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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday welcomed the repatriation of the 11-century Chola-era copper plates (Anaimanglam plates) from the Netherlands to India after more than 300 years and shared that it has brought immense joy and pride in India and the Tamil community across the world.
In the 135th edition of his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' on Sunday, PM Modi recalled how, in a special ceremony held in the Netherlands, the ancient copper plates from the Chola era were returned to India. The Prime Minister of the Netherlands was also present at that event. "I have been receiving continuous messages from within the country and abroad regarding these copper plates. People are expressing joy and pride. There is also special enthusiasm about this in the Tamil communities around the world", he said. PM Modi said the Chol-era plates repatriated to India include 21 large and three small copper plates. The plates record the permanent land and revenue grant of the Anaimangalam village near Nagapattinam for the upkeep of the Buddhist Vihara, Chudamani Vihara, built by the ruler of Srivijaya, Sri Mara Vijayottungavarman, with permission from the Chola king, Rajaraja Chola. Rajaraja had issued the order verbally, and his son, Rajendra Chola, had the order formally engraved on copper plates so that the grant would have permanent legal and royal authority. The copper plates also describe the achievements of the Chola dynasty. PM Modi highlighted how the plates reflect the strong maritime strength of the Chola dynasty. "They also provide information about their relations with the Southeast Asian countries", PM Modi added. Prime Minister expressed great pride in the rich history and culture of the Chola empire. In his 'Mann Ki Baat' address, PM Modi underlined how the government is continuously working towards the preservation of such invaluable elements of India. Earlier in May, India secured a monumental diplomatic and cultural victory with the successful repatriation of the historic 11th-century 'Chola Plates' from the Netherlands. The invaluable artefacts were officially handed back at a high-profile ceremony in the presence of Narendra Modi and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, underscoring New Delhi's growing global success in reclaiming stolen heritage from foreign lands. During the event, PM Modi also conveyed his sincere gratitude to the Government of the Netherlands, offering special appreciation to Leiden University, where the exceptional copper plates had been carefully preserved since the middle of the 19th century. New Delhi had been relentlessly pursuing the return of these ancient inscriptions, widely known in the Netherlands as the Leiden Plates and in India as the Anaimangalam Copper Plates, since 2012. Weighing roughly 30 kilograms, the 21 copper plates are bound together by a massive bronze ring that carries the official royal seal of the Chola empire, representing one of the most vital surviving records of the dynasty outside Indian shores. The inscriptions provide a fascinating glimpse into the secular ideals of ancient Indian statecraft, with the texts meticulously divided into two separate sections, featuring accounts in both Sanskrit and Tamil. They chronicle the governance of Rajaraja Chola I, a devout Hindu emperor who sanctioned revenue endowments to sustain a Buddhist monastery. The genesis of the permanent record reflects a generational transition. While King Rajaraja Chola I originally issued the verbal decree, which was first captured on fragile palm leaves, it was his son, Rajendra Chola I, who orchestrated the engraving of the grant details onto durable copper plates to ensure they would withstand the test of time, securing them with a bronze ring bearing his own royal seal. The journey of these plates to Europe began back in the 1700s when they were taken to the Netherlands by Florentius Camper, a Christian missionary who was stationed in India during a historical window when Nagapattinam, the coastal town explicitly referenced in the inscriptions, was under Dutch colonial control. The definitive breakthrough for their return materialised during the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Return and Restitution, which formally verified that India's claim as the authentic nation of origin was legally and historically valid. The committee subsequently urged the Dutch administration to enter into constructive bilateral negotiations with New Delhi, culminating in the historic decision by the Netherlands to return the priceless heritage during PM Modi's official state visit. (ANI)
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