Oxford University to repatriate 500-year-old Hindu saint sculpture to India
- Oxford University plans to return a 16th-century bronze sculpture of a Hindu saint to India.
- The sculpture is believed to have been looted by British colonial forces in 1897.
- Approval from the Charity Commission is pending for the repatriation to New Delhi.
Oxford University is returning a 500-year-old bronze sculpture of Hindu saint Tirumankai Alvar to India after a claim was made through the Indian High Commission. The sculpture, believed to have been looted from an Indian temple, has been on display at the university's Ashmolean Museum. The decision to return the sculpture is pending approval from the Charity Commission. This move follows a trend of universities considering repatriation requests, such as the potential return of Benin Bronzes by Oxford and Cambridge universities to Nigeria. Additionally, there have been ongoing disputes over cultural artifacts like the Elgin Marbles and the Koh-i-noor diamond, with various countries claiming ownership and seeking their return. India recently transferred gold reserves from the UK to domestic vaults, marking a significant move in its financial strategy. The repatriation of the Tirumankai Alvar sculpture is part of a broader conversation around the restitution of cultural heritage and addressing historical injustices related to colonial acquisitions of artifacts.