Netherlands returns 11th Century ‘Chola Plates’, PM Modi says ‘joyous moment for every Indian’

New Delhi: India has finally succeeded in recovering the ‘Chola plates’, considered among the most significant surviving records of the dynasty, and the Netherlands on Saturday formally recovered the asset in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rob Zetten, marking another success of the Modi government in recovering foreign rights.“A joyous moment for every Indian! Chola copper plates dating back to 11th century will be sent back to India from the Netherlands. The same was attended by Prime Minister Rob Jetten,” Prime Minister Modi X said in a post.“The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates and contain texts mostly in Tamil, one of the most beautiful languages ​​in the world. They relate to the formality of the oral promise of the great Rajendra Chola I to his father, Raja Raja Raja I. They also show the greatness of the Cholas. We in India are very proud of the Cholas, their culture and their maritime skills,” added the Prime Minister.He thanked the government of the Netherlands and particularly the University of Leiden, where the copper plates had been kept since the mid-19th century.The recovery marks the end of a 14-year-long effort since 2012 to bring them back. Of the 668 antiquities returned to India so far from different countries, 655 came back after the Modi government took over in 2014.The return of the Anaimangalam copper plates, known as the Leiden plates in the Netherlands, will add to this list. These plate records are among the most important relics of Tamil heritage preserved anywhere outside India. The plats record important agreements regarding the rights of a Buddhist temple and several monasteries in Nagapattinam for the revenue of villages.The reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I (985–1014 CE), considered one of the greatest rulers in Indian history, consists of 21 copper plates in one object, weighing about 30 kilograms. The plates are divided into two parts: a Sanskrit and a Tamil. Another object being recovered consists of three copper plates with Tamil inscriptions. Both are bound by bronze rings bearing the royal seal of the Chola dynasty.According to sources, India’s efforts to bring back the Chola plates gained decisive momentum on October 30, 2023, when India’s ambassador and permanent representative to UNESCO formally requested the inclusion of the Chola dynasty copper plates in the agenda of the 24th session of the Intergovernmental C for Intergovernmental Reconstruction. (ICPRCP) of States of Origin or Reinstatement in Case of Illegal Allotment.The 24th Session of the ICPRCP found that India’s claim as a country of origin was valid. As of November 2023, the UNESCO committee encouraged the Netherlands to engage in constructive bilateral discussions with India on the return of the plates which eventually culminated in an agreement to hand over the plates during Prime Minister Modi’s visit.The plates were brought to the Netherlands around 1712 by Florentius Camper, who was in India as part of a Christian missionary during the time Nagapattinam was under Dutch control. The plates were eventually donated to Leiden University in 1862 and have been housed in its library ever since.According to officials, the specific legal and personal circumstances that Camper took the plates from India are not fully documented.