The Return of Lakshmi-Narayan

This Divine Repatriation Story is Available in a New Book.

Photo Credit: ZUMA Press/Alamy.com

This compelling story about the theft of an 800-year-old Lakshmi-Narayan sacred statue from a temple shrine in Nepal has all the makings of a mystery novel. Except it is true.

Excited to begin the year with the publication of a new book, based on a heritage story I have been tracking for several years. “THE RETURN OF LAKSHMI-NARAYAN: A Divine Repatriation Story” is available here.

Lakshmi-Narayan refers to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, a divine couple in the Hindu tradition. They are worshipped around the world. They are beloved for all the ways they help humanity. For centuries, they held a place of honor in a small temple in Patan, Nepal. They blessed the community in the form of a religious statue, or stele, known as “Vaikuntha Kamalaja.”

Suddenly, the statue disappeared. The community of devotees was devastated. And Nepal lost yet another cherished part of their heritage.

This holy icon was on an almost fifty-year journey away from its religious community and culture of origin after a shadowy removal of the statue in the dead of night in 1984. It ultimately ended up at the Dallas Museum. However, it was brought home through a dramatic rescue and was returned to its original sacred place and spiritual community in a much-publicized repatriation from a United States museum in 2021.

*The Return of Lakshmi-Narayan* recounts the historic timeline and the efforts to find, identify, and get the statue back that were assisted by doggedly determined heritage activists who are trying to restore sacred statues to their country. These efforts to reverse the work of thieves also involved governments, the FBI, journalists, historians and art experts, spiritual leaders, and members of the community.

This began as a master’s thesis research paper and then an online exhibit. It is the reporting and recording of history of so many others that helped me piece the story together. This small book offers insight into how historians can honor the spiritual heritage of artifacts as it tells of the history and provenance of this unique statue.

Photo Credit: ZUMA Press/Alamy.com

There were pujas to set it free and pujas to welcome it home. It was finally restored to the people of Nepal with great celebration in 2021.

Note: The people of Nepal use the spelling Laxmi-Narayan or Laxmi-Narayana. Names and spellings vary around the world. For the purpose of consistency the Lakshmi-Narayan is used unless their name appears in a direct quote.

Photo credit: Images licensed from Alamy.

Cover image: We had to use a more traditional image of Lakshmi and Vishnu on the cover due to copyright restrictions but I was able to include images within the book to help tell the story.

Order: *The Return of Lakshmi-Narayan: A Divine Repatriation Story*