Leiden University to Return Chola Plates to India

Why this is here: The Chola Plates contain inscriptions in both Sanskrit and Tamil, offering historical insight into royal decrees and relations between the Chola and Srivijaya empires.

Leiden University in the Netherlands will return the Chola Plates to India following advice from the National Commission for Colonial Collections. The university received a request for the plates’ return in the summer of 2023. These copper plates, dating from the 11th and 12th centuries, record agreements regarding land revenue for Buddhist shrines in Nagapattinam, India.

Independent research confirms the plates likely originated from a site excavated by the Dutch East India Company between 1687 and 1700. The commission determined the plates left India without the consent of their owners, constituting involuntary loss of possession. The objects—weighing roughly thirty kilograms total—were donated to the university in 1862 by descendants of Florentius Camper, a Dutch clergyman.

The plates will be transferred to The Archaeological Survey of India in New Delhi. Leiden University will also provide accompanying metadata and documentation.

While the physical objects return to India, the university retains digital access for research and education. The precise timing of the official transfer follows May 16th, during a ceremony with Indian and Dutch leaders in The Hague.