Nepal has reinstalled a 13th-century Buddha statue in its original Kathmandu temple, decades after it was stolen in the 1980s. Returned from New York in 2022, the idol was carried back in a palanquin Friday to traditional music, coinciding with the Buddha Jayanti festival.

“Our god is coming back,” said 67-year-old temple-goer Sunkesari Shakya, recalling the community’s devastation after the theft. A replica worshipped in its absence was moved elsewhere.

The statue had surfaced at Tibet House US, a New York cultural center, gifted by an unknown monk. Visiting U.S. envoy Sergio Gor attended the ceremony, stating, “We are trying to right a wrong from the past.” Nepal, home to 30 million deeply religious people, has seen several artifacts returned from foreign museums recently, restoring both cultural heritage and spiritual life to its temples.