Nepal celebrates return of stolen 13th-century Buddha statue from New York

The Himalayan nation restores centuries-old statue, stolen in the 1980s, to its original temple in capital Kathmandu.A centuries-old Buddha statue stolen from a Nepali temple has been reinstalled in its original location, one of several artefacts returned from foreign museums and collectors in recent years.The statue, dating to the 13th century, was carried in a palanquin back to its pagoda-style temple in the capital, Kathmandu, to the sound of traditional music on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Nepal announces two-day weekends as fuel crisis caused by Iran war deepenslist 2 of 4Nepal’s home minister resigns, second cabinet exit in one monthlist 3 of 4Nepal’s ex-PM Oli detained over alleged role in deadly protest crackdownlist 4 of 4Now in power, Nepal’s rapper-politician Balen Shah faces new challengeend of list“I feel so happy, we all do. Our god is coming back,” temple-goer Sunkesari Shakya, 67, told the AFP news agency, recalling the day the statue was stolen, wreaking “havoc” in the community.In a ceremony attended by a visiting United States envoy, the statue, which returned from New York in 2022, was placed back on its original stone plinth. The event coincided with the festival of Buddha Jayanti, marking the