MADHYAPUR THIMI: A statue of Ashtabahu Narayan (Vishnu) was stolen from the Changunarayan temple premises, which is listed in the World Heritage List, on December 22, 2008. The idols of Hanuman and Ashtabahu Narayan were removed during the reconstruction of the temple premises damaged by the 2072 BS earthquake. The idol was stolen at the same time. The theft of the idol from the security cordon is considered unnatural as the Armed Police Force is deployed 24 hours a day to protect the temple damaged after the earthquake. The missing idol has not been found yet.
The main idol of the historic 17th-century Digu Bhairav temple was stolen from Digutol of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-5 on the night of December 2, 2072. The gold-plated metal statue has not been found six years after it was stolen. The main biscuit of Madhyapur Thimi: It is customary to practice Digu Bhairav to start the journey. As there would be no Balkumari Jatra without this process, the new idol was replaced four months after the disappearance.
The Ashta Matrika topo on the east side of Digu Bhairav has stolen about three decades ago. When the pylon was not found, the locals built a new one. The locals have kept iron railings for security saying that the new pylon may also be lost. The damaged Jagannath temple in the Digu Bhairav temple complex is under reconstruction. The main idols of Balaram, Subhadra, and Krishna inside the temple are also surrounded by iron bars for fear of being stolen. In this way, the shape of the Barda idol has changed. "Many idols of the city have been lost, some have not been found yet," said Radheshyam Prajapati, a local.
With the increase in the number of thefts and disappearances, locals and other stakeholders are taking various measures to protect the historical and archeological heritage including the remaining and newly constructed idols and pylons. Locals who came to steal the statue of Siddhi Ganesh and the gold window of Siddhi Ganesh Dhochen at Madhyapur Thimi-7 found the needle. According to Ward Chairman Krishna Kumar Prajapati, the idol of Siddhi Ganesh was then covered with an iron chain gate, and the gold window was covered with an iron railing. "There used to be people who protected history; today there are professionals who take icons," Prajapati explained. "How did the ancient idols end up in America?"
Some of the idols in the pylon of the entrance of Balkumari temple at Madhyapur Thimi-4 were stolen in 2050 BS. Now the rest of the idol is tied with iron so that the idol itself cannot be seen for safety. Statues of Bhairav, Kumari, Mahalakshmi, Kali, and Ganesh inside the Balkumari temple were also stolen. The idols have not been found yet. A new idol has been placed in the temple. However, when the idols began to be stolen, the temple itself was fenced with iron railings. The railing was later removed by the municipality during the rescue operation. The city has installed CCTV cameras to protect the statue after Jinodwar. Madhyapur Thimi Nagar Chief Madan Sundar Shrestha said that the work of removing the iron fence and installing CCTV cameras in the temple has started to prevent the temple from becoming ugly. He said that CCTV cameras have been installed by removing the iron bars installed at Balkumari and Kumari Mandir Bode. The CCTV cameras are monitored by the Metropolitan Police Circle, Thimi.
Hundreds of ancient, historical, and cultural idols have been stolen or lost not only in Madhyapur Thimi but also in all three districts of the valley. However, the Department of Archeology does not have data on the number of idols stolen or lost. Examples of missing idols have also been found. Some statues have been discovered in museums around the world. Most of the idols that have been lost from Nepal have been collected in museums in Europe and the United States, according to cultural protector Rabindra Puri. "Museums in India, Europe, the United States, Australia, and Japan house centuries-old statues," he remarked.
Even the surviving idols are made ugly by the locals by tying them with iron chains and fencing them in the name of protection. "The law does not allow any activity to distort the archeological structure," said Aruna Nakarmi, head of the Office of the Monument Preservation and Palace Care (Department of Archeology) Bhaktapur.
Locals say it is more about security than the appearance of the statue. "Theft of idols has increased from 2030/35 BS. Iron railings have been installed to prevent theft," said Arjun Shrestha, a local. "Local initiative alone will not conserve the heritage; it is necessary to raise the attention of the relevant bodies." According to Article 12, if an ancient monument is destroyed, demolished, removed, altered, mutilated, or stolen, a fine of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 100,000 or imprisonment for 5 to 15 years or both is imposed on such monument.
