NEW DELHI: India has successfully secured the return of the 'Chola Plates', considered among the most significant surviving records of the Chola dynasty, as the Netherlands formally restituted the artefacts at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Saturday. This marks another achievement for the Modi government in recovering stolen artefacts from foreign jurisdictions.
PM Modi's Remarks on the Repatriation
"A joyous moment for every Indian! Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands. Took part in the ceremony for the same in the presence of Prime Minister Rob Jetten," PM Modi said in a post on X.
"The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates and largely contain texts in Tamil, one of the most beautiful languages of the world. They relate to the great Rajendra Chola I formalising an oral commitment made by his father, King Rajaraja I. They also showcase the greatness of the Cholas. We in India are immensely proud of the Cholas, their culture and their maritime prowess," the PM added.
He also thanked the Government of the Netherlands and Leiden University in particular, where the Copper Plates had been kept since the mid-19th century.
Details of the Chola Copper Plates
The restitution culminates a 14-year-long effort to retrieve them since 2012. Of the 668 antiquities repatriated to India from various countries so far, 655 have returned after the Modi government took charge in 2014. The return of the Anaimangalam Copper Plates, known in the Netherlands as the Leiden Plates, will further build on this list. These plates are among the most important artefacts of Tamil heritage held outside India, recording agreements about the rights of a Buddhist shrine and monasteries in Nagapattinam to revenue from villages.
Dating to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I (985–1014 CE), one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, one object comprises 21 copper plates weighing approximately 30 kilograms. The plates are divided into two sections: one in Sanskrit and one in Tamil. The other object being restituted consists of three copper plates containing Tamil inscriptions. Both are bound together by bronze rings bearing the royal seal of the Chola dynasty.
Efforts Leading to the Restitution
According to sources, India’s efforts to secure the Chola Plates gained decisive momentum on October 30, 2023, when the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO formally requested the inclusion of the Chola Dynasty Copper Plates in the agenda of the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP).
The 24th session of the ICPRCP found that India’s claim as the nation of origin was valid. As of November 2023, the UNESCO committee encouraged the Netherlands to engage in constructive bilateral dialogue with India regarding the return of the plates, finally culminating in the agreement to hand them over during PM Modi’s visit.
Historical Background
The plates were brought to the Netherlands around 1712 by Florentius Camper, who was in India as part of a Christian missionary mission when Nagapattinam was under Dutch control. They were eventually donated to Leiden University in 1862 and have been housed in its Library since then. According to officials, the precise legal and personal circumstances under which Camper obtained the plates from India are not fully documented.
