel proud to be a part of this grand repatriation where a piece of history will be returned to its rightful home so that its history can be shared with future Nepali generations.'

According to a press release issued by Consulate General of Nepal today, the relentless efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office was vital to disrupting the illegal trafficking of antiquities and ensuring these priceless artifacts find their way home. The Consulate General will soon make arrangements to send the art to Nepal in coordination with the Department of Archaeology.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 26, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.