Rabindra Puri has long been campaigning to establish a ‘Museum of Stolen Art’. The theft of Nepali artefacts, often portraying deities, robs communities of their cultural heritage and leaves them grappling with loss and violation.
Puri has been at the forefront of efforts to recover Nepal’s stolen cultural treasures, driven by the stories of loss he has encountered in communities nationwide. For example, an older woman who had worshipped a Saraswati idol in Pharping for years was devastated when she discovered the statue’s head had been stolen overnight. Imagine a beheaded goddess. What a shock.
Model House
Puri was already intensely interested in art and architecture as a child. “When I finished school, I wanted to study fine arts, but my father convinced me to study law. Fortunately, I could also study fine arts simultaneously.” After his father’s death, he worked on restoring artefacts for the Patan Museum, where he learned much about Nepali architecture. In 1993, he went to Germany to become a sculptor but quickly switched to studying development policies.
He graduated and found a well-paid job but soon realised that art conservation was his real mission in life. “My heart always wept when beautiful old houses were pulled down mercilessly. I resigned and started to do restoration. In the beginning, everyone thought I had gone mad. Thank God, my first work became the talk of the town, and the Bhaktapur Municipality declared it a ‘Model House’.
In 2004, a prestigious foundation awarded him an ‘Honourable Mention’, and his hobby became his profession. “I started restoring old houses and building new ones in traditional style.” Five years later, Puri founded the Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Award for Conservation to fulfil his ambitious dreams.
Puri’s message to museums and private collectors is clear: “Give us back our gods, and we’ll give you a highquality replica free of charge. We’ll restore our gods to their rightful places, and you can keep the artefact.”
Stir emotions
Over the years, thousands of Nepalese statues, paintings, scriptures, and artefacts have been stolen, often finding their way into public museums, auction houses, or private collections in Western countries. Puri wants to bring them back and has devised an original, fascinating scheme to make that dream come true.
The ‘Museum of Stolen Art’ is his brainchild. A team of skilled artisans has been diligently crafting replicas of stolen statues to display in the museum so that everyone can see what was taken from the Nepali.
“I want the Nepali who visit the museum to cry, to feel their blood boil when they see these replicas. I want to stir their emotions and make them support this campaign to repatriate our stolen artefacts,” says Puri. “These idols were integral to the living culture of their communities”. His message to museums and private collectors is clear: “Give us back our gods, and we’ll give you a high-quality replica free of charge. We’ll restore our gods to their rightful places, and you can keep the artefact.”
The Museum of Stolen Arts, which will be inaugurated in 2026, is an integral element of the Mission Panauti project. The museum aims to preserve Nepal’s traditional arts and monuments by raising awareness of lost and stolen art.
The museum should pressure national and international authorities to end art robbery. It will also prove to be an aid to introducing the legacy of the rich cultural heritage of Nepal. Puri’s goal is to see the museum empty, with the ancient idols returned to their original temples
The museum will display replicas of 50 different stolen stone images of Nepal. Of these, 47 have been completed and are currently displayed in the Heritage Gallery in Bhaktapur.
A persistent issue
The theft of idols and artefacts from Nepal has been a persistent issue, particularly during the 1960s and 1980s. According to campaigners, many thefts occurred with the facilitation or connivance of those in power, severely damaging Nepal’s heritage sector.
Lain Singh Bangdel’s book Stolen Images of Nepal details dozens of idols stolen and lost from Nepal. In many cases, the robbers vandalised the idols during the thefts, and some idols have been looted multiple times. For instance, an ancient statue of a standing Buddha in the Chabahil Stupa complex was stolen in July 1985 after several failed attempts. Similarly, the 11th-century Sun idol from Sougal in Patan was stolen in May 1985, despite local efforts to protect it with an iron grill.
Over the years, thousands of Nepalese statues, paintings, scriptures, and artefacts have been stolen, often finding their way into public museums, auction houses, or private collections in Western countries.
Source: Nepali Times
Missing artefacts
In many instances, communities have resorted to worshipping new idols made to replace the stolen ones. Nepal’s Department of Archaeology has catalogued over 400 artefacts reported missing from various temples and monasteries, though the actual number is believed to be much higher.
For decades, little was known about the whereabouts of stolen idols. However, in recent years, civil society campaigns within Nepal have sought to locate these artefacts and apply domestic and international pressure for their return.
“The government’s list of missing artefacts is incomplete. Many stolen items may not even be on public display but hidden away in museum warehouses, private homes, or even around swimming pools as decoration,” says Sanjay Adhikari, secretary of the Nepal Heritage Restoration Campaign. “These are not mere decorative objects. They are integral to Nepal’s living culture, worshipped as temple deities.”
In collaboration with the Department of Archaeology, the campaign advocates for repatriating dozens of artefacts. A group called ‘Lost Arts of Nepal’ is also active on social media, vigilantly monitoring and reporting any sightings or auction listings of Nepali artefacts.
Waiting for return
Thanks to these efforts, around 200 artefacts have been returned to Nepal in recent years, voluntarily or through pressure from campaigners. However, the Department of Archaeology still awaits the return of nearly 100 statues and artefacts from museums, auction houses, and private collectors in France, the UK, the US, Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, China, and Australia.
Even government agencies lack comprehensive details on the number of artefacts lost in Nepal. Veshnarayan Dahal, Former Director General of the Department of Archaeology, emphasises the need for government agencies to maintain up-to-date records of missing or stolen artefacts: “We have tens of thousands of artefacts. Keeping detailed records would make gathering evidence easier and facilitate their return.”
Despite these challenges, successful restoration efforts offer hope. The restoration of the Lakshminarayan idol in the Patko Temple, Patan, two years ago exemplifies the success of art restoration. The 10th-11th century statue was returned from the Dallas Museum of Art in the US after nearly 40 years of being missing. Worship has resumed at the restored idol, and the community celebrates the return of their deity.
The return of these artefacts is not just about restoring stolen art but about restoring the living faith of communities. UNESCO describes the Kathmandu Valley as a World Heritage Site with its rich heritage of sculpture, woodwork, and metalwork. The successful repatriation of stolen artefacts strengthens the faith of current and future generations in their cultural heritage.
Savyata Adhikari is a junior editor with Nepal Connect.
