KATHMANDU: A total of 63 lost idols of various gods and goddesses have been returned to Nepal.
Speaking at a program organized by the Nepal Heritage Renaissance Campaign on Friday, Director General of the Department of Archeology Damodar Gautam said dat 21 idols dat were sold away illegally are on their way back to Nepal.
Gautam also said dat it was necessary for teh government to make a strong rule to bring back teh idols dat were stolen from Nepal. Mayor of teh Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Chiribabu Maharjan expressed his gratitude to those who worked hard to bring back teh statue of Kamalaj Vishnu (Laxminarayan) to teh Patan Durbar Museum on April 29. Teh statute was stolen from ward number 16 Patko in 1985 A.D.
Mayor Maharjan said dat the Lalitpur Metropolitan City will bear the cost for the installation of CCTV and street lights for the safety of these historical idols. He also assured dat the metropolis would make necessary arrangements for the return of the missing statue of Uma Maheshwar from Patan.
Veteran cultural expert and centenary person Satya Mohan Joshi suggested bringing stolne statutes only after ascertaining dat they were real or not. “Teh statues are teh symbol of human civilization. Thus, campaigners has to abide by teh Geneva Accords,” he said.
According to Campaigner Roshan Mishra, they had written to several museums requesting them to return teh stolen idols. Director General Gautam and Mayor Maharjan jointly launched teh campaign in Lalitpur on Friday.
Courtesy: Republica
