The toran stolen from the Kumari house (Kumari Chhen) in Basantapur in 2056 BS has been brought back from the UK and kept in the Kumari house after 26 years. The toran stolen from Nepal was found in the Barakat Gallery (Museum) in London, UK. The same toran was returned to Nepal and kept in the National Museum in Chhauni, Kathmandu, for the past two years.

Youth heritage activist Ganapati Lal Shrestha said that the restoration of the toran has brought great joy to the community. ‘This is a very proud moment. It is a joy for all of us to be able to find and restore the Kumari Chhenma after so many years of being lost,’ he said. ‘This has also given us the courage to bring back and restore our other lost heritage.’ Shrestha said that the toran kept in the National Museum was successfully restored after completing various processes. ‘We had various stages of discussions to bring the toran from the museum,’ he said. ‘After discussing with the Kumari Ghar, Guthi Sanstha, ward, security agencies and finally the Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, we were able to bring (restore) the toran to Kumari Ghar in a month.’ He also said that various agencies have made important contributions to the restoration of the toran. He said that heritages brought from different countries should be restored. He said, ‘The aim is not just to bring them to Nepal from different countries and keep them in museums. It is necessary to restore them in coordination with the security agencies.’

He says that we should all work together to protect the heritages. ‘We are acting as if we are locking up the stone inscriptions left by our ancestors and our gods in cages and prisons,’ he said. ‘It would be great if we could make it heritage-friendly, protect the existing heritages and restore the heritages that have returned from abroad. Our aim is to hand over our heritages to the next generation.’

Similarly, Ward Chairman of Kathmandu-23, Macharaja Maharjan, said that the successful restoration of the toran, which was initiated by various bodies, has given great happiness to the community. He said, "We are very satisfied to have the structure built by our ancestors, as well as an important part of the Kumari Devi Bhavan, back and installed in the same place." Maharjan also said that the Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and heritage enthusiasts have been very supportive and helpful in this work.

It was decided to restore the toran to the Kumari house on Friday as per the decision of the entire body in a meeting chaired by Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Similarly, the toran was taken from the museum to the Kumari house on a doli with musical instruments and rituals.

After various bodies complained that the toran stolen from Nepal had been returned from the museum for a few years, it was decided to restore the toran to the Kumari house in coordination with Deputy Mayor Dangol. The metropolis has said that everyone should work together to protect heritage sites of historical importance. The metropolis has also stated that the concerned bodies should support heritage sites that are under legal process in various countries and that they should be vigilant as they may be lost again after being brought back.

How was the lost Toran brought back to Nepal from the UK?

There are photos of Nepal's heritage from a certain period. Sanjay Adhikari, an advocate and secretary of the Nepal Heritage Restoration Campaign, said that the Toran was brought back from the UK after it was seen in some published photos during the investigation. 'The source of the item was not found and it was taken illegally, so the Barakat Museum returned it to Nepal diplomatically and voluntarily,' he said, 'The Nepali Embassy in the UK came to Nepal in coordination with the Department of Archaeology.'