Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze sculpture of Hindu poet and saint Tirumankai Alvar to India, after it was allegedly looted from a temple. This decision comes as part of a growing trend of repatriation of stolen artifacts by foreign governments and Indigenous peoples.
India Pride Project co-founder, Vijay Kumar, expressed joy at the upcoming return of the sculpture, stating that long-awaited justice is being served after delays due to COVID and bureaucratic red tape. The planned repatriation reflects a global movement to reclaim cultural heritage taken during colonial times.
Oxford’s agreement to return the bronze figure follows a similar decision made two years ago to hand back nearly 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria. However, the process is pending approval from the Charity Commission, which will assess the impact on the museum’s charitable mission.
The Ashmolean Museum, where the sculpture currently resides, discovered archival evidence linking the bronze to a temple in Tamil Nadu, leading to the decision to return the item. The museum admitted uncertainty about how the collector had acquired the artifact.
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