Britain's prestigious Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze statue of a saint stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu to India.
A statement issued by the University's Ashmolean Museum said that on March 11, 2024, the Council of Oxford University supported the Indian High Commission's claim to return the 16th-century bronze statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. The decision will now be sent to the Charity Commission for approval.
The 60 cm high statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford from Sotheby's auction house in 1967 from the collection of a collector named Dr. J.R. Belmont (1886-1981).
The museum says that in November last year, an independent researcher informed it about the origin of this ancient statue, after which it informed the Indian High Commission about it.
The Indian government has made a formal request for the bronze statue, which is believed to have been stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu and ended up in a UK museum through auction.
The museum, which houses some of the world's most famous art and archeological artifacts, says it acquired the statue in 1967 in "good faith".
There have been several instances of Indian artifacts stolen from the UK being restored to India, the most recent being in August last year when a limestone carved statue from Andhra Pradesh and a 17th-century "Navaneet Krishna" bronze statue from Tamil Nadu were handed over to the Indian High Commissioner in the UK following a joint investigation by Scotland Yard's art and antiquities unit.
After waving the flag in the Delhi Assembly elections, now the exercise of selecting a new Chief
Gautam Buddha Nagar is now being recognized internationally in the field of education as well. Ev
An attempt was made to attack External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in London. A Khalistan suppo
India defeated the West Indies to advance to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. The defending
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Monday said that the government is giving top priority to sa
Why did Donald Trump say, 'We could destroy the world 150 times'?
US President Donald Trump has made a sensational statement. In an interview, he said that the wor
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has played a big gamble by announcing his resignation. By announci
Preparations for action against Pakistan? NSA Ajit Doval met PM Modi for the second time in 24 hours
Tensions between India and Pakistan continue after the attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Mea
The US imposed tariffs on India last year for buying oil from Venezuela. Now, the US is once agai
After the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) released the admit cards for private studen
