Nepal celebrates return of stolen 13th-century Buddha statue from New York
Key takeaways
- The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.
- The statue, dating to the 13th century, was carried in a palanquin back to its pagoda-style temple in the capital, Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music on Friday.
- Our god is coming back,” temple-goer Sunkesari Shakya, 67, told the AFP news agency, recalling the day the statue was stolen, wreaking “havoc” in the community.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Devotees 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 in the capital, Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music on Friday.