‘Give us back our gods’: inside the Nepalese Museum of Stolen Art

Along a small street in the Nepalese city of Bhaktapur stands an unassuming building with a strange name: the Museum of Stolen Art.

Inside, rooms are filled with statues of Nepal’s sacred gods and goddesses.

Among them is the Saraswati Sculpture. Sitting atop a lotus, the Hindu goddess of wisdom holds a book, prayer beads and a classical instrument called a veena in her four hands.

But like all the other sculptures in the room, the statue is fake.

The Saraswati is one of 45 replicas housed in the museum, whose formal location is still under construction in Panauti and will open to the public in 2026.

It is the brainchild of Nepalese conservationist Rabindra Puri, who is leading a mission to secure the return of dozens of stolen artifacts from Nepal, many of which are scattered among museums, auction houses or private collections in countries including the US, UK and France.

Over the past five years, he has hired half a dozen craftsmen to create replicas of these statues, each taking three months to a year to complete. The museum has not received any government subsidy.

His mission is to secure the return of these stolen artifacts – in exchange for the replicas he has created.

In Nepal, such statues stand in temples across the country and are considered part of the country’s “living culture,” not merely showpieces, says Sanjay Adhikari, the secretary of the Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign.

Many are worshiped by locals every day, with some followers offering food and flowers to the gods.

“An old lady told me that she worshiped Saraswati every day,” says Mr Puri. “When she found out the idol had been stolen, she felt more depressed than when her husband died.”

It’s also common for followers to touch these statues for blessings – meaning they are also rarely guarded – leaving them wide open to thieves.