For decades, the Himalayan monastery of Pangboche was home to two of the most famous alleged Yeti relics: a mummified hand and a skullcap. To locals, these sacred objects carried spiritual significance, said to have been taken from a Yeti by the revered Lama Sangwa Dorje. To outsiders, they became the centerpiece of one of the strangest cryptid controversies of the 20th century.

In the 1950s, explorer Peter Byrne examined the Pangboche Hand and, in a moment of opportunism, removed one of its fingers. With the help of Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart, the finger was smuggled out of Nepal, hidden in Stewart’s wife’s lingerie case to avoid customs inspection. The relic eventually made its way to London’s Royal College of Surgeons, where scientists conducted tests.

The results? The finger was human, not from a cryptid or unknown species. Despite this, the story of Stewart’s involvement gave the relic a surreal blend of Hollywood glamour and Himalayan mystery.

Alongside the hand, monks displayed a supposed Yeti skullcap. Scientific analysis revealed it was crafted from goat skin stretched over a frame, not an undiscovered primate. Likely, it was a ritual object that gained legendary status through oral tradition.

The original Pangboche Hand was stolen in the early 1990s, depriving the monastery of its most famous relic. Years later, adventurer Mike Allsop delivered a replica hand, created by the same team behind The Lord of the Rings props, as a gesture of respect to the community.

Were the relics “fakes”? Not exactly. The hand was human, and the skullcap was a crafted artifact, but both were revered by the monastery and became powerful symbols of Himalayan folklore. Their journey from sacred objects to international curiosities shows how myth, faith, and Western fascination can intertwine, creating legends that endure even after science offers its verdict.