Another priceless piece of heritage was handed back to India last week. The 11th-century Anaimangalam copper plates, with the Chola tiger emblem depicted on the seal, are on way home from the Netherlands. The Union government likes to point out that it has brought back more than 650 artefacts since 2014, compared to just 13 till that year. While that is true, it is not due to any new law to replace the toothless Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, or a dedicated culture squad. Much of the credit goes to heritage enthusiasts and groups like India Pride Project, who identified antiquities such as the ones stolen by the Subhash Kapoor gang and relentlessly pursued the matter with officials at home and abroad. Also in play is a changing attitude in Western countries towards colonial-era loot.
However, a lot more needs to be done. After all, the loot has continued in independent India. This newspaper has reported how even renowned scholars have aided the illicit antiquities trade. The oft-cited Unesco figure of 50,000 artefacts stolen from India till 1989 is a conservative estimate, as is the reported total of 58 lakh antiquities in the country. Even this has not been properly catalogued, with a Parliamentary Standing Committee pointing out in 2023 that only around 30 percent have been documented. Without documentation and an image archive that can stand scrutiny in court, the country cannot even attempt to reclaim its stolen heritage.
Another problem is that most artefacts in possession of our museums—even at the better-resourced National Museum in New Delhi—lie in storage without being displayed. That fate should not befall the copper plates. Once back, they should be properly displayed, perhaps at the erstwhile Chola capital of Gangaikonda Cholapuram. We must note that state museums in even some of India’s more prosperous parts are starved of resources. For example, the one in Telangana receives only around ₹10,000 per quarter for maintenance, and even that is often delayed.
The return of the Anaimangalam plates should re-energise our efforts for restitution, including that of the older Velvikudi copper plates of the Pandyas. It should also prompt greater attention towards preserving what we have. If we continue to treat our heritage poorly, we can hardly expect others to do better.
