Fourteen kilometres east of Kathmandu, the capital, is Bhaktapur, 'the city of devotees' that is like an enormous open air museum. The city features thousands of religious art objects, not just in Hindu temples and Buddhist shrines, but also in public squares, scattered along the streets and narrow lanes, or on the facades and in niches of private homes. But while they delight tourists, these treasures also attract dealers who see them as sources of income in a lucrative Asian Art market. "Looting and illicit trafficking have stripped this area of some of its most important art works and monuments. Sacred gods, worshipped and valued by generations of Nepalese, should not lie in glass cases in the West," says Aidan Warlow, Programme Director for the Kathmandu University Department of Art and Design.
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