Prime Minister Narendra Modi was today presented with the historic 11th-century Chola Copper Plates by authorities of Leiden University during his official visit to the Netherlands. The return of the priceless artefacts marks a landmark moment in India-Netherlands cultural cooperation and heritage restitution.
The return of 11th-century Anaimangalam copper plates, significant Chola dynasty records, to India is after over a century abroad. These inscriptions, dating from Emperor Rajaraja Chola I's reign, highlight South India-Southeast Asia maritime ties and religious pluralism. Taken during Dutch colonial rule, the plates have been housed at Leiden University. The return follows diplomatic efforts and a 2022 Netherlands restitution policy, marking a key cultural restitution and symbolizing renewed India-Netherlands cooperation.
The repatriation of the Chola-period copper inscriptions, also known as the Leiden Plates, will follow years of diplomatic engagement between India, the Dutch government and Leiden University, where the artefacts had remained for more than a century.
Known in the Netherlands as the Leiden Plates, the inscriptions date back to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I between 985 and 1014 CE and are regarded as among the most important pieces of Tamil heritage preserved outside India. The copper plates document grants of land revenues and taxes to the Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam built by Sri Mara Vijayotunga Varman, the ruler of the Srivijaya kingdom in present-day Indonesia.
Scholars also point to broader cultural links between India and Southeast Asia during the period, noting that renowned Buddhist scholar Dipankara Srijana, or Atisa, travelled to Indonesia, while Chinese pilgrims heading to Nalanda Mahavihara often stopped there en route to India.
Known as the Leiden Copper Plates, the royal charters had been preserved for over a century at the University’s Asian Library. The collection consists of 21 large and three small copper plates bound by a bronze ring bearing the seal of Chola king Rajendra Chola I. Five plates contain inscriptions in Sanskrit, while sixteen are inscribed in Tamil. Another set of plates, carrying the seal of Kulottunga Chola I, also contains Tamil inscriptions.
The copper plates are regarded as one of the most valuable records of the Chola Empire, detailing its administration, taxation, land reforms, irrigation systems, and trade practices. The inscriptions also highlight the dynasty’s religious harmony, recording the grant of Anaimangalam village for a Buddhist vihara established by the Srivijaya rulers of Southeast Asia. Historians believe the plates provide rare evidence of strong maritime, diplomatic, and cultural links between South and Southeast Asia nearly a thousand years ago.
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