The Netherlands on Saturday formally returned a set of 11th-century Chola dynasty copper plates to India in a restitution ceremony in The Hague attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The handover was described by officials as an important gesture underscoring strengthened ties between the two countries.
India has pursued the return of the Anaimangalam copper plates—referred to in the Netherlands as the Leiden Plates—since 2012. The collection comprises 21 copper plates, weighing roughly 30 kilograms in total, bound by a bronze ring that bears the royal Chola seal. Scholars regard these plates as among the most significant surviving records of the Chola dynasty and as important artefacts of Tamil heritage held outside India.
The plates are split into two sections, with inscriptions in Sanskrit and in Tamil. They record a grant originating in the reign of Rajaraja Chola I; while Rajaraja issued the original order verbally and it was first noted on palm leaves, his son Rajendra Chola I later had the grant inscribed on copper to preserve it, and the bronze ring carries Rajendra’s seal.
Historical records show the plates were taken to the Netherlands in the 1700s by Florentius Camper, who was in India as part of a Christian missionary presence when Nagapattinam—the city mentioned in the inscriptions—was under Dutch control.
At the 24th session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Return and Restitution, experts found India’s claim as the nation of origin to be valid and urged constructive bilateral dialogue. Following that recommendation, the Netherlands agreed to return the plates and scheduled the handover to coincide with Prime Minister Modi’s visit.
Modi had arrived in the Netherlands on Friday, after a brief stopover in the UAE, as the second leg of a five-nation European tour that also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy. Indian and Dutch officials said the restitution ceremony reflects ongoing cooperation on cultural repatriation as well as broader diplomatic engagement.
