The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford returned the 16th-century statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar to the Indian High Commission on March 3. But do you know why Oxford decided to return it? In 2019, a French scholar alerted the University of Oxford Museum and pointed out that a photograph of the statue was taken in the temple in 1957.

India was historically referred to as Sone ki Chidiya (golden bird) until the British ruled the country. They came to set up a company, which we usually call the British East India Company, but what seemed to be business soon turned into rule. The era of slavery began, and during that time, numerous precious items were taken from the country, including a 16th-century bronze statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar.

However, in a significant step towards restoring cultural heritage, the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford has returned a 500-year-old bronze statue believed to have been taken from a temple in Tamil Nadu. The decision follows growing global efforts to repatriate artefacts that were removed from their places of origin during colonial times or through illicit trade.

Why did Oxford return the idol?

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford returned the 16th-century statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar to the Indian High Commission on March 3. But do you know why Oxford decided to return it? In 2019, a French scholar alerted the University of Oxford Museum and pointed out that a photograph of the statue was taken in the temple in 1957.