Netherlands Returns 11th-Century Chola Copper Plates to India at Ceremony with PM Modi; Full List of Artefacts Repatriated Since 2014
India has reclaimed a set of historic 11th-century copper plates belonging to the Chola dynasty from the Netherlands. The handover took place at a formal ceremony on Saturday, May 16, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. Reacting on X, Modi called it a “joyous moment for every Indian.”
How the plates ended up in the Netherlands
The 11th-century Chola artefacts made their way to Leiden University in the Netherlands around 1700 CE through Florentius Camper, a Christian missionary who was present in India when the city of Nagapattinam in present-day Tamil Nadu was under Dutch control. There is no clarity on the legality of how Camper obtained the 21 plates. They were eventually found in the Asian section of Leiden University.
What are the Chola Copper Plates?
The Chola Plates are a set of 21 copper plates from the 11th century, belonging to the Chola dynasty. Weighing approximately 30 kg, the plates are bound together by a bronze ring bearing the royal seal of Rajendra Chola I. The inscriptions, written in both Sanskrit and Tamil, date to the reigns of Rajaraja Chola I and his son Rajendra Chola I. The plates trace the genealogy of the Chola dynasty, opening with praises of the Hindu god Vishnu to establish the legitimacy of the ruling family from Thanjavur.
Why they matter
The Sanskrit inscription documents the Chola genealogy. The Tamil section records Rajaraja’s grant of revenue from villages near Anaimangalam to support a Buddhist vihara, or monastery, in the port city of Nagapattinam a monastery built by the Malay king of Srivijaya. The plates were referenced in Kalki Krishnamurthy’s historical novel Ponniyin Selvan.
The Chola Plates are considered rare primary evidence of the Chola Empire’s golden age, a period during which the dynasty controlled much of South India and Sri Lanka while conducting naval expeditions across Southeast Asia. They document the dynasty’s administrative sophistication, maritime reach, and patronage of religion, literature, and the arts a legacy also reflected in monuments such as the Brihadeeswara Temple. Inscribed on copper at the initiative of Rajendra Chola I to preserve his father’s royal order, the records remain an important symbol of Tamil heritage and civilisation.
How India secured the return
Efforts to repatriate the plates began in 2012. In October 2023, India formally requested their inclusion in the agenda of the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Properties to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP). The ICPRCP found merit in India’s claim and in November 2023 urged the Netherlands to begin the return process. Backed by UNESCO, the process resulted in a bilateral agreement between India and the Netherlands, with the plates scheduled for return during Modi’s visit to the country.
Major artefacts returned to India since 2014
Over the past 12 years, more than 1,400 trafficked antiquities have been returned to India from the United States alone, alongside recoveries from Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands.
2014: The “Parrot Lady” sculpture was repatriated from Canada.
2021: The idol of Goddess Annapurna was returned from Canada and reinstalled in Uttar Pradesh. The “Nandikesa” bronze figurine was repatriated from the United States.
2022: Australia returned 29 historic antiquities, including Shiva and Shakti sculptures, sandstone carvings, bronze idols, and paintings dating from the 9th to 19th centuries.
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2024: The United States returned 297 antiquities to India in one of the largest single-batch restitutions on record.
2025–2026: The United States systematically returned 657 stolen artefacts valued at nearly $14 million across multiple phases.
May 2026: The Smithsonian Institution repatriated three significant temple bronzes from Tamil Nadu a 10th-century Chola-era Shiva Nataraja bronze, a 12th-century Somaskanda bronze depicting Shiva and Uma, and a 16th-century Saint Sundarar with Paravai bronze.