
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.
The third match of the five-match Test series between India and England will be played at Lord's
The former Tamil Nadu Congress chief has made a controversial statement about Kangana Ranaut. He
Rains before the arrival of monsoon in the national capital have brought relief from the scorchin
Tom Cruise is currently in the limelight among the Indian audience with his film 'Mission Impossi
Some videos of Salman Khan are viral on social media, in which he attended a Ganpati festival wit
In the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian team defeated South Africa by 7 runs. Wi
Preparations have started to challenge the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Supreme Court. After Tamil
Today is the last working day of the first phase of the current budget session of Parliament. Dur
IC-814 series row: Ministry tells Netflix to keep religious sentiments in mind
Introduction
"We stand for each other...," an Arunachal woman harassed in China replies to trollers
Pema Wang Thongdok, a woman from Arunachal Pradesh who faced harassment in China, has now targete