Saraswati Puja on 14 February also marks the first day of spring on Nepal’s lunar calendar. Schools hold special functions, students sing hymns, and children go to temples of the goddess of knowledge to write their first letters in chalk on the walls. The belief that goddess Saraswati resides in books, musical instruments, even laptops and other devices for intellectual pursuit prevails to this day.&nbsp; The most exquisitely carved figure of Saraswati in all of Nepal was in a temple in Pharping, 20km south of Kathmandu. On 11 November 1984 devotees were shocked to see that their goddess had been beheaded. This was in the 1980s when idol theft in Kathmandu Valley was rampant. International traffickers in collusion with Nepal’s high and mighty were smuggling out sacred objects to sell to collectors and museums abroad.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-diaspora-helps-return-stolen-gods">Nepal’s diaspora helps return stolen gods</a>, Alisha Sijapati Since the 1.2m high Saraswati carved out of black granite was so large and heavy, the thieves hacked off just the head and took it away under cover of night. Black granite is not found locally, and is similar to the stone used in the sleeping Vishnu at Budhanilkantha and the Bhagwati at Kavrepalanchok — all believed to date back to the Lichhavi period 1,000 years ago. German historian Jürgen Schick was living in Kathmandu at the time, and was deeply troubled by the plunder of Nepal’s religious treasures, and the emotional toll it was taking on local communities. He started his own photographic documentation of missing sacred objects and published the book, Die Götter verlassen das Land, in 1989. It was updated and translated in 1997 into English as The Gods are Leaving the Country: Art Theft from Nepal.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/faith-stolen-lost-in-nepal-found-in-america">Faith Stolen: Lost in Nepal, found in America</a>, Lost Arts of Nepal  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240213120244_ee3c3b4bdd2c9db368171fbfc0a6ef9101327cccb717fb0e23eff0feca4aa696.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240213120244_ee3c3b4bdd2c9db368171fbfc0a6ef9101327cccb717fb0e23eff0feca4aa696" data-rendition-name="original" width="817" height="498" loading="lazy" alt="The godhead of Patan"> <figcaption>THE REAL FACE: German historian Jürgen Schick's photographs of the Pharping Saraswati (above) taken before and after it was decapitated by thieves in 1984. The head was sold to an art collector in the United States, who returned it to Nepal in 1999. Since then it has been stored at the National Museum, and for the past two years has been on display with other repatriated stolen deities (below).</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240213120244_f17dba3a2da5cd75a87ab75aa9c0ba63f0cbeca1363f1a65291e557fce9bf1c7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240213120244_f17dba3a2da5cd75a87ab75aa9c0ba63f0cbeca1363f1a65291e557fce9bf1c7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="The godhead of Patan"> <figcaption>Photo: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  On 8 May 1984, Jürgen had photographed the intact Pharping Saraswati. He went again on 10 December 1984 and took a picture of the decapitated goddess which also had its right foot missing.&nbsp; Residents of the area, Mohan Narayan Balami and Sapta Balami, told Schick that when they arrived for morning prayers, the Saraswati was tilted, with her head missing. There was a huge nationwide outcry as word of the theft spread. &nbsp; "The fate of the Saraswati statue is special because it clearly shows that the art robbers do not shy away from even decapitating a beautiful statue of a deity that has been worshipped for centuries," Schick said. "There could be no clearer evidence of their brutality, the same brutality that they also use against the human protectors of the sacred images, as was clearly shown during the theft of the Halchok Akash Bhairav image in 2021 when they threatened the temple priest with a knife to his throat."&nbsp; Eventually, Pharping's devotees replaced the head with a replica that was so ugly that many found it an insult to the deity, and a reminder of the crime. It was replaced with a more accurate carved head, which is there to this day but still does not match the artistry and beauty of the original. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/remembering-nepals-lost-and-the-found">Remembering Nepal's lost and the found</a>, Ashish Dhakal In 1999, Riddhi Baba Pradhan, then Director-General of the Department of Archaeology, received a letter from the Nepal Embassy in Washington DC that a US-based art curator Pratapaditya Pal had located the Sarswati head and four other sacred objects from Nepal with a private collector. &nbsp; Pratapaditya Pal checked Lain Singh Bangdel’s seminal book, The Lost Art of Nepal, and brought this to the notice of the collector, who promptly agreed to return the objects. The Saraswati head was then returned to Nepal in 1999 along with three other sacred objects and have been in the National Museum at Chhauni ever since.&nbsp; “When the boxes arrived from the airport customs, it was a very emotional moment for all of us," recalls Pradhan, who is now chair of the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/itumbahas-living-museum">Itumbaha's living museum</a>, Sahina Shrestha  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240213120244_9f71a0815f3a655c8f3c0b590df1044297a33d4c60f39e58ff0fa5da4b33ab69.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240213120244_9f71a0815f3a655c8f3c0b590df1044297a33d4c60f39e58ff0fa5da4b33ab69" data-rendition-name="original" width="1388" height="2080" loading="lazy" alt="The godhead of Patan"> <figcaption>TWO HEADS: The Saraswati figure (above) at the shrine in Pharping (below) where thieves hacked off the head in 1984 and took it away to be sold to international art traffickers. The head was replaced with an ugly replica, and later by a more accurate version which has been worshipped now for 40 years. The real head, which was returned from a collector in the United States in 1999, is now in the National Museum in Chhauni. Photos: SAURAV THAPA SHRESTHA</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240213120244_5a11c3d4b7dea4538698c29ba487ac6bf298269ce55008b55250daaa1673e256.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240213120244_5a11c3d4b7dea4538698c29ba487ac6bf298269ce55008b55250daaa1673e256" data-rendition-name="original" width="1499" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="The godhead of Patan"> </figure>  She adds, "It was the first indication that our gods would be returning to their rightful places.”&nbsp; Bal Ram Balami in Pharping still remembers the first time he heard on tv news that the Saraswati head was coming back: “I had this deep sense of happiness, I was overwhelmed with joy and relief.” &nbsp;&nbsp; Many in Pharping wanted the retrieved head to be reinstated on the Saraswati and were looking forward to its true homecoming. But 25 years later, the head is still in the museum. It was in storage till two years ago when it went on public display with other repatriated stolen objects. The National Museum and the Pharping community have been in constant communication, but no tangible progress has been made.&nbsp; Pharping’s Ward Chair Shailesh Man Manandhar says the locals want the Saraswati returned, but security concerns persist.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-homecoming-of-nepal-s-gods">The homecoming of Nepal's gods</a>, Alisha Sijapati National Museum director Jayaram Shrestha agrees that worries about it being stolen again persist, and the community also does not want to take responsibility for its safekeeping. “For now, it is important for the head to remain where it is until a final decision is reached,” says Manandhar, who has plans to establish a museum in Pharping itself with other religious objects.&nbsp; By now, the local community has become attached to the replica head since it is being worshipped and already embodies the essence of Saraswati’s wisdom and knowledge.&nbsp; He says, “It may be wise to let the original head remain where it is under protection of the National Museum until we are ready to take it back.” Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-deities-in-transit">Nepal’s deities in transit</a>, Anita Bhetwal

Alisha Sijapati

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The godhead of Pharping

The Nepali diaspora is getting increasingly involved in returning the country’s stolen sacred objects from museums and collectors in the United States, supplementing the role of agencies of the two governments. This month four stolen deities were returned to Nepal from the US. Among them were two Bhairav masks stolen in mid-90s from Dolakha, an Uma Maheswar from Patan, and a Durga idol uncovered during investigation into New York-based art trafficker Subhash Kapoor. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office officially handed over the sacred objects to Nepal’s consulate in New York in December, but what set this repatriation apart from previous ones was the involvement of the Nepali community in the United States. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-homecoming-of-nepal-s-gods">The homecoming of Nepal's gods</a>, Alisha Sijapati  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240131060128_a08a7fd6cac3ac4aee0d324536034f6a36278a9a1c1b0182cd7a96add49eeaf5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240131060128_a08a7fd6cac3ac4aee0d324536034f6a36278a9a1c1b0182cd7a96add49eeaf5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="600" loading="lazy" alt="stolen statues 2"> </figure>  Overseas Nepali organisations, notably the Newa Guthi New York, coordinated with the consulate and the Department of Archaeology in Kathmandu to cover the transport of the objects back to Nepal. “When the consulate reached out to us and other Nepali organisations we worked on the return because we also want to promote solidarity among Nepali expatriates to return our country’s lost heritage and feel a sense of ownership,” explains Bijay Shrestha of Newa Guthi New York.&nbsp; Shrestha and Pujan Maharjan from the Guthi accompanied the Bhairav masks, which was earlier traced to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Rubin Museum, back to Nepal. The Uma Maheswar, which was reclaimed from the Brooklyn Museum and the Durga statue were also transported as cargo. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/itumbahas-living-museum">Itumbaha's living museum</a>, Sahina Shrestha  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240131060128_dbfd4c20260663642877d08301c9d57c6191de30a727076bdec32232224bd0da.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240131060128_dbfd4c20260663642877d08301c9d57c6191de30a727076bdec32232224bd0da" data-rendition-name="original" width="745" height="1024" loading="lazy" alt="uma maheswor"> <figcaption>Uma Maheshwor from Chyasalhiti, Patan.</figcaption> </figure>  Although the initial shipping estimate was Rs3,000,000 for shipment, the final cost came to only Rs700,000, which was borne by the Guthi. Shrestha has been living in New York for 16 years, and worked closely with Anil Chandra Shrestha from Dolakha district for the return. &nbsp; "We hope to see the masks in their original shrine in Dolakha,” Anil Chandra Shrestha says. “We will wait for an auspicious date to hold a special ceremony to welcome our gods back and place them exactly where they were when they were stolen.” Earlier a<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/stolen-buddha-returned-on-buddha-jayanti?s=09"> 16th century gilded Vajradhara</a> which was returned from Hong Kong in 2022 was also consecrated in the shrine.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240131060128_519878d614979d4db3d39717f849661611c341d41eb57409a9617e690eca9bd0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240131060128_519878d614979d4db3d39717f849661611c341d41eb57409a9617e690eca9bd0" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1720" loading="lazy" alt="stolen statues 3"> </figure>  For now the plan is to hand over the masks to the National Museum in Kathmandu for safekeeping while the reconstruction of the Agam Che shrine which was damaged in the 2015 earthquake is completed. Both Bijay Shrestha and Anil Chandra Chrestha credit the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign and Lost Arts of Nepal for tracking down the stolen artifacts, and for bridging &nbsp;the local community and the government to safely return the deities. Heritage Activists say that the return, though significant, is just one step and the work will not be finished until the stolen objects are tracked down and find their rightful places in the shrines belonging to the communities. They also emphasise the need for the government to establish robust policies and guidelines to ensure the long-term safekeeping of these cultural treasures. Sarita Subedi of the Department of Archaeology says the National Museum will be temporary custodians of the repatriated objects until the communities fulfill the necessary requirements for taking them back.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240131060128_c44f2b14c73d7577fa99304483d906f10b737799ccfc0782e4905a2890d2c2f8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240131060128_c44f2b14c73d7577fa99304483d906f10b737799ccfc0782e4905a2890d2c2f8" data-rendition-name="original" width="404" height="539" loading="lazy" alt="stolen statues 5"> <figcaption>Durga idol uncovered during investigation into New York-based art trafficker Subhash Kapoor.</figcaption> </figure>  While there are in situ photographs of the two bronze Bhairav masks and Uma Maheswar showing them in Dolakha and Chyasalhiti of Patan respectively, there is no concrete evidence about where the Durga statue was stolen from. "While the communities claim that the statue is from Bhaktapur's Hanuman Ghat, we do not know if the claim is legit," says Subedi.&nbsp; The intricacies of collecting funds and managing resources behind the scenes pose persistent hurdles, causing delays as what happened with the most recent repatriation of the four deities. But the latest initiative by Nepalis in New York now sets a precedent for overseas Nepalis to also be involved. Anil Chandra Shrestha says, “While the government may have allocated funds for repatriation, this private initiative serves as a motivating example for the public. It not only raises awareness but also encourages active participation of the diaspora in reclaiming our lost heritage. The allocated government funds can now be utilised for other future repatriations.”

Nepal’s diaspora helps return stolen gods

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e209c7e80680e0b78fdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"/><figcaption>The exhibition features 40 repatriated sacred objects, some of which had been returned to Nepal from abroad as far back as 1986. Photos: ASHISH DHAKAL.</figcaption></figure>The two-storeyed Buddhist Art Gallery in the National Museum in Chhauni is a conspicuous building, with its red walls, slanted roofs and vibrant windows. The torana above the door and the tundal supporting the roof are decorated with deities caught in floral waves that mimic the traditional designs found in the ancient Kathmandu Valley squares.On 21 March, the gallery opened a new temporary exhibition to mark the museum’s 83rd anniversary, featuring 40 repatriated sacred objects, some of which had been returned to Nepal from abroad as far back as 1986.As more and more stolen <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-gods-return-from-exile/">artefacts are being returned to Nepal</a> by collectors and museums in the West, museum chief Jayaram Shrestha feels that the exhibition is most timely.The stolen images of Nepal include sculptures of deities, temple struts, frieze, copper and ivory figurines, most of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-looted-nepals-gods/">which were smuggled out of the country</a> in the 1960s-80s.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e249c7e80680e0b78fejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e289c7e80680e0b78ffjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“In the last two years alone, we have been able to bring back many objects back through the works of citizen groups and heritage activists like the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal">Lost Arts of Nepal</a> and <a href="https://nepalheritagerecoverycampaign.org">Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign</a>,” says Shrestha. “And we feel that the returned artefacts we hold in the museum should be shown to the public.”At present, most repatriated pieces of devotional art are mandated to be stored in the National Museum while they await to be reinstated in situ. Among the artefacts on exhibit are the 14th century flying Apsara/Gandharva (Biddhyadhar, according to the museum nomenclature) stolen from Itum Bahal and the upper section of the 17th century torana wrenched out of the main doorway of Yampi Mahavihara/I-Bahi in Patan, both of which were recently <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/rubin-to-return-nepal-antiquities/">returned to Nepal by the Rubin Museum in 2022</a>.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e2c9c7e80680e0b7900jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024">The torana is one of the first objects one sees upon climbing the steps of the gallery to the exhibition space, mirroring how it would have welcomed visitors to the Mahavihara before it was looted. The vast carved piece will also be returning to its original space.Another archaeological marvel is the 73x58cm 10th century Shridhar Vishnu (pictured above). Several broken fragments of the sculpture were returned from London in 1995 which were later assembled in Chhauni. Larger pieces from the stele are still missing, almost like an aposiopesis. But the image demands to be completed, at least by imagination.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e309c7e80680e0b7901jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e349c7e80680e0b7902jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="817" height="498"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In the cabinets of curiosities sit several copper figures of the Buddha, Tara, a Lama and Manjushree. An ornate bronze Vajrakilaya which was repatriated from Kolkata in 1986 slants against a mirror that reveals the intricate designs on its reverse (pictured below). On a slab around the corner sits the disembodied head of the 15th-16th century stone Saraswati from Pharping, which was broken off in the early 1980s and repatriated in 1999 from Los Angeles (pictured above). In the middle of the room, stands the Shiva Parivar Yantra in ivory, returned from London in 1995.The overall atmosphere of the room is ambivalent: mixed with the feelings of joy and relief at <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-enigma-of-arrival-of-nepals-gods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the return of Nepal's divine art</a> is the bleakness of loss. This is visibly expressed in the pieces, some cracked, some broken, some missing – the marks of violent struggles to wrench the artefacts from their original homes. And some are quite literally lost and adrift, their original locations unknown.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101144/63720e369c7e80680e0b7903jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4032" height="3024">But on the brighter side, the 16th century torana stolen from Kumari Baha and the 18th century stone image of a donor from the Manjushree Mahabihar in Om Baha (both in Kathmandu) will be soon joining the exhibition upon their arrival in Nepal. The artefacts were returned to the Nepal Embassy in London by the Barakat Gallery on 18 March 2022.

Ashish Dhakal

Remembering Nepal's lost and the found

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c659c7e80680e0af358jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>A narrow street behind Patan’s Krishna Mandir leads to Patko Tole with its two-tiered temple dedicated to Laxmi-Narayan. It was from here that a 800-year-old stone idol was stolen one night in 1984.Devotees came in the morning for their daily prayer rituals to find an empty niche where the Laxmi-Narayan statue was, with bricks strewn around. Six years later, the stele finally surfaced in New York while being auctioned at the Sotheby’s.It was bought by David T Owsley, a prominent American collector of antiquities, who gave it to the Dallas Museum of Art on a 30 year long-term loan where it was displayed in 1993 for first time after its theft.Back in Patan’s Patko Tole, Bhai Raja Shrestha remembers the commotion that morning 37 years ago when neighbours found their god missing. The androgynous idol was eventually <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/replicating-nepals-stolen-gods/">replaced with a replica</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c689c7e80680e0af359jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1330" height="992"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“People still came to do puja every day, but it was not the same thing,” recalls Shrestha, who is now 79. “We had no hope of finding the lost god and with the disappearance of our patron deity, the community also started falling apart.”Information about the Laxmi-Narayan finally was first found in the <a href="https://issuu.com/dallasmuseumofart/docs/dma_artsofindiasoutheastasia2">museum catalogue in 2013</a>, but the real breakthrough came six years ago when an anonymous blogger posted a picture of the exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art and American artist <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">Joy Lynn Davis</a> located the idol on display through Google Image Search.Davis was familiar with the statue because the Laxmi-Narayan was one of the paintings in her 2013 exhibition at the Patan Museum depicting shrines in which she replaced the stolen sacred objects with their images in gold.It took another six years for the Dallas Museum of Art to remove the stele from its display. After relentless media coverage, an FBI investigation, and diplomatic pressure, the Laxmi-Narayan was flown back to Kathmandu <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-homecoming-of-nepals-gods/">in April</a> and handed over to the Patan Museum for safekeeping."Diplomacy isn’t just about politicians, agreements, or high-level meetings. It’s about people and connection," says US Ambassador to Nepal, Randy W Berry. "One of the things that connects us most is respect for one another’s culture. The fact that so many of Nepali’s cultural and religious artifacts have been stolen is tragic - but it’s a tragedy that I hope is reversing."<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c6b9c7e80680e0af35ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="842"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>"We hope to inspire other countries and museums to look into the issue and help reunite Nepali communities with their lost artifacts," he adds. "I know we will do whatever we can to ensure other pieces of Nepali cultural and religious heritage also come home."The god will be enshrined once more in its original sanctum at the temple in Patko Tole amidst a procession and ceremony on 4 December — nearly 40 years after being in foreign custody.“It is a truly joyous occasion,” says Bhai Raja Shrestha. “Even when one brick stolen from the temple is returned, it is special to us.”The Patko Tole community has deliberated long and hard about where to put the 10th - 15th century idol that depicts a composite figure of Laxmi and Vishnu. Only seven of the eight arms on the stone sculpture are still intact, and carry various objects attributed to the two gods: wheel, mace, lotus, manuscript, mirror and water pot.The replica at the temple has its lost arm holding a conch shell restored, and it has already been moved to the left side of the shrine to make way for the original, which will be prominently displayed and anchored to the altar with concealed stainless steel bars.“The fact that it is a little damaged is not a major concern,” says Bhai Raja Shrestha. “We will worship both the original and the replica at the temple.”Shrestha dismisses concern that the statue might be stolen again. Besides the steel bars put up by the <a href="https://kvptnepal.org/">Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust</a> (KVPT), the Kathmandu University Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has installed infrared movement sensors, CCTV coverage, and door contact detection gadgets.“There is no market value for the statue now. Because of the media coverage, no museum or collector will want to buy or hold a stolen item,” says KVPT’s Rohit Ranjitkar.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c6e9c7e80680e0af35bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="694" height="909"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c719c7e80680e0af35cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>American arts crime professor Erin Thompson agrees. The US, UK and Nepal are among 141 countries which have ratified the <a href="http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=13039&amp;URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&amp;URL_SECTION=201.html">1970 UNESCO international treaty</a> to prohibit and prevent the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property.“Plenty of museums, collectors and dealers will say that there is no problem as long as the objects left Nepal before 1970,” says Thompson. “But <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/np/laws/">that’s not legally true</a> since the objects are still essentially stolen no matter when.”At least in the United States, the legal climate is changing and public prosecutors have been seizing antiquities, no matter when they were stolen.Looking back at the paintings of Joy Lynn Davis, the return of Laxmi-Narayan to its original shrine is almost a manifestation of her art in real life, which has in turn helped to raise awareness about the stolen sacred objects.“I wanted to ask through my art if it was possible to imagine a future in which the statues are returned to their shrines,” says Davis, who like Thompson have flown to Kathmandu to attend the consecration ritual at Patko Tole on Saturday.Patan Museum has been holding several stolen objects that have been repatriated from abroad. At 11AM on Saturday, the Laxmi-Narayan will be adorned with a special copper garment and carried in a palanquin from the Museum to Patko Tole in a ceremonial procession for the kshyama puja – a ritual seeking forgiveness.“This consecration ceremony is a historical event, the Laxmi-Narayan also restores our faith and belief,” says Roshan Mishra of Taragaon Museum, who is also involved with the <a href="https://nepalheritagerecoverycampaign.org/">Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign</a>.The Campaign was launched in September 2021 as a collaborative international effort for the repatriation and restitution of Nepal’s sacred stolen objects, as far as possible to its original community in Kathmandu Valley.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c739c7e80680e0af35djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="960">The prominent driving force for the campaign as well as Saturday’s restitution of Laxmi-Narayan has been the continued significance and role of the sacred sculptures in Nepal’s culture, faith and heritage. The figures used to be <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7311#.YahVc1VByJA">actively worshipped when they were stolen</a>, but became mere sterile ‘objets d'art’  when exhibited at museums, or in the living rooms of rich collectors abroad.“At the Dallas Museum, the Laxmi-Narayan was exhibited out of context with a tag noting the statue's name, date and Nepal as the place of origin. Unless a visitor knew something about the culture of Nepal, it would be easy to assume the statue was part of an ancient civilisation and dug out of the ground,” says Joy Lynn Davis. “Of course, that it not the case. It was stolen, and not long ago.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c769c7e80680e0af35ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c789c7e80680e0af35fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-wants-stolen-antiquities-returned-from-france/">Nepal wants stolen antiquities returned from France</a>, Alisha Sijapati<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/2-more-nepali-antiquities-traced-to-us-museum/">2 more Nepali antiquities traced to US museum</a>Indeed, unlike antiquities from Greece or Egypt, the Laxmi-Narayan and other stolen Kathmandu Valley deities were part of a vibrant living culture and represented a community’s collective faith and belief system, still in practice.An anonymous initiative on Facebook, Lost Arts of Nepal, has been actively tracking down on Nepal’s stolen heritage in museums and private collections abroad, and increasing awareness about our sculptures, struts and gods who are missing from their original homes.Nepal Times approached the account for a reaction, and this was the reply: ‘The restitution of the Laxmi-Narayan sculpture is a milestone in ongoing repatriation efforts. It will set an example and show to the world how our gods are important to the country’s cultural heritage.’<h3>What about all the other sacred objects stolen from Nepal?</h3><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c7b9c7e80680e0af360jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="662"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>American arts crime professor Erin Thompson believes that appeals for repatriation henceforth can be made to museums and collectors using two arguments: legal and ethical.“Private collectors often hold the objects because there is sentimental value, so you can appeal to their love of culture,” Thompson says. “They can also be offered an opportunity to experience the meaning of the object first-hand by inviting them to Nepal for the restitution.”With the museums, the approach has to be different, as the recent restitution of several sacred objects from the United States, Austria and other countries have shown.“Museums do their research, record provenances, and as such do not have an excuse to say that they did not know if a certain object was stolen or not,” says Thompson.Indeed, more than legal arguments, museums can be pressured by naming and shaming on media, raising ethical concerns, diplomatic pressure and negotiations.“Publicity is really important in this case,” says Thompson (see <a href="https://twitter.com/artcrimeprof/status/1465806577860890627" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweet</a>). “Since these collections are driven by public interest and attention, and the Laxmi-Narayan restitution sets an important precedent.”The return of the Laxmi-Narayan shows that because these are objects of living worship by communities, attention should be paid to restitution and not just repatriation.Museums abroad often argue that the objects are much safer in their collection than in Kathmandu. And the continued theft of religious objects like the statue in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diwakar.chettri/posts/10224235900352580" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Godavari’s Panch Dhara</a> this week bolsters that argument.However, Thompson believes that Laxmi-Narayan’s successful return to its original temple makes a strong case for museums abroad to return other stolen gods they are holding.“Having seen the communities and shrines first-hand, I know that it is lie that the sacred objects are safer in museums abroad,” says Thompson. “It is ridiculous to think that Nepalis do not care about these statues and sculptures.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c7d9c7e80680e0af361jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="465" height="837"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161144/636d1c7f9c7e80680e0af362jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="586"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Egypt and Greece have for decades been demanding that the British Museum and the Louvre return antiquities stolen in past centuries. In October, Germany and Nigeria signed an agreement setting out a timetable for the return of 1,100 objects from German museums. Artist Joy Lynn Davis believes that there is now a more conducive international climate for repatriation of antiquities, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-gods-return-from-exile/">Nepal can take the lead</a>.Appealing to the conscience of collectors has worked in the past. In August 1994, an American collector voluntarily returned four gods after he was shown Lain Singh Bangdel’s photographs proving their public ownership: a 12th century Saraswati, a 9th century Buddha, a 14th century Surya, and a 10th century Vishnu. In 2000, the Museum für Indische Kunst in Berlin returned the 12th century Uma-Maheswar stolen from Wo Tole in Dhulikhel in 1982.In April, a 13th-century Chaturmukhi Shivalinga was handed over by the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-nepali-antiquities-got-to-chicago-museum/">Art Institute of Chicago to</a> the Nepal Embassy in Washington DC, and in September the Denver Art Museum returned <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/us-returns-another-antiquity-to-nepal/">the 10th century Uma-Maheswar</a> that had been stolen 50 years ago from Ga Hiti of Patan.One pressing concern is that the original shrines may have been destroyed or damaged in the 2015 earthquake. Some communities may also not be prepared to take the objects back right away.Suresh Man Lakhe of Patan Museum says that while the best option is always to give the repatriated objects to the community, museums in Nepal should also be prepared to hold them for safekeeping until the community is ready.“The priority is always full restitution,” Lakhe says, “But when these objects return, they do not immediately go back to their original places. So, Patan Museum is opening a gallery for returned objects while they await re-installation.”Apart from safekeeping, museums can also conduct necessary documentation and research, since some returned objects have not been properly identified.Lakhe adds, “To install them <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Nepal-needs-to-be-prepared-for-the-return-of-stolen-religious-figures,986">in situ </a>is our priority. The deities become stale and stagnant in museums. Restored to their shrines, the gods can be worshipped again.”

The enigma of arrival of Nepal's gods

The sudden and massive flood on the Bhote Kosi early Tuesday morning washed away a strategic bridge on Nepal’s main border crossing with China for trade, tourists and pilgrims. Slurry from the nearly 10m high debris flow left 9 dead and 20 missing, 12 of them Nepalis and six Chinese nationals, and 150 others were rescued by helicopter.&nbsp; Four <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-smarter-himalayan-infrastructure">hydropower plants</a> Rasuwagadi, Trisuli III, Trisuli, &nbsp;Benighat and the Trisuli substation sustained heavy damage, knocking &nbsp;out 230MW of Nepal’s power supply – approximately 8% of the total. Over 100 cargo trucks and new electric vehicles parked at &nbsp;Timure Dry Port were swept away. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mapping-kangchenjunga-glacial-flood-risk">Mapping Kangchenjung glacial flood risk</a>, Gabe Allen Officials had initially thought &nbsp;the Bhote Kosi had flooded due to heavy rain in Tibet. However, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) now say a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/living-below-nepal-s-melting-mountains">Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)</a> is likely.&nbsp; NDRRMA spokesperson Suresh Sunar said it was too early to tell which one, but the flood was most likely the result of one of the glacial lakes in Tibet. Bhote Kosi begins on the north slope of the Ganesh Himal near the Nepal-China border, and its tributary Lende drains the catchment area north of Langtang. The slurry flood on Tuesday was on the Lende (map).&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250709110720_bbc99c5f3e3d61a3d340892e0273fee3605a8d334a2beb354126137bcf0c8d27.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250709110720_bbc99c5f3e3d61a3d340892e0273fee3605a8d334a2beb354126137bcf0c8d27" data-rendition-name="original" width="629" height="759" loading="lazy" alt="Bhote Kosi flood map"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250709110720_39e2f574ff8c12cecda2e5a999d2ba8a0310f599f6b2261dcad7dd43f94df2a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250709110720_39e2f574ff8c12cecda2e5a999d2ba8a0310f599f6b2261dcad7dd43f94df2a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="997" height="613" loading="lazy" alt="Bhote Kosi flood map"> </figure>  “Preliminary study suggest that the disaster was not caused by rain in Tibet, but by a glacial lake burst, or another accident,” said Kamal Ram Joshi of the DHM. The level of water at a self-monitoring station in Timure in Rasuwa increased by 3.5m at 3:10AM on Tuesday morning while 13km downstream in Syabrubesi, the level rose by 3.65m at 3:30AM. The same station recorded 5.37m ten minutes later, after which it stopped giving a reading, possibly because the station was also washed away. The flood reached <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/neither-side-lost-both-sides-won">Betrawati</a> by 5AM, and some of the debris flow reached Mugling during Tuesday. DHM’s Flood Forecasting Division noted that there was no major precipitation in the Bhote Kosi watershed in Nepal and China in the 24 hours preceding the flood.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250708100724_313a684b65fc5317064779e47409a40f2bbce2c0c84db995e7f8fc6e1c142105.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250708100724_313a684b65fc5317064779e47409a40f2bbce2c0c84db995e7f8fc6e1c142105" data-rendition-name="original" width="3600" height="1662" loading="lazy" alt="Bhotekosi flood"> <figcaption>The Miteri bridge before it was swept away by the flood in Bhotekosi on the Nepal-China border. Photo: SUBASH DHUNGANA / RSS</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250708100732_ec43f13bae979f7b61bc0db939db4157dc93d3f0767ed527f564bd5c3d12be27.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20250708100732_ec43f13bae979f7b61bc0db939db4157dc93d3f0767ed527f564bd5c3d12be27" data-rendition-name="original" width="720" height="432" loading="lazy" alt="Bhotekosi flood NT 2"> <figcaption>The bridge after the flood.</figcaption> </figure>  On Wednesday, several remote-sensing experts using Copernicus &nbsp;satellite images pinpointed the cause of the flood to Purepu Cangbu where supraglacial ponds had merged in June to form a large lake which did not burst, but overflowed &nbsp;and found a channel through englacial conduits to the headwaters of the Lende. The river meets the Bhote Kosi at the Nepal-China checkpoint in Rasuwa.&nbsp; “Analysis of weather forecasts and satellite data shows the Tibet region did not receive enough rain to cause this scale of flooding,” explained Binod Pokharel, associate professor of hydrology and meteorology at Tribhuvan University. “The flood could have been caused by a GLOF."&nbsp; Two weeks ago, Chinese officials had reportedly warned the Rasuwa District Administration in Nepal to be on high alert for floods on rivers that originate in Tibet. It could be that Chinese scientists had observed the alarming<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-crisis-is-a-water-crisis-in-the-himalaya"> expansion of glacial lakes</a> in the Lende and Bhote Kosi catchments. If that was the case, it is an example of the kind of trans-boundary forewarning that would be critical to save lives in future.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250708100736_1710142917b30d4f85b343ed52743554d723db918c708f0bade8a0491ba999b2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20250708100736_1710142917b30d4f85b343ed52743554d723db918c708f0bade8a0491ba999b2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1001" height="500" loading="lazy" alt="Bhotekosi flood"> </figure>  However, Rasuwa’s Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruv Prasad Adhikari seems to have no knowledge of any warning from the Chinese side, either formally or informally. &nbsp; “The Chinese Embassy has said the cause of the flood is unknown that it will coordinate with Nepal to find the cause," Adhikari told us. Chinese Ambassador Chen Song and Prime Minister Oli visited the border on Tuesday (pictured). &nbsp; The sharing of real-time trans-boundary rainfall and river flow data would be crucial in early warning about the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mapping-kangchenjunga-glacial-flood-risk">risk and consequences of GLOFs</a> to reduce human and material loss. But Nepali officials say China has been reluctant to share weather-related information and data not just in this disaster, but in the past as well. “There is no mechanism or system in place for us to obtain hydrological and meteorological data of the Tibetan region,” said DHM Director General Joshi. The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/for-destruction-ice-is-also-great-and-will-suffice">Himalaya is melting twice as fast as the rest of the world</a> due to a phenomenon called ‘elevation dependent warming’, and receding glaciers have led to an increasing number of transboundary GLOFs.&nbsp; According to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/danger-nepal-s-glacial-lakes-are-filling-up">a 2018 ICIMOD study</a>, of the 47 of the most dangerous lakes that threaten Nepal, 25 are on glaciers in China, 21 in Nepal and one in India. Many of these glaciers are expanding rapidly due to global warming. One of the authors of the report, glacial lake expert Samjwal Bajracharya, says that the report was prepared based on data from 2015. But climate change has accelerated since then. Moreover, seismic activity has further destabilises the landscape, adding to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-glacial-lakes-in-danger-of-bursting">GLOF risk</a>.&nbsp; “Considering the rapid rate of snowmelt and consequent increase in size of Himalayan glaciers, studies should be conducted every year, and a monitoring system should be set up on the glaciers,” says Bajracharya. “However, no studies have been conducted in the Himalaya in a decade, which has been our biggest weakness.” &nbsp;

Rasuwa flood likely a GLOF

The news headlines this week said: ‘The House of Representatives passed the Nepal Citizenship (Second Amendment) Bill that now makes <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-unequal-citizenship-law">acquiring citizenship through the mother</a> as equal as through the father.’&nbsp;
Could it really be true? There is genuine confusion or deliberate misunderstanding in the public about the Bill. Here is an explainer:
What is the Bill?
The Second Amendment to the Nepal Citizenship Act 2006 was tabled by the government on 11 March, 2024. The lengthy list of amendments underwent a detailed discussion within the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the HoR which presented a shortened list of agreed amendments.&nbsp;
The HoR passed this amended list of amendments on 28 June. While the original Bill contained eight amendment proposals, only three major amendments were presented by the Committee, and approved by the HoR.
Has it become law now?
No. It is yet to be passed by the National Assembly and endorsed by the President.
What exactly is contained in the amendments?&nbsp;
<ol>
 <li>Addition to Section 5 of the Act: ‘For citizenship applications, a father’s identity is deemed unknown if the applicant and their mother both provide a self-declaration stating that the father is unidentified, as per Section 5, even if his name is listed on the person’s birth registration, educational qualifications, or other certificates, yet his other identity is not available and is currently out of contact.’</li>
</ol>
This simply provides a definition to what the Act means by ‘father unidentified’ or ‘father untraceable’. Section 5 derives its authority from Article 11(5) of the Constitution that grants citizenship by descent to children whose mother is a Nepali citizen, but father is unidentified or untraceable.&nbsp;
The Nepal Citizenship Act 2006 and Regulation 2006 (both promulgated prior to the present 2015 Constitution) was amended in 2023 to incorporate the provisions of the new Constitution. In doing so, it included the procedural rule requiring both the applicant and their mother to sign a self-declaration form.
The result: a lot of people who claimed citizenship under this provision were still denied access, simply because their educational or other documents mentioned the name or address or some information about their father. The officials interpreted the presence of such information as father’s identity being known and assumed the applicants were hiding facts.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/no-state-for-women">No state for women</a>, Neha Gurung
The Supreme Court in one of such cases had clearly interpreted the meaning of ‘father unidentified’. In its overarching decision, the court stated the following:
‘It seems neither lawful nor just to compel an individual to accept someone as an identified father merely because their biological father’s name, surname, or address is claimed to be known or mentioned in educational or other documents. It would be just to consider the father’s identity as “unidentified”; if the individual has not received paternal affection or care, and the alleged father has never taken any responsibility, borne any obligation, or been physically present before the children, leading to a situation where the children haven’t even seen their face. Such an alleged biological father should remain “unidentified” for these children until they formally acknowledge them as their son or daughter, or, in their absence, their family provides reasonable proof to confirm the fact and identifies the relationship through a process acceptable to the children, or until such a confirmation becomes impossible.’
Based on this decision, multiple implementation challenges, and growing advocacy around this concern, the government included the above-mentioned addition in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-citizenship-amendment-bill-explained">the Bill</a>.
Is it new?
The proposed addition is neither an introduction of the new right, nor does it provide anything beyond what the Constitution mandates. Since the Constitution itself uses the term ‘father untraceable or unidentified’, the most a legislation can do is to ensure that the constitutional provisions are interpreted and implemented in its true meaning. Therefore, the current Bill only serves to clarify the existing misinterpretation of the phrase ‘father unidentified’.
In a country where about 17% of the population are <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Comment/stateless-daughters-in-nepal,863">single mothers</a>, this clarification may provide certain relief for those whose fathers name was mentioned in the document and the father is now unidentified. However, the addition does not grant anything new.
The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/are-women-not-nepali-enough">gender discriminatory citizenship </a>where the citizenship or legal identity of a person is always dependent on one’s husband or father still remains.
Additionally, the current addition does not completely incorporate the Supreme Court’s decision which is broader and more comprehensive, requiring that the father be considered unidentified irrespective of the knowledge of the father’s name, surname and address, if the applicant/person has not felt the paternal affection or care, and the alleged father has never taken any responsibility, or borne any obligation or been physically present before the children.
The Bill only takes ‘father’s name’ into consideration. It does not recognize the mention of surname or address in the applicant’s certificates, nor the absence of emotional and physical presence, and responsibility in their life.
2. Addition to Section 18 of the Act:
i. Unless otherwise provided in this Act, a person dissatisfied with an order or decision made by an official under this Act may file a petition with the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs within thirty-five days from the date of such order, through the District Administration Office or directly through Nepal Government.
ii. Upon receiving the report pursuant to sub-section (1), the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs shall (must) issue their decision or order after obtaining the report from the official who issued the order or made the decision, within 30 days from the date of appeal, and such decision or order made by them shall be final.’
This provision is already present in the Act itself, and the Bill simply amends or adds the parts that are in bold letters. The positive part is that it makes the right to redress mandatory. Meaning, it not only ensures the right to appeal against the unsatisfactory decisions made by the local authorities, but also the right to receive the decision.
Earlier, it depended on the government's discretion to hear the appeal, but if this amendment is passed, it now becomes the State's obligation to ensure this as a due process of law.
This makes it easier for individuals denied citizenship, by the Chief District Office (CDO), to register an appeal in the higher office, which is the Home Ministry. However, in cases concerning a certain category of naturalised citizenship that falls under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, its decision becomes final and cannot be appealed.
This means that Nepal has two categories of naturalised citizenship. One that falls under the jurisdiction of CDO, such as naturalised citizenship to foreign women via marriage relationship. Another that falls under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, such as naturalised citizenship to persons born to Nepali mother and foreign father or foreigners who intend to acquire citizenship via stay requirement.&nbsp;
While the former can be appealed if the applicant is not satisfied with the decision of the official, the former, which is the government's decision, cannot be appealed.
3. Addition of Section 22(a) to the Act: ‘Shall provide a minor’s identity card to a person who is under 16 years of age, if either mother or father is a Nepali citizen.’
This provision can be considered as a positive extension of the child’s constitutional right. The Constitution of Nepal in Article 39 (1) states that ‘every child shall have the right to name and birth registration along with his or her identity’. The current Bill extends this right to a minor's ID card.
However, a minor ID card does not guarantee a citizenship certificate, which in Nepal, a person is eligible to apply only at the age of 16. This means: even though the child has the minor’s ID card and perhaps also a passport based on it, while applying for citizenship at the age of 16 or beyond, the person is bound by citizenship laws — which as we have seen is heavily dependent on the father's identity.
The conclusion?
The current amendment does not ensure any dramatic legal reform nor ensure a complete <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/The-right%20-to-have-rights,2656">gender equality in nationality laws</a>, simply because it technically and legally cannot.
When the Constitution itself uses gendered language such as ‘mother’, ‘father', ‘Nepali citizen man’, and ‘foreign citizen woman’, a legislation cannot override it. Nevertheless, recent amendments to the Act, including the first amendment, shows the government’s leniency towards gender equal citizenship laws.
Additionally, Article 49 of the Constitution also recognises equal lineage right of women, meaning that the family descent is legally recognised to be carried on by both genders. Hopefully in the nearest future, Nepal will carry this same principle to shape its citizenship law as well.&nbsp;
A transformative reform by ensuring gender equal nationality rights through constitutional amendment is still possible. Nepal, a member state to the CEDAW and CRC, is still in the list of 24 countries in the world that have gender unequal citizenship laws. &nbsp;It has the obligation as well as potentiality to become a pioneer in recognizing<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/quality-of-equality-for-women"> women’s equal rights </a>to confer citizenship to their children and spouse in par with men.
Neha Gurung is a human rights lawyer dedicated to advocating for equal citizenship rights, and co-founder of the Citizenship Affected People's Network. A Fulbright scholar, Gurung obtained LLM from the Washington College of Law.

Full equality vs status quo

Former president Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week officially made her comeback to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/what-just-happened-in-nepali-politics">national politics </a>at an event commemorating her late husband UML leader Madan Bhandari’s 70th birth anniversary. Bhandari’s announcement was not a surprise, nor was the furious flutter it created both within and outside the UML. A former president returning to party politics sets a dangerous precedent, many said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “Now that I have been released of my previous political responsibilities, I have renewed my party membership with the righteous intention of remaining in the CPN-UML and continuing the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/latest/post-convention-uml-eyes-set-on-elections"> party's political journey</a>,” Bhandari said, not very convincingly. Nepal’s Constitution does not prohibit a former head of state from returning to active politics once their presidential term is over, essentially leaving such decisions to ethics rather than any legality. But her return to the UML fold has angered party leaders who considered themselves Oli’s successors as well commentators who saw it as yet another example of the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/latest/the-business-of-politics-in-nepal">deep rot in Nepal’s politics</a>. ‘<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/coalition-set-to-snub-president-bhandari">Bidya Devi Bhandari </a>has not tired of ‘serving’ us despite having held multiple ministerial positions, high-level party positions, and serving two terms as President, but the country and its citizens are tired of her unceasing and immoral ‘service’,’ political commentator Muma Ram Khanal wrote sardonically on social media. ‘Please do not embarrass us through your lifetime ‘service’.’ Bhandari tried to mollify critics by pledging to forego all perks and facilities she is entitled to as a former head of state. This was met with enthusiastic cheers from supporters at the public function. Prime Minister KP Oli, sitting right beside her on the stage, remained stone-faced. He has been against Bhandari’s political comeback, and has tried to talk her out of it. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250711040740_0f2b201ed3ce2f85540554c83fc7aae6bcfcd1377aef614bbc3759eef30baa3f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250711040740_0f2b201ed3ce2f85540554c83fc7aae6bcfcd1377aef614bbc3759eef30baa3f" data-rendition-name="original" width="2400" height="1599" loading="lazy" alt="PM Oli and Bidya Devi "> </figure>  Oli has reasons to worry, as Bhandari has made it clear that she intends to run for party chair in the next UML general convention. There are also those within the UML who have grown resentful of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-government-changes-again">Oli’s leadership</a>, and this has polarised the party into two camps with leaders like Ishwar Pokharel in Bhandari’s corner. Oli wields absolute authority over the party, particularly after he sidelined and silenced rivals Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal, and Bamdev Gautam.&nbsp; He has removed the party’s 70-year age limit to hold leadership position so that he can continue to be chair even as he approaches the end of term limit, and questions about his health after two kidney transplants. Bhandari wasted no time in wading right into politics to forge alliances. Last week she met Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah to discuss “latest developments”. She is said to have urged <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/kathmandu-s-balen-phenomenon">Kathmandu’s popular independent mayor</a> to enter national politics through a party. The mayor is keeping his cards close to his chest. &nbsp; The former president’s return to active politics has also not sat well with other parties, either. Nepali Congress (NC) president Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Oli’s coalition partner, is said to have raised issue with Bhandari’s comeback. The NC Central Committee meeting this week was abuzz with corridor talk about how retired presidents returning to politics affects not just the UML, but undermines <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/slapping-democracy">Nepal’s democracy</a>. &nbsp; The UML is not the only party roiled in internal strife. The NC Central Committee meetings turned lively as the rank and file fed up with<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/deuba-s-long-and-winding-road"> long-serving Deuba</a> and the higher political profile Foreign Minister Arzu Rana, his wife, demanded an overhaul of the leadership.&nbsp; The surname Koirala still has strong brand equity in the NC, and a rival faction led by Shekhar Koirala has questioned Deuba’s competence and has intensified calls for the party’s next general convention to be held on time. His cousin, Shashank Koirala also supports a constitutional amendment to revert Nepal back to Hindu state – possibly with an eye on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/women-first-in-2027-wfnchctq">the 2027 election</a>. The NC’s young turks are no longer young. Party General Secretary Gagan Thapa is approaching middle age while waiting for a greater leadership role with the promise of fresh new blood to rejuvenate the party. &nbsp; Meanwhile, CPN-Unified Socialists chair and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is facing calls for resignation from within his party after being charged with corruption by Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for alleged involvement in the Patanjali land scam.&nbsp; Nepal, who has been stripped of his lawmaker status, is currently out on bail. He has said the case against him is politically motivated, fuelled by one-time comrade K P Oli's vendetta.&nbsp; The CPN-US members do not seem keen on Nepal taking the already beleaguered party down with him. Firebrand leader Ram Kumari Jhakri called for a new leadership at an event of the party’s youth wing last week, obviously pushing herself as a possible successor.&nbsp; “The party chair is facing legal and constitutional challenges, we cannot move forward with this dead weight on our shoulders,” Jhakri said, calling for an early general convention to choose new leadership. CPN-US leadership has since admonished her gently about her remark, but others like Jhalanath Khanal and Ghanashyam Bhushal have lent their support. Khanal, a former prime minister himself, even asked for Nepal’s resignation at the party’s secretariat meeting earlier this week.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250711050712_bed4145c696497f12eedc746dcd0308d251ca02312bef88c549a51d54a5032a8.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250711050712_bed4145c696497f12eedc746dcd0308d251ca02312bef88c549a51d54a5032a8" data-rendition-name="original" width="262" height="402" loading="lazy" alt="Two to tango"> </figure>  Over at the Maoist-Centre, Pushpa Kamal Dahal is also said to be at loggerheads with top comrades, particularly Deputy General Secretary Janardan Sharma, who used to be a guerrilla commander during the conflict. &nbsp; Dahal and Sharma’s relationship has been strained since the party’s last general convention, when Dahal bypassed Sharma for General Secretary. The two have traded barbs in public and private since then. Sharma has long called for competition in party leadership, but like Oli and Deuba, Dahal is reluctant to give up the reins. Dahal has reportedly been reluctant to hold a general convention fearing he will be voted out of his chairmanship. &nbsp; In response, Dahal has attempted to fill the ranks with his own confidants, including actively lobbying for the return of former vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun to active politics despite objections from the party. Like Bidya Bhandari, this has not been welcomed within the party and outside. And then there is the<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old"> Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)</a>, the fourth largest in Parliament whose chair, former tv anchor leader Rabi Lamichhane, is in detention for multiple charges of defrauding cooperatives. The three main parties see the RSP as a threat in 2027 and want to tie Lamichhane up with court convictions, but his prolonged detention has actually allowed him to gather some public sympathy – at least on social media. The RSP has rallied around Lamichhane in public, but there are rifts within the party. In April, MP Sumana Shrestha resigned as the party’s joint general secretary, levelling criticism at the leadership and the lack of intra-party democracy and calling for reforms. But Lamichhane’s legal troubles have put a dent on the RSP’s Mission-2084 election campaign, which has come to a standstill.&nbsp; Aisde from internal feuds in all the main parties, the four main parties are also jostling for advantage ahead of 2027. And last week, the Janata Samajwadi Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party both withdrew from the alliance. &nbsp; Speculation is rife of a rift between the two largest parties in the coalition. This is driven by the two parties, which have been bitter rivals since 1990 but are now partners in government, in the leadup to elections. &nbsp; In public, the two parties have maintained that the coalition remains strong as ever. Oli is said to be considering recalling some of his ministers to pacify the NC’s dissatisfaction with UML cabinet members. Deuba seems determined not to let the coalition collapse ahead of his turn to be prime minister for the sixth time next year as per a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Oli.&nbsp; The cement that binds the coalitions together is the mutual threat they feel about <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/higher-corruption-in-high-places">corruption </a>probes of their leaders. The former RSP-NC-Maoist coalition collapsed last year after Deuba and Oli got wind that Home Minister <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-rise-and-fall-of-rabi-lamichhane">Rabi Lamichhane</a> had started investigating the involvement of their top leaders on the fake refugee and tea estate scams. &nbsp; For the moment, though, it seems as though the relationship between Oli and Deuba is more stable than the support both leaders have within their own &nbsp;parties. But the question as the elections approaches is, for how much longer.

Uncontrolled instability in Nepal

Recent outrage in Sikkim over an Indian Army expedition climbing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga">Kangchenjunga</a>, the world’s third-highest peak, has spiked attention to the need to balance mountaineering jobs with indigenous reverence for sacred landmarks. Kangchenjunga (8,586m) is not a peak as much as it is a mountain range with 16 peaks above 7,000m on the border between India and Nepal -- the word itself means ‘five treasures of the snows’ in Tibetan. Some of the highest prominences like Kangchenjunga West and Kangbachen are in Nepal, while the Main, Central and South Peaks are on the border. Climbing the peak from the Indian side has been banned since 2001 because the indigenous Lepcha community there regard the mountain as the abode of Dzoe-nga, the patron deity of Sikkim, which was an independent Himalayan Kingdom until it was annexed by India in 1975.&nbsp; Buddhists in Sikkim say their saint, Padmasambhava, recognised the mountain as a protective spirit. The state has declared the base of the mountain Kangchenjunga National Park, which covers an area one-third of Sikkim. ‘The act of scaling this sacred peak is not only a matter of serious concern but also a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim,’ read a letter from Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) to Amit Shah, India’s Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation.&nbsp; Tamang continued: ‘We further request Your Honour to take up the issue with the Government of Nepal to ensure that no future expeditions are permitted on the sacred mountain, in deference to the deeply held beliefs and cultural values of the people of Sikkim.’ Kangchenjunga was climbed for the first time exactly 70 years ago by a British team who told King Tashi Namgyal, the Choegyal of Sikkim, that they would not set foot on the summit. Since then, there have been about 532 successful climbs of the peaks and 52 have died while trying.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1782" height="1178" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Indigenous communities in Sikkim held purification ceremonies following the Indian expedition to Kangchenjunga. Photo: THE VOICE OF SIKKIM / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-climbing-season-2025-s4abrxny">This spring climbing season</a> alone, there were 70 climbing permits for foreigners issued for Kangchenjunga by the Nepal government, and made it to the top while one French climber died.&nbsp; One of the expeditions this year was an Indian Army team led by Col Ranveer Jamwal, who has summited the highest peaks on all seven continents, and Mt Everest thrice. Jamwal’s team was on the final leg of a ‘<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/nimas-summits-mt-kangchenjunga-concludes-historic-har-shikhar-tiranga-mission-successfully/articleshow/121341315.cms?from=mdr">Har Shikhar Tiranga</a>’ (The Tricolour on Every Peak) mission to plant the Indian flag at the highest points of each of India’s 28 states. Kanchenjunga was the last peak they had left, and the hardest, but the expedition put five climbers on the summit. What seems to have incensed the Sikkimese is that while it has banned climbing the mountain from its side, it was an Indian military expedition that went to Nepal to climb the mountain. After news broke of the climb in May, the Sikkim Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association asked people to observe purification ceremonies in temples across the state. Mayalmit Lepcha of the association acknowledged that the Sikkim government was also partly at fault: “I don’t think such an expedition could have gone forward without the state government being informed, so it could have done something to intervene. It shows weakness. What’s done is done, all we can do is carry out these sanctification ceremonies.”&nbsp; In 2000, one year before Sikkim’s ban, the state allowed an Austrian team to attempt Kanchenjunga’s northeast face for a fee of $20,000, on agreement that they would stop 10m before the summit. Despite this, there was outrage over the expedition on the grounds that it violated Indian laws regarding the defiling of religious sites and Sikkim’s rights to maintain its culture after merging with India. The Indian Army expedition was also seen to have circumvented Sikkim’s law and violated religious sensibilities by going through Nepal. While the team may have thought they were respecting Sikkim’s beliefs by finding a way to complete the mission, the people of Sikkim saw it as defilement.&nbsp; The somber mood of the Sikkim people at the ritual contrasts sharply with Jamwal’s sense of accomplishment. “Without a doubt, the most difficult summit of my life,” he told reporters after the climb. “It tested every ounce of our will.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157" data-rendition-name="original" width="787" height="377" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Prayer flags along the Sikkim-Kangchenjunga trekking route. Photo: TREKKINGININDIA.COM</figcaption> </figure>  The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">controversial Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja</a> was also on Kangchenjunga this spring the mountain, on a mission to summit all 14 8,000m peaks for a third time. He echoed Jamwal about the tough conditions: “The conditions above camp were extremely tough, with deep snow and challenging terrain—more crevasses than usual.” Nepal’s government has not said anything publicly, but it is unlikely that it will ban climbing on Kangchenjunga, since it is becoming popular with expeditions because of its technical challenges, and overcrowding on Mt Everest. Nepal does have bans in place for some of its mountains out of respect for local beliefs. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/to-open-machapuchre-for-mountaineering-or-not">Mt Machapuchre</a> (6,990m) the imposing pyramid that looms over Pokhara, for example, is seen as an icon of purity by the Gurung people and a symbol of Vishnu by the Hindu communities who live at its base. A strict climbing ban has been in place since 1957, when a British expedition led by Col Jimmy Roberts stopped 45m short of the summit – either because the last bit was too difficult or out of deference to local sentiments.&nbsp; Khumbila that stands above Namche Bazar is only 5,761m high, but like Kanchenjunga is considered the protector deity of the Sherpa people. Gauri Shankar on the Nepal-China border, called Chomo Tseringma by the local community, was off-limits between 1965 and 1979 due to its association with Lord Shiva and Gauri, his consort. Although expeditions are now allowed, there are not too many takers. In Tibet, climbing Mount Kailash is prohibited by the Chinese government because it revered by the Hindus, Buddhists and followers of the Bon faith. Even Mt Everest is regarded as sacred, and its Sherpa name is Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the Earth.&nbsp; Economically, climbs on Kanchenjunga bring in decent revenue. This climbing season, the 41 permits, at $1,800 each, brought in $73,800. This is somewhat comparable to Makalu, Lhotse, and Annapurna I, but these numbers are dwarfed by the $4 million in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-everest-industry">Everest permits</a>. Revenue from Kanchenjunga climbing permits is something Nepal could potentially forgo if necessary, but the expeditions also provide jobs to hundreds of high altitude guides, porters, base camp support staff and other logistical costs.&nbsp; As the third highest mountain in the world and the tallest in India, there will always be significant motivation to climb it from the Nepal side, especially as climbers are drawn by the technical climbing at high altitude.

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