Stolen images, stealing a nation’s heart

Ghanashyam Ojha

Though a small country, Nepal flaunts its pride with its multiple ethnic groups and many different cultures. Although fossils of Hominoid Ramapithecus, the earliest man dating back almost 16 million years have been found in various parts of the country, any concrete evidence of that civilization have not come to the fore yet.

Nepal’s history has been assumed to have taken its accurate shape only from the 5th century A.D. with the inscription of Mandeva in Changu Narayan about 15 miles Northeast of Kathmandu.

Stylistically, the earliest sculptures predating the Licchavi period (A.D.400-800) show their close affinity with the Kushana art of India. The Kushanas were a branch of the Yuet-chin tribe from Central Asia. Kanishaka, the greatest ruler was an ardent patron of Buddhism during the 1st century A.D. It is believed that Kanishaka spread the ideologies of Buddhism and made Buddhism popular in many parts of India.

With popular cults prevalent in those days marks the cultural wealth of our country. Images and relics are the true witnesses that help the study of ancient history and old civilizations. One of the attractions of Nepal is also its historical icons and relics found even to this day.

However, such significant images have been on their way to extinction. For a number of years, these invaluable images have been trafficked indiscriminately. Roughly the figures show that more than five hundred images have been stolen and the number is increasing daily.

Some of the stolen images:

1) Standing Buddha, Chabahil Deopatan, 5th Century A.D., stolen in July 1985

2) Seated Buddha, Kunti-bahi chaitya, Kumbhesvara, Patan, 6th Century A.D., stolen in April, 1985

3) Torso of a Female Divinity, Vatsalesvari, Pashupati, 2nd - 3rd century A.D., stolen in the late 1960s

4) Brahma, Mrigasthali, 12th centuryA.D., stolen in the early 1980s

5) Rama, Rudragadesvara, Pashupati, 10th - 11th century A.D., stolen in July 1985

6) Surya , Saugal, Patan A.D. 1083, stolen in May 16,1985

7) Uma-Mahesvara, Gahiti, Patan, 10th Century A.D., stolen in the mid 1960s

8) Uma-Mahesvara, Chupping-ghat, Bhaktapur, 15th century A.D., stolen in October, 1984

9) Ekamukha Shiva-linga, Rajrajesvari-ghat, Pashupati, 12th century A.D., stolen in January 1985

10) Uma- Mahesvara, Kumbhesvara, Patan, 14th century A.D., stolen in October 1985

11) Garudasana Vishnu, Hyumatol, Kathmandu, 10th century A.D., stolen in the late 1970s

12 Standing Vishnu, Panchadevala Pashupati, 17th century A.D., stolen in June 1985

13) Surya, surya - Kunda, Shikhara Narayana, Pharping 14th Century A.D., stolen in March 1985

14) Nagaraja, Kunti-bahi chaitya, Kumbhesvara, Patan, 14th century A.D., stolen in July 1985

15) Torso of Bodhisatva, Hadigaon 12th century A.D., stolen in late 1984

The above list gives only a brief glimpse of the images stolen.

Lain Sing Bangdel, an eminent artist and archaeologist says that the exact figure has not come to our notice, but that it must be more than this. "It is a matter of great surprise that the images ranging from 12 inches to 60 have been trafficked away". "How come our policemen could not nab them?", he questions.

Sukra Sagar Shrestha, chief Archaeological official, is alarmed and saddened by the trafficking of cultural property that has been hitting the country. He says that the government should implement ‘cultural punishment’ on the traffickers. At the same time, he strongly disagrees with the law introduced to punish the traffickers.

The "Ancient Monuments Preservation Law, 2013 (with Amendments)" in Article 12, ‘ga’ states, "If the archaeological goods are stolen, damaged, or changed , he / she has to pay the amount equal to the worth of the goods with a 50 thousand to 1 lakh fine or 5 years imprisonment or both".

According to Shrestha, the law is not strict enough to discourage the traffickers from changing their profession. There is much flexibility in the law so that any one can escape punishment. "There should be a separate cultural punishment to those traffickers", he suggests.

Traffickers have emerged as the most serious threat to our nation’s cultural assets.

Officials at the Archaeological Department put forward many measures in the past to bring this gnawing problem under control. According to them, they raised public participation with the view to preserve the cultural properties. But it was not totally successful. The public have their doubts. There have been incidents when many have been beaten and given death threats while being forced to disclose the names of the traffickers. So the general public hardly take part as caretakers of those images.

However, UNESCO (United Nations Education Social and Cultural Organization), in coordination with the Nepal Tourism Board and Archaeological department is readying a new programme to preserve the ancient images. According to Himalchuli Gurung, director of UNESCO, picture postcards of those missing images are set to be distributed within and outside Nepal to help the identification and retrieval of the missing images. "We hope we will be able to bring many of our missing images back after we send these cards to foreign countries", she says.

As the figures in the "Curio Test pass Department" shows, the number of stolen images later reported to the police comes below:

1980 to 1991- 857 nos

1992-1993- 28 "

1993-1994- 130

1994-1995-82

1996- 13

1997-74

1998-77

1999-17

1999-2000-12

2000-2001- 26

According to the above records, trafficking of images and icons saw a steep rise during the late 1970s and 80s. The above figures include only the reported cases. There are many images stolen which have not been reported yet.

Not only has the burgeoning problem of the trafficking of cultural property hit Nepal hard, but many other countries also suffer the same problem. They too are seeking seeking measures to curb it.

The figures below show the international trafficking of cultural property:

Niger: 90% of the Bura sites damaged by looting since 1994; Italy: 13000 Apulian vases looted or stolen with no information on their origin; Russia: 89 rare manuscripts with an estimated value of $ 100 million stolen from the Russian National Library in 1996; Iraq: nearly 4000 objects reported to have gone missing following the events in the Gulf in 1991; Peru: 100000 tombs, half of the known sites looted; United Kingdom: $1 billion paid by insurance companies in 1995 for stolen artworks; China: 15000 tombs of the Neolithic Hongshan Culture in Inner Mongolia robbed; France : 5988 thefts reported in 1999; Australia: 1654 thefts of 2074 objects reported in 1998.

The above figures paint a black picture. It is quite stunning to see this flow of stolen cultural property. Given the high rate of smuggling, none of the countries can seriously preserve their ancient civilizations.

Prakash Darnal, an archaeological official stresses on the need to create public awareness for gradual control of this problem. "Until and unless the general public are conscious and participate in saving our cultural property, the government alone cannot do anything", says Darnal.

According to him, the trend of images going missing is still on. An image of Bishnu in Shova Bhagavati, the statue of God Surya in Farping, the statue of Harmika, which have not been reported as yet, still remain missing.

The images are under threat not only from the traffickers’ eagle eye but the growing pollution and lack of preservation are other significant causes that erode the images everyday. A number of images have been waiting for preservation and conservation. Images flanked at the corners of the Kathmandu valley are seen either engulfed by slums or distorted beyond recognition.

Government efforts to preserve the images have not been sufficient. Public participation too is discouraging. It is high time that preservation and conservation techniques were used to save these invaluable images. Otherwise, our invaluable culture and civilization might get eroded forever along with the images.

Simply Ilam

By Pragya Rai

Everybody has heard about it but nobody has really seen it. There isn’t anybody who doesn’t know where it is yet there are only a few who have actually been to that wonderful place called Ilam. As to what I have felt when I say Ilam, well, here I am, ready to take you on a flight of imagination to the land of the five As.

Alu, Amliso, Adua, Alaichi and Aolan which in Nepali stands for potato, broom, ginger, cardamom and milk respectively is said to be what Ilam is famous for. The sixth A if I may add is Aura- an aura of mistiness in which Ilam is always covered. It seems to be shrouded in a veil of mist.

Situated in Eastern Nepal, occupying approximately 1703 sq km, Ilam district falls under the Mechi zone. At the extreme east lies Pashupatinagar, a small village separating us from India. The neighbouring town and the quite famous Darjeeling are a mere forty-five minutes drive away.

As you drive upwards from Barne, you actually appreciate the gradual climb from the Terai to the mountains. The plateaus and the terraces mark your ascent and the terrain unfolds in front of you as you turn back to view the flat plains of the terai and extend your neck to confront the rising mountains.

Populated with almost "char jat ra chattis barna" or the four main castes and thirty-six subcastes, you will meet robust and friendly people. I say robust because the people have an abundant dose of milk and it’s products and friendly because the mountain air keeps the system clean and besides, there is always some good home-made ‘raksi’ (alcohol) to go around. And while you are in Ilam you can smile and say ‘cheese’ because that is what you are going to see all around, cheese and more cheese factories. It is said that the cheese factory in Pashupatinagar is one of the biggest in Asia.

Ilam has an aura of greenness about it as the vegetation consists of a variety of evergreen trees namely uttis, dhupi, katus and pines. However nothing is more pleasing to the eye than seeing rolling hills of tea stretching as far as the eye can see. These plantations of the richly flavoured tea are also what Ilam is famous for. Connoisseurs have expressed much satisfaction about Ilam tea because of the simple fact that the tea bushes are much younger and the pliancy and the flavour have not yet been marred by age, - ‘old is gold’ is not what applies here. A ‘sencha’ or green tea factory with Japanese technology, one of the first of its kind in Nepal is also currently underway.

Agriculture is the mainstay occupation of the Ilamese. As seasons change, so do the vegetables and the flowers. It would be unfair of me not to mention the flowers because it is here that you see the most beautiful orchids blossom and those fragile begunias and merry marigolds. Ilam also offers some rare and exotic herbs boasting of medicinal value and which unfortunately and as would be expected we have not been able to exploit. Ilam, situated at such a great height has of course a weather more on the cooler side. When the sun shines, it is hot for a few months but winters are extremely cold and there have been histories of snowfall in the neighbouring higher villages. After you have acquainted yourself with the ways of Ilam, you can visit all the sites the place has to offer.

A brilliant sunrise awaits you at Antu danda. A solitary mountain, approx. 7637 ft. above sea level, Antu danda is visited by nature loving people to view the sun rise and set. It can be glimpsed as a perfect pink ball gradually glazened by golden hues turning to shiny balls as it rises over this age old mountain. This has helped to name Ilam as ‘the land of sunrises’.

Sandakpur, amidst the Himalayas, situated in the northwest part of Ilam at the Indo-Nepal border is a trekker’s delight. It can be reached by vehicle or for the more adventurous ones, trekking right up to it would be preferable. There, an astounding sight of our national flower, the Rhododendron or Laligurans, will reward you. Sandakpur is the place of origin of the famous Maikhola that runs through Ilam. Not only does it offer you the festivities of spring but some prefer to roll in the snow in winter. So it’s a place for all seasons.

Mai Pokhari, a lake situated 15 km north of Ilam is a place of pilgrimage. A very old temple of the goddess Bhagwati lies beside the lake. Known as the abode of nine gods and goddesses, the lake has nine corners. A heavy blanket of trees surrounds the area. As all ancient places, this place also has a story where it is said that in the age of the good, birds kept watch over this lake. They picked up all the leaves that fell into this pond and kept it beautiful and pristine. But the situation is not the same now. The birds and the government have both stopped caring for this holy place so we can all imagine the state that the place is in. Besides its religious background, the place has sentimental value, for many martyrs were killedat this very place in the agitation of 1961. So you will have a lot of points to ponder beside this pond.

Gajumukhi, situated on the banks of Deumai khola is another place of pilgrimage where devotees come with the hope of being blessed with children. Hanspokhari is, or rather was, a lake famous for its temple of Pathivara devi. Each of these places has to its credit a story or rather folklore, enchanting as the places themselves.

If your thirst for visiting religious shrines has not yet been fulfilled, then Ilam has not yet finished offering its wonders yet. You can see the temple of Panchakanya near the village of Aitabara. No shrines of statues decorate this place, instead you will find rocks surrounded by trishuls in all shapes and sizes but its simplicity outdoes the fervour of its devotees. Deep in a cave lies the shrine of Singha Devi Sthal, which you reach after you traverse a tunnel made of rocks. But sinners should beware- the tunnel is said to squeeze people who are not pure, just a saying though.

There are a couple of places where you can shop around a bit too. Definitely it would be wise not to expect too much glamour here. Pashupatinagar, right at the border with India offers you an assortment of goods ranging from umbrellas to Camay soaps to Nepali chappals (hatti chhap ones). In Ilam bazaar you can buy the famous "bambaisan mithai" which is a sweetmeat made of milk. The wisest thing to buy would be its local speciality, which is cheese and tea.

As to what I personally feel, to feel the biting cold, to sip the freshly brewed tea, to see the green rolling landscape and munch cheese at the same time, to come in touch with the peace within you at the banks of Mai pokhari, you have to visit the place. It is as simple as that.

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