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.
'Modi ji you fight... we are with you', Muslim women came out in support of the Waqf Amendment Bill.
Today, the government will introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the Lok Sabha. Some are in f
Some schools in Delhi have received bomb threats this morning. Schools in South Delhi and North W
On the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the stampede incident on the Sang
'India-Italy friendship is deep...', what else did Meloni say after meeting PM Modi?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Canada. Yesterday he participated in the G-7 summit
Women of Delhi will not have to do much for Rs 2500 every month. Delhi's nominated Chief Minister
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma created a new history during the India-Pakistan match on
Serial pager blasts in several cities of Lebanon have created a sensation. 20 people died in the
This year, many star kids made their debut on the big screen, but their films neither earned mone
Mumbai Indians faced Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 Qualifier-2. In this match, Punjab Kings defeated M
The most awaited teaser of Sonu Sood's film 'Fateh' has finally been released. The teaser of the
