'Our gods were locked in the basement.' Now Nepal is pursuing sacred items once smuggled abroad
ABC News
An unknown number of sacred statues of Hindu deities were stolen and smuggled abroad in the past
KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal's gods and goddess are returning home.
An unknown number of sacred statues of Hindu deities were stolen and smuggled abroad in the past. Now dozens are being repatriated to the Himalayan nation, part of a growing global effort to return such items to countries in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
Last month, four idols and masks of Hindu gods were returned to Nepal from the United States by museums and a private collector.
Among them was a 16th century statue of Uma-Maheswora, an avatar of the gods Shiva and Parvati, that was stolen four decades ago. It was not clear who took it or how it ended up at the Brooklyn Museum in New York, which handed it over to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Devotees celebrated its return in Patan, south of the capital, Kathmandu. The stone-paved alleys were crowded with devotees offering money and flowers. Men in traditional attire played drums and cymbals and chanted prayers.
