- Monday, 15 December 2025
Binu Shrestha
Machhindranath’s Dewali Puja performed
Pujas are rituals generally associated with people. Worship ceremonies, by their nature, are rites performed by mortals to appease higher powers and gain blessings. Lineage worships are even more particular and are performed by specific families and clans in specific ways to pay homage to their ancestors and pray to the guardian gods and goddesses. Known as Dewali Puja in Nepali and Digu Puja in Nepal Bhasa, lineage worships are an inherently human affair – a way for people to feel a connection with their deceased ancestors.
Five stolen idols of deities arrive from USA
Five sculptures stolen from Kathmandu Valley from the 1950s to 1980s have been returned home. The sculptures arrived in the capital from Washington DC, USA on Tuesday. Manual P Micaller, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in Kathmandu, handed over the artefacts to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale and the Department of Archaeology (DoA) amid a press meet at the Department. Receiving the objects, Minister Ale said that such repatriation of Nepal’s heritage was helping USA and Nepal build a strong cultural relationship.
