Netherlands returns Chola-era artefacts, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Netherlands returned 11th-century Chola-era copper plates to India on Saturday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.
• The plates, consisting of 21 large and 3 small plates, contain texts mainly in Tamil and some in Sanskrit.
• The artefacts were likely excavated in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam between 1687 and 1700 and brought to the Netherlands in 1712.
• The Ministry of Culture had requested the return of these artefacts from the Netherlands in 2023.

Detailed Insights:

• The return of the Chola plates marks a significant step in India's efforts to retrieve artefacts that were taken during colonial times.
• The decision to return the plates was based on a provenance investigation and the advice of the Colonial Collections Committee of the Netherlands.
• The plates record important agreements related to the rights of a Buddhist shrine and monasteries in Nagapattinam to village revenue.
• The plates were likely excavated by the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) during construction and redevelopment activities in Nagapattinam.
• The Colonial Collections Committee concluded that the removal of the Chola Plates was without the consent of the rights holders, constituting an involuntary loss of possession.
• The plates were donated to Leiden University in 1862 by descendants of the Camper-Kettinghs, who likely brought them to the Netherlands in 1712.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi will determine the future exhibition of the plates to the public.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Provenance: The history of ownership of an object, used to determine its authenticity and rightful ownership.
• Restitution: The act of returning something to its rightful owner or compensating for loss or damage.
• Colonial Plunder: Artefacts and treasures taken from colonized countries during the colonial era.