Nearly 40 years later, the stolen god of Patko Tole makes a historic and triumphant return by Ashish Dhakal (published December 4, 2021) A huge crowd gathered around the two-tiered temple of Laxmi-Narayan in Patko Tole on this historic day as the sounds of jhyalijhyamta filled the air. 70-year-old Chandraprava Shakya, standing next to the temple with a huge smile on her face, said: “Laxmi-Narayan travelled to America, but he missed being home.” On Saturday, the 800-year-old stele of Laxmi-Narayan, stolen in 1984, was finally reinstated to its original plinth. At 11, the Patan Museum courtyard was packed to the walls as devotees…

12th-century Laxmi-Narayan stolen in 1984 was repatriated by the Government of Nepal on the 15th of April 2021.

The 600-year-old gilded figures stolen from Patan 40 years ago was being auctioned at Bonhams, NHRC was able to stop the auction within 24 hours.