The Netherlands handed back 11 century Chola dynasty copper plates to India on Saturday in an event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday after his quick tour of the UAE. This is the second leg of his five-nation tour. The prime minister has described the occasion as "a joyous moment for every Indian".
India has been pursuing the return of these Anaimangalam Copper Plates, which are known as the Leiden Plates in the Netherlands, since 2012.
"A joyous moment for every Indian! Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands," Modi said in a social media post after attending the restitution ceremony.
Modi described the Anaimangalam Copper Plates as a set of 21 large plates and three small plates containing texts largely in Tamil and relating to 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," Modi said.
Modi also thanked the government of the Netherlands for his gesture, along with the Leiden University, where they plates were kept since the middle of the 19th century.
Randhir Jaiswal, the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, said in a post on X that these plates highlight the legacy of the Chola dynasty.
"The return of Chola-era Copper Plates is yet another step in the homecoming of Indian cultural artefacts from abroad," Jaiswal said.
In a press release issued by the EAM, it was revealed that Rob Jetten, the PM of Netherlands, was also present at the restitution ceremony.
"Chola Copper Plates, a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates, are royal charters issued by Chola Kings during the 11th century CE. These charters formalise gifting of Anaimangalam village to a Buddha vihara called Chulamanivarma-vihara in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. The Plates contain texts written in Tamil and Sanskrit." the press release mentioned.
"The restitution of these Chola copper plates assumes significance since they are not merely artefacts of the past, but an invaluable story of India’s heritage and civilization. The home-coming of these plates has a deep emotional appeal for the people of India," it also said.
Key things to know about the plates
These copper plates are considered some of the most significant artefacts belonging to the Chola dynasty and important depictions of Tamil heritage being which were being held anywhere outside the country.
The weight of these plates is around 30 kg and they are bound together by a bronze ring which bears the seal of the Chola dynasty.
There are two sections of the plates: one has text written in Sanskrit while the other has text written in Tamil.
Rajaraja Chola I was a Hindu emperor but he did provide endowments to a Buddhist monastery.
The original verbal order was given by Rajaraja Chola I himself, and was recorded on palm leaves. However, it was his son, Rajendra Chola I, who had the amount of the grant etched on durable copper plates in order to preserve the same. The bronze ring which binds the plates bears the seal of Rajendra Chola.
How did these plates reach the Netherlands?
The plates were taken to the Netherlands close to 300 years ago, in the 1700s, by a certain Florentius Camper, a pastor from Batavia. He was in India as part of a Christian missionary in the period when Nagapattinam, the city mentioned in the plates, was under Dutch control.
The 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Return and Restitution found that India's claim as the nation of origin for the plates was valid.
"...the Chola Plates were most likely excavated during the construction of Fort Vijf Sinnen and the redevelopment of the site at the ‘Chinese’ Pagoda in Nagapattinam by the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) between 1687 and 1700. At the time, Nagappattinam was a city in South India that had been captured by the VOC. It was subsequently used as a trading post and formed part of the colonial trade network of the VOC. The VOC exercised territorial authority in and around Nagapattinam," the Leiden University mentions in its website.
