Netherlands Returns Chola Copper Plates to India

The Netherlands returned the 11th-century Anaimangalam copper plates to India on 15 May 2026. The artefacts are also known as the Leiden Plates and belong to the period of the Chola dynasty in South India.

Anaimangalam Copper Plates

The Anaimangalam copper plates date to the reign of Rajaraja Chola I, who ruled from 985 CE to 1014 CE. The plates record land grants and tax arrangements for Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery at Nagapattinam in present-day Tamil Nadu.

Leiden Plates and Provenance

The plates were kept at Leiden University in the Netherlands for more than a century. Dutch official Florentius Camper acquired them during the 18th century on the Coromandel Coast, which formed part of the Dutch colonial sphere in India.

Physical Features and Historical Value

The set contains 21 large and three small copper plates. The plates weigh nearly 30 kilograms and are bound by a copper ring carrying the royal Chola seal.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Chola dynasty ruled large parts of South India between the 9th and 13th centuries CE.
• Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Copper-plate inscriptions were used in ancient India for recording royal grants, tax exemptions, and land donations.
• The Netherlands finalised a restitution policy in 2022 for colonial-era artefacts.

Restitution and Cultural Property

The return of the plates followed diplomatic engagement between India, the Dutch government, and Leiden University. The repatriation concerns colonial-era cultural property and museum-held inscriptions from South Asia.