Heritage Diplomacy: A Strategic Imperative

Last month in June, Lalitpur played host to a critical global summit, the International Conference on the Recovery of Cultural Heritage. Experts from across Asia, Europe, and North America laid bare the truths of illicit trade, the dim networks that fuel it, and the systemic failings that allow our heritage to transfuse across borders.

This was a gathering brimming with urgent stories of loss and the desperate fight for reclamation. Yet, even as this vital conversation resonated through Nepal’s capital, a striking absence emanated from our own leadership. Not a single minister or parliamentarian graced the halls. Beyond a handful of dedicated Department of Archaeology (DoA) officials, state representatives were conspicuously missing. This disconnect was stark, a vivid symbol of a nation seemingly disengaged from its own heritage hemorrhage.

Despite this, a well-attended panel on heritage diplomacy offered a crucial spark. Speakers, including Mike Harker from the US Embassy, Jaco du Toit from UNESCO, and former Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, powerfully articulated that heritage isn’t merely about preservation; it’s a potent, strategic tool in foreign relations, indispensable for asserting Nepal’s cultural sovereignty and forging vital international partnerships.

While nations like Cambodia, India, Vietnam, and Syria bravely confronted their governments’ roles in heritage loss, detailing reforms underway, Nepal’s silence was not just notable – it was a testament to deeper, unaddressed wounds. The conference illuminated a haunting truth: though Nepal was never conquered by force, it remains “colonised in thought.”

For decades, the intrinsic worth of our Devi-Devta, Buddhas-Boddhisattvas, and other sacred statuaries has been tragically measured by foreign approval, not by their soul-deep significance to us. A venerable sculpture, a delicate painting, a shrine – they only truly gain prominence when wrenched from their context and displayed in museums abroad, or when their beauty is validated by a foreign gaze or currency. This insidious reliance on external validation is not just hindering; it is actively crippling Nepal’s full ownership and celebration of its own local heritage.

A Call for Dignity and Strategy

Heritage recovery isn’t only about retrieving ancient artefacts; it’s an act of reclaiming our dignity, and the authorship of our own narratives. Initiatives like Lost Arts of Nepal have revealed stolen statuaries from the Kathmandu Valley. But across the mid-hills, Tarai, and highlands, vast swathes of heritage remain undocumented and vulnerable. While expanding documentation and recovery efforts to Mustang and Dolpo is a promising start, pockets of community-led conservation are emerging in places like Panauti demonstrating immense potential.

The irony cuts deep: much of the foundational documentation now crucial to our repatriation efforts was, paradoxically, compiled by foreign scholars. Their invaluable work, though seen through an external lens, now serves as a critical mirror, forcing us to confront the fragmentation of our past and empowering us to finally begin piecing together our dispersed history.

The Department of Archaeology (DoA) is undeniably committed, yet they are stretched impossibly thin. Dedicated civil servants like Saubhagya Pradhananga and Sarita Subedi toil diligently within a system that starves them of adequate funding and prioritisation. Budgets, alarmingly, often barely cover salaries, leaving little for crucial research, documentation, or repatriation efforts.

It has been 52 years since the devastating 1973 fire at Singha Durbar, and the DoA still lacks a permanent home, sharing space with the National Archives. This absence of dedicated infrastructure painfully highlights the struggles our heritage institutions face in securing the fundamental support they need. It’s a clear call to prioritise and strengthen the very foundations of heritage preservation, and crucially, to extend that priority far beyond the well-resourced Durbar Squares of the Kathmandu Valley and Mount Everest, which now attract significant attention. Our focus must broaden to the entire nation.

Heritage as Unseen Capital

In Nepal, philanthropy for heritage is tragically scant, revealing a deep identity crisis. We lack a collective imagination for cultural giving, channelling charity elsewhere while heritage is dismissed as mere ornamentation, not a dynamic asset. This extends even to our cherished Devi-Devtas, often viewed solely as static artefacts.

Yet, fundamentally, our own ancient texts – the Vedas and Upanishads – teach the impermanence of forms, that old must make way for new. This deep philosophical understanding, however, does not equate to neglect or abandonment, nor does it justify illicit trade; it implies a continuous, living relationship where creation and renewal are paramount. This philosophy inherently champions living heritage, where physical structures and cultural practices are inseparable.

Heritage, far from being an ancient relic, is capital. It is a living economy. Preserved old towns and traditional architecture offer smart solutions for modern urban planning. If integrated wisely, heritage can become the backbone of future national development, driving the growth of both tangible and intangible aspects to create a truly successful living heritage. We must begin to view it as a dynamic asset, not a financial liability.

This vision can empower endangered crafts, foster jobs in heritage education, and transform spiritual traditions into cultural capital. Restoration projects and sculpture-making can offer skilled livelihoods. Language revitalisation, too often overlooked, is integral to this living heritage, and artisans, long neglected, could find renewed purpose. This vital shift demands a serious policy rethinking and robust private sector engagement.

Heritage Diplomacy: A Strategic Imperative

Heritage also offers Nepal a valuable diplomatic resource. Across Asia and beyond, cultural heritage has become a powerful tool of soft power, enabling countries to build alliances and assert their identities on the global stage. Nepal’s statuaries symbolise national sovereignty, and their repatriation carries profound diplomatic significance. To fully realise this potential, Nepal must invest in rigorous research, constant documentation, and strong legal frameworks that support effective heritage diplomacy.

Since 1986, Nepal has successfully repatriated 198 statuaries from countries including the US, UK, Italy, India, Austria, Belgium, and others.

Simraungadh in Nepal’s Madhesh Province—once the capital of the ancient Mithila Kingdom and now straddling the Nepal-India border—holds deep cultural ties with Bihar. This significant archaeological site offers a unique opportunity for joint heritage efforts. Yet it suffers from neglect, including illicit digging, theft, and unplanned development. Its sensitive location demands capacity building, diplomatic engagement. Nepal must initiate a bilateral heritage management plan with India to protect such cross-border sites and transform shared history into collaboration, not a potential conflict.

Prioritising Our Past for Our Future

Political continuity remains a significant hurdle. Since 2019, Nepal has seen nine different ministers in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. The current minister, Badri Pandey, leads a portfolio too often viewed as secondary. This constant turnover makes long-term policy planning difficult and slows vital progress.

Beyond ministerial merry-go-rounds, the weary refrain of “paisa chaina”—there’s no money—often paralyses action. But this begs a critical question: K ko lagi paisa cha?—What, then, is there money for? Nepal has allocated funds for grand infrastructure and tourism campaigns like Visit Nepal 2020, yet heritage preservation budgets remain woefully constrained. This is less about finances and more about prioritisation. What Nepal urgently needs is a long-term, cross-sectoral National Heritage Strategy. This cannot be confined to the Ministry of Culture alone. It demands committed coordination from the Ministry of Finance, Urban Development, and crucially, Foreign Affairs, ensuring heritage is woven into every fabric of national planning, transcending political cycles.

Nepal’s national archives and museums face similar struggles. The National Museum, tightly controlled and lacking autonomy, struggles to innovate. The original Sugauli Treaty, a foundational document, is missing, with no formal audit conducted. These institutional failures are not anomalies—they are symptoms of a systemic crisis. And we cannot ignore our intangible heritage. Many of Nepal’s languages are on the brink of extinction. Rituals, festivals, oral traditions—all are vanishing. While the UNESCO list of Nepali intangible heritage remains sparse, a fundamental first step is a nationwide, comprehensive inventory of both tangible and intangible heritage, driven by data collection and community engagement.

Without knowing what we have, how can we protect, value, or leverage it? Without adequate funding and institutional support, these are at grave risk. Nepal deeply cherishes its heritage and often mourns losses: Old Kathmandu, damaged temples, and fading jatras. The 2015 earthquake briefly renewed attention, but years later, many restoration projects remain incomplete or mismanaged. Preservation is about more than structures; it’s about safeguarding the stories and context that bring them to life.

Nepal must move beyond nostalgia. Heritage isn’t just decorative — it is a political, spiritual, and historical force that shapes our identity. The public’s voice must reach the highest levels of government. If the burden of preserving our culture continues to fall mainly on international donors and scattered volunteers, then we risk becoming the architects of our own erasure — brick by brick, sale by sale, silence by silence.