The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has completed the repatriation of a rare black basalt stele depicting the deity Khasarpana Lokesvara to the Indian government. The artifact, a masterpiece of the 12th-century Pala Dynasty, was identified as having been illegally removed from a temple in Bihar during the mid-20th century. The return was facilitated by the Antiquities Coalition after new provenance research confirmed the statue's origin.
The stele is noted for its intricate iconography, showing the bodhisattva in a graceful posture surrounded by miniature celestial beings. Indian officials stated that the piece will be permanently housed in the Bihar State Museum, where it will serve as a focal point for researchers studying the transition between late Buddhist and early Hindu art in Eastern India. This move marks the MFA's latest commitment to ethical stewardship and the restitution of colonial-era and smuggled heritage.