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.
In response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, the Indian Army took military action
Once again a Hindu temple has been targeted in Canada. Anti-India slogans have been written on a
Maddock Films' horror universe films 'Stree' and 'Stree 2' have been huge hits. Now the next film
After a 26-month-long hearing in the Vanantara Resort case, on Friday, the court of Additional Di
The issue of providing additional water to Delhi does not seem to be resolved. After the Supreme
When legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Babar Azam were setting new benchmarks in T20 cr
In the 20th match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are facing off against the Mumba
Amidst the ongoing tensions in West Asia, a major development has now emerged regarding the Strai
There is no harm to the common Muslims from the Waqf Amendment Act, rather it will be beneficial.
Rakhi Sawant: Amidst Diljit Dosanjh controversy, Rakhi Sawant praised Aamir Khan, users got angry
While Diljit Dosanjh is being criticized for casting Pakistani actress Hania Amir in the Punjabi
