Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:04am on 10 Jun 2024,Monday India Global
Oxford University will repatriate a 500-year-old bronze statue of Tirumankai Alvar, a revered Tamil poet-saint, to India. The nearly 60 cm-tall idol, looted from a South Indian temple during British colonial rule, was housed at the Ashmolean Museum. The Indian High Commission's claim was supported by Oxford’s council on March 11, 2024, and awaits Charity Commission approval. This move aligns with a broader effort to address colonial-era artifacts' repatriation, following the universities' precedent set by the return of the Benin Bronzes. The Ashmolean Museum stated it is committed to ethical stewardship of cultural heritage.
