Oxford University to Return Stolen 500-Year-Old Bronze Idol to India

Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze idol of Saint Tirumankai Alvar to India. Following a claim by the Indian High Commission and approval from its council, the university's Ashmolean Museum is set to submit this decision to the Charity Commission for final approval.

Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum has decided to return a 500-year-old bronze idol to India, after acknowledging it may have been stolen from a Tamil Nadu temple. The statue, a representation of Saint Tirumankai Alvar, was acquired in 1967 from Sotheby's auction house.

On March 11, 2024, the university council supported the claim by the Indian High Commission, requesting the statue's return. This recommendation will undergo review by the Charity Commission. The idol's origins were flagged by an independent researcher last November, prompting the call for repatriation.

This is part of a broader trend of returning stolen Indian artifacts; last August, the UK returned other historical objects, including a relief sculpture from Andhra Pradesh and a 17th-century bronze of Navaneetha Krishna.