Home to one of the oldest cultural civilisations of the world, Nepal boasts of her ancient art, heritage, tradition and rare archaeological sites. Its capital, Kathmandu, is known as the ‘city of temples’ where the people worship numerous gods. The pristine city bears the glorious spiritual tradition in which Hinduism and Buddhism coexist and mingle with each other. As Kathmandu Valley became an abode of the ‘Gods’ and the devotees, the growth of temples, shrines and monasteries was natural because the people derived peace, enlightenment and identity from them. In the statues of deities, artefacts and antiques run the people’s emotions, faiths as well as the nation’s history and myths. They reflect distinct character and civilisational ethos of Nepalis. This is a reason why the world knows Nepal as an ancient spiritual land despite the onslaught of modernity.

However, many such precious cultural assets have disappeared mysteriously over the years, thanks to their smuggling into the foreign nations. There is not accurate records on how many such artefacts were stolen and sold into the international markets. Experts say that their disappearance began especially after the country opened to the world following the1951 political change. As the outsiders saw the ancient idols, they made evil design of pilfering them to make money. Theft of Nepali treasures grew alarmingly in the 1960s, 70s and 80s after foreign peddlers collaborated with Nepali nationals for the illegal trade. During the Panchayat system, valuable statues were allegedly lifted and sold in the foreign nations under the political power and protection.

In 2018, Al Jazeera, a Middle East-based English TV news channel, disclosed that about 80 per cent of Nepal’s religious artefacts had been smuggled into the US$ 8 billion-a-year illegal black market. From 1990s, the security agencies, customs officials, activists and the public worked hard to check the smuggling of precious treasures. As a result, their theft has declined but it was not fully controlled. According to the news report of this daily, the Department of Archaeology developed an inventory of the cultural properties in 72 districts in the 1980s which was later updated in 2006 and 2007. This is indeed positive step but the authorities should regularly update the inventory. Similarly, Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign (NHRC), a citizen-led initiative, has been involved in recovering and restoring the lost and stolen artefacts.

It is a challenge for the authorities to nab the smugglers who frequently change their modus operandi to take the artefacts out of the country. Sometime they work in collusion with antiquity traders who help the former to forge papers to pass the booties by air. In many cases, they take advantage of the open yet unregulated border with India to run their unlawful business. Larcenists have started stealing the subsidiary ornaments such as jewelries, utensils, instruments and minor statues and decorative materials on the roofs of historic buildings rather than the main idols to hoodwink the security personnel. Now they are targeting temples and monasteries outside Kathmandu following the growing vigilance of police in the capital. With the efforts from different sectors, 48 archaeological and religious artefacts were brought back to Nepal between 1985 and 2021. The DoA has taken initiative to claim nine more artefacts from France. Now works should be doubled to repatriate and restore the stolen items on the basis of the international law.