18th-Century Stolen Ganesha Stone Image Found in London

An 18th-century stone image of Lord Ganesha, stolen in the 1980s from Hanumanghat, Bhaktapur, has been located in the private collection of John Eskenazi in London, UK. This stone image, once an integral part of the largest Shivalinga shrine established by King Bhupatindra Malla Deva in 1712 CE, is now on the path to repatriation thanks to the efforts of the ‘Lost Arts of Nepal’ organization.

The discovery is credited to the tireless work of art researcher Lainsingh Wangdel, who extensively documented Ganesha idols in his 1995 publication titled ‘Inventory of Stone Sculptures of the Kathmandu Valley.’ This work provided a crucial pictorial description that aided in the identification of the stolen artifact.

Interestingly, the stolen Ganesha image was captured in its original location through photographs taken by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1963 CE. These photographs were later published by art scholar Ulrich Von Schroeder in his book “Nepalese Stone Sculptures, Volume-1, Hindu,” specifically featured as Plate No. 211 C.

The historical significance of this find was further emphasized as a gallery photograph of the Ganesha stone image was included in the Exhibition Catalogue of “Asian Art in London,” which took place from November 9th to 20th in 1999.