Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the repatriation of the 11th-century Chola Copper Plates to India from the Netherlands, calling it a joyous moment for every Indian. The historic artefacts were formally returned during a ceremony held in the presence of Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, according to reports from Thursday and Friday.
The copper plates, also known as the Leiden Plates or Anaimangalam Copper Plates, are a set of 21 large plates and three small plates that largely contain texts in Tamil. They are linked to Rajendra Chola I and document the formalisation of an earlier commitment made by his father, Rajaraja Chola I. Reports said the plates date to the reign of Rajaraja Chola I, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE, and are among the most important surviving records of the Chola dynasty.
Modi said the plates highlight the greatness of the Cholas and reflect India’s cultural and maritime heritage. He also thanked the government of the Netherlands and Leiden University, where the plates had been kept since the mid-19th century. The artefacts were transferred to the Netherlands during the colonial period and remained in the Leiden collection for more than a century.
The repatriation follows years of diplomatic engagement between India, the Dutch government and Leiden University. Reports said the breakthrough was helped by the Netherlands’ restitution policy for colonial-era artefacts and provenance research that supported India’s claim. The return is being seen as part of a broader global effort to send cultural property back to its country of origin.
The plates are not only historically important but also significant for Tamil heritage and South Indian political history. They record land and tax grants associated with Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam, and are widely regarded as a key source on the Chola period. For India, their return marks another high-profile recovery of heritage material kept abroad for generations.