Speakers: Sanjay Adhikari and Shreena Nepal

“We’ve searched for months, but no one remembers the exact place of origin of the
the Buddha of Yetkha tole” said Ganapati Lal Shrestha, with heavy voice and with
exhaustion. The team of activist had searched Yetkha Tole’s alleys, chasing whispers
and faded memories, only to hit dead ends. Beside him, Birendra Bahadur Malla, a
lifelong Jhocchen resident, murmured “Bhagwan Sharanam” – “We always sought
God’s refuge. Now God seeks refuge from us.” The irony hit with an almost unbearable
force deep in the heart. The Buddha, stolen from Yetkha Tole in 1986 and later
repatriated, now sits in the National Museum – a refugee in his homeland.

This paper explores this paradox of dispossessed divinity. Research in wards 19 and 23
reveals a disturbing pattern: not only looted deities but also sacred Baha and Bahi
architecture – traditional Kwapadya (deity) dwellings – have been privatized, sometimes
even sold to non-Newas. Gods now reside as refugees in their former sovereign
domains, dependent on new owners’ mercy, where devotees once sought blessings.

The implications are profound. When Bhagwan becomes refugee, what happens to the
faith of the devotees? We examine Newa civilization’s eroded spiritual sovereignty
through:
(1) cultural looting that museumized gods;
(2) urbanization fracturing sacred geography; and
(3) legal systems failing living heritage.

Superficially, traditions persist – jatras process through streets, Lakhe and Pulukishi
dance, nakhtya and bhojs continue. But deeper inspection reveals an alarming reality: a
living heritage nearing extinction. The civilization anchoring community now faces
threat in its homeland. Kwapadyas, Baha/Bahi residents for generations, dwell as
tenants in privatized spaces. Without action, we risk losing not just artifacts but a
civilization’s soul. When gods become refugees in their own homes, how long before
the devotees grow distant and become strangers?

Yet hope persists in solutions from the civilization itself, transformed through modern
legal frameworks.

Keywords: rule by law, rule of law, sacred displacement, cultural heritage, Newa
civilization, spiritual sovereignty, urban transformation, deity repatriation, heritage law,
indigenous

Sanjay Adhikari is an activist advocate, having specialization in Heritage Crime.

Shreena Nepal is a law student researching to decode legal gaps in heritage protection.