- Thursday, 7 May 2026
Binu Shrestha
Tara’s idol arrives in Nepal from USA
The idol of Buddhist goddess Tara stolen from Bhaktapur 45 years ago arrived in Kathmandu from Yale University Art Gallery of New York, USA, on Thursday. The argillite-stone sculpture of Tara that dates back to the late ninth to early 10th century was donated to the gallery by a donor in 2015. Organising a press meet at the Department of Archaeology (DoA) on Thgursday, Manual P Micaller, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in Kathmandu, handed over the cultural artefact to the DoA.
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.
