500-Year-Old Bronze Statue To Be Returned To India From UK
Date
6/27/2024 2:01:20 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Mahmoud Elmazaty
|
The Peninsula Online
Doha, Qatar: A 500-year-old bronze sculpture of the Indian saint Tirumankai Alvar will be returned to India from the United Kingdom, Oxford University has announced.
The decision to return follows a successful claim by the Indian High Commission, which argued that the sculpture was originally stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu, India.
Standing approximately 60cm tall, this 16th-century artifact had been on display at Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum.
A statement issued by Ashmolean Museum said:“On 11 March 2024 the council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian high commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval.”
The sculpture was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum from Sotheby's auction house in 1967.
Tirumankai Alvar, the figure depicted in the sculpture, is revered as the last of the 12 Alvar saints of South India.
These saints are celebrated for their dedication to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
Tirumankai Alvar is particularly noted for his scholarly contributions and is regarded as the foremost among the Alvars in his verse composition.
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