DOLPA, June 24: Half dozens of Buddha statues have been stolen from Thasong Choling Stupa in She-phoksundo rural municipality of Rigmo village, Dolpa.
As Sankhe Lama of the stupa and other locals of the Rigmo village had gone for collecting the Yarsagumba, a medicinal herb, eight statues of Lord Buddha were missing, said Ang Bahadur Lama, a local of the Rigmo village.
Among the stolen statues, one is one and half feet tall and rest others are comparatively small.
Numerous stolen artifacts await return to Nepal as repatriation...
On last Thursday, the door of the stupa was vandalized and statues were stolen, said Padam Bahadur Budha, a local of the Rigmo village.
Budha further added that, ‘it was alright when we came to take necessary items on Wednesday. People returning from collecting Yarsagumba might have stolen the statues on Thursday.’
The stupa is located near the She-phoksundo lake and it is under the responsibility of Sankhe Lama, chair of Rigmo village and Lotai Lama. However, District Police Office Dolpa has informed that it has not received any written complaints about the stolen statues, DSP Hari Prasad Sharma said.
DSP Sharma added that, Police has done best possible ways to provide strict security for the protection of the statues. Locals have been complaining about the stolen statues which were preserved for past hundred years.
Upper Dolpa mostly faces this problem during the season of Yarshagumba.
