Netherlands returns Chola-era copper plates to India on May 17, 2026

Key facts

• The Netherlands returned the Chola-era copper plates, also known as the Leiden Plates or Anaimangalam copper plates, to India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.
• The artifacts consist of two sets: 21 copper plates (origin 1687) bearing the seal of King Rajendra Chola I and three copper plates (origin 1688) bearing the seal of King Kulottunga Chola I.
• The plates were taken from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, by the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) between 1687 and 1700 and were donated to Leiden University in 1862.
• The restitution followed a 2023 request by the Ministry of Culture and a 2025-end advisory report from the Colonial Collections Committee of the Netherlands.
• The copper plates, which record agreements regarding a Buddhist shrine and monasteries in Nagapattinam, will be handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi.