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.
Instagram influencer Sharmistha Panoli's lawyer filed a petition in the Apipur court on Monday. H
The first meeting of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) was concluded recently. In this meeting,
This was Sunita Williams' first reaction after returning to Earth, NASA released the video.
Astronaut Sunita Williams has returned to Earth. After spending 9 months and 14 days in space, Su
India has a large audience for Hollywood superhero films. Japanese anime series and films also ha
These players will not go to Dubai with Team India for the Asia Cup 2025 BCCI took a surprising step
All the teams have geared up for the Asia Cup starting next month in the United Arab Emirates. Te
The case of the cancellation of security clearance of Turkiye's company Celebi Airport Services b
Following instructions from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Delhi F
Indian cricket team star batsman Virat Kohli shared a surprising post on social media ahead of th
Actor Pawan Kalyan, who has proved his acting prowess in the cinema world for years, has started
Ganpati Bappa Morya: 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' resonates everywhere. PM Modi wishes Ganesh Chaturthi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted everyone on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. I
