KATHMANDU, Dec 13: In the first week of December, the U.S. government helped repatriate four ancient statues stolen from Nepal and smuggled to the US by traffickers. The statues, including two Bhairabh masks and stone idols of Shiva Parvati (Uma Maheshwar) and Durga dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, were officially handed over to the Government of Nepal on December 5.
An investigation by a Nepali anti-corruption body revealed incomplete documentation and noncompliant wage payments in the construction of the Pashupatinath temple's jalahari, a component of its shivalinga.