Interactive Map & Database of Stolen Sculptures
If you know others who want to learn more about the theft of Nepal’s cultural property, please pass this database along.
On the map red dots represent sites of thefts. Zoom in and click on the red dots to learn of the thefts that occurred in those locations. The searchable and sortable database (third tab at the top, called “Table”) combines published and previously unpublished thefts and accompanying research by Lain S. Bangdel, Jürgen Schick, Sukra Sagar Shrestha, Mary Slusser, Govinda Tandan, Joy Lynn Davis, and others. 160 stolen sculptures are currently represented. Additional entries will be added in the future.
Working with the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu, in 2016 the contents of this database were added to Interpol’s stolen art database, helping police worldwide locate these stolen sculptures.
Since the 1960s, thousands of sacred sculptures have been illegally taken from public temples, shrines, fountains, and fields throughout the Kathmandu Valley. They have ended up abroad with private collectors, dealers, storage facilities, and museums. Only a small number have come back, a few more are expected to return, and the vast majority remain unlocated. Gathering photographic evidence, growing and publishing the inventory of lost sculptures, and raising awareness are steps toward combating illicit trafficking and helping secure returns.
The database was designed and programmed by Prabhas Pokharel in 2015.