Oxford University to return 16th-century bronze sculpture of Hindu saint Tirumankai Alvar to India

Oxford University is set to return a 500-year-old sculpture of Tirumankai Alvar Hindu saint to its home country- India, reported The Guardian. The Indian High Commission raised a claim for the sculpture of the South Indian Tamil poet and saint to ensure its return to its place of origin.

The bronze statue is believed to have been looted from an Indian temple. The 16th-century sculpture of the Hindu saint stands 60 cm tall and has been on display at Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum.

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“On 11 March 2024 the council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian high commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval,” The Guardian cited statement issued for Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum.

This development comes after King Charles’s coronation which was held last year in May. During the event, Queen Consort Camilla sported Queen Mary’s crown without the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is among one of the largest cut diamonds in the world.

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In 1849, the Koh-i-noor diamond was seized by the East India Company in Punjab following triumph in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was then presented to Queen Victoria and has remained a part of the crown jewels ever since. The diamond was last set in the ‘Crown of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother’ and used in the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth. Currently, the Koh-i-noor diamond is on public display at the Tower of London in the Jewel House.

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Since 1947, the Indian government has claimed to be the rightful owner of the diamond following independence from British rule. At the same time, the governments of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan also claimed ownership of the gem, demanding its return.

The governments of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan have also claimed ownership of the gem and have demanded its return since India gained independence from the British empire in 1947.

However, the British government rejected these claims and insisted that the diamond was legally obtained under the terms of the Last Treaty of Lahore. It is noteworthythat the Archaeological Survey of India, in 2018, said that the diamond was surrendered to the British and “it (the diamond) was neither stolen nor forcibly taken away” in the Supreme Court.