Under PM Narendra Modi Ji’s (@narendramodi ) leadership, India has witnessed an unprecedented recovery of its stolen civilisational heritage. 🇮🇳
▪️ 640+ antiquities and sacred artefacts brought back to Bharat since 2014
▪️ Returned in just 10–11 years, compared to only 13 antiquities between 1947–2014
▪️ Artefacts recovered from countries including the USA, Australia, UK, Singapore, Canada and the Netherlands
▪️ Includes Chola-era copper plates, Nataraja idols, bronze sculptures, temple idols, manuscripts and dynastic treasures
▪️ The United States alone returned 578+ artefacts to India in recent years
Major Antiquities & Heritage Returns to India
▪️ July 2014 — Australia returned the sacred Sripuranthan Nataraja idol, a priceless Chola-era bronze stolen from Tamil Nadu
▪️ November 2014 — USA returned 61 Indian antiquities, including ancient bronze idols and temple artefacts
▪️ September 2015 — USA handed over 19 stolen antiquities linked to South Indian temple heritage
▪️ January 2016 — USA returned an important bronze Devi idol stolen from Tamil Nadu temples
▪️ November 2016 — India received 111 antiquities from the United States, then one of the largest returns in history
▪️ April 2017 — Singapore returned multiple Indian artefacts, including sculptures and manuscripts
▪️ December 2018 — UK returned a rare 13th-century stone sculpture belonging to India’s temple heritage
▪️ July 2019 — USA handed over 68 antiquities, including Chola bronzes and ancient sculptures
▪️ January 2020 — Australia returned 17 Indian cultural artefacts
▪️ October 2020 — USA returned a massive 157 stolen antiquities to India
▪️ December 2021 — USA repatriated 23 more antiquities, including bronze idols and coins
▪️ July 2022 — USA returned 70 artefacts, including manuscripts, statues and sacred objects
▪️ March 2023 — Netherlands returned several Indian sculptures and heritage artefacts
▪️ July 2023 — USA handed over another 50 stolen antiquities during PM Modi’s visit
▪️ January 2024 — USA returned 29 more artefacts linked to India’s ancient heritage
▪️ May 2024 / 2026 diplomatic process highlighted — Netherlands returned the historic 11th-century Chola copper plates (Leiden Plates) connected to Rajendra Chola’s era
▪️ One of the world’s largest heritage repatriation efforts undertaken by any nation
Between 1947 and 2014, under successive Congress-led governments, only 13 stolen antiquities were brought back to India — but since PM Narendra Modi took office in 2014, more than 640 civilisational artefacts have been repatriated, exposing decades of neglect towards Bharat’s cultural heritage by Congress!
#WATCH | India marks a historic moment as the 11th-century Chola Copper Plates are restituted from the Leiden University Library to the Government of India in the presence of Prime Minister @narendramodi and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Rob Jetten.
The Chola Copper Plates, a set of 21 large and 3 smaller plates, are royal charters issued in the 11th century CE recording the grant of Anaimangalam village to the Chulamanivarma-vihara in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.
The inscriptions are in Tamil and Sanskrit. Preserved for over a century at Leiden University’s Asian Library, these artefacts are among the most significant records of the Chola Empire, reflecting its administration, taxation systems, land grants, and maritime connections.
The restitution marks a landmark in India–Netherlands cultural cooperation and the return of a vital part of India’s civilisational heritage.
@MEAIndia@PMOIndia@narendramodi@IndinNederlands@MinOfCultureGoI@MIB_India@PIB_India
#PMModi #IndiaNetherlands #PMModiInNetherlands
@sanghaviharsh A person with awareness for the true responsibility will not wait for publicity only but act as it's without selfishness and सम्वेदनशीलता
https://t.co/x4tQU6lG7g
War is indeed a man-made act of destruction.
It does not merely take away the elders, but also robs future generations of the accumulated knowledge, art, and experience of past generations.
@johnhussainpres
(These are some images of more than 250-year-old creation on the ceiling of a mosque in Iran. It was entirely crafted by the human mind and hands at a time when no machines or tools existed. Many of these marvels may not remain with us in the future.)