Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten (right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) view historical artifacts returned to India by Leiden University before a meeting with business and government officials in The Hague, Netherlands, Saturday, May 16, 2026. | Photo credit: AP
The Chola-era tablets, currently held by Leiden University in the Netherlands, have been returned to India. The plaques were unveiled on Saturday (May 16, 2026) during a formal ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten in The Hague. Later they will be officially transferred to India.
The plates, also known as the Anaimangalam plates, were lost about 300 years ago and are said to have been in the possession of the university since 1862. They are considered important sources of royal charters in South India and provide valuable historical information on the relationship between the Chola and Srivijaya empires. The plates together weigh around 30 kg.
The deed is in two parts — one in Sanskrit and the other in Tamil — and 21 copper plates are held together by a massive bronze ring bearing the royal seal of Rajendra Chola. The inscriptions deal with the genealogy of the Chola dynasty and the reign of King Rajaraja I (985–1014 AD), father of Rajendra Chola I (1012–1044 AD). The charter records that 26 villages surrounding Anaimangalam were donated for a Buddhist shrine (vihara), known as Chulamanivarmavihara, built by the Malay king Srivijaya at Nagapattinam, a port city on the Coromandel coast.
In the summer of 2023, the Indian government submitted a request to Leiden University to return the plates. Investigations found that the plates were probably excavated by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Nagapattinam between 1687 and 1700 and removed from India without the consent of the rightful owners. The Colonial Collections Committee concluded that the removal amounted to an involuntary loss of property and recommended their unconditional return to India. Leiden University accepted the recommendation.
“We have been campaigning for the return of two sets of Chola copper plates housed in the Leiden University Library in the Netherlands for more than a decade,” said S. Vijay Kumar, cultural enthusiast and co-founder of India Pride. “In June 2018, I had the opportunity to see the boards in person. It was a deeply moving experience. I had been reading about them, writing and arguing for their return for years. But standing in front of the boards was something else,” he said.
He said the Leiden records of provenance leave several questions unanswered. “The records state that the documents were brought from India to the Netherlands, but the circumstances of their removal remain unclear. The provenance note says that both documents were brought to the Netherlands by Florentius Camper, a minister of faith in Batavia in the early 18th century. However, it does not explain how he obtained them, from whom, under what authority or with whose consent,” he said.
The plates will be handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi. ASI, which comes under the Union Ministry of Culture, will decide whether and where the items will be exhibited in India.
“The record is important not only for Chola history, but also for the history of the connection with the Indian Ocean. It shows a Tamil Saiva imperial court supporting a Buddhist institution linked to the royal family of Southeast Asia. It is evidence of religious coexistence, maritime diplomacy and cultural exchange in the 11th century. Therefore, the plates cannot be understood only as antiquities,” added Mr. maritimemarempire a.
‘Joyful Moment’
Reacting to the return of the Anaimangalam plates in a social media post later in the day, Mr. Modi called it a “joyous moment for every Indian” and thanked the Dutch government and Leiden University.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – 16 May 2026 23:14 IST
