Leiden University to return Chola Plates to India
The Chola Plates, currently in the possession of Leiden University, will be returned to India. This has been decided by the Executive Board. The restitution of this heritage follows the advice of the (national) Colonial Collections Committee.
The Chola Plates – historical objects originating from India held by University Libraries Leiden (UBL) – will be presented on 16 May during a formal ceremony in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Jetten in The Hague, and will be officially transferred to India at a later occasion.
The Chola Plates
In the summer of 2023, the Indian government submitted a request to Leiden University to return the Chola Plates (object numbers Or.1687 and Or.1688), which are the property of the university and are held by the UBL.
The copper Chola Plates originate from India and record important agreements about the right of a Buddhist shrine and a number of monasteries in Nagapattinam in India to the revenue of villages. One object (Or.1687) comprises 21 copper plates held together by a bronze ring bearing the seal of King Rājendra Chola I, who reigned in the 11th century. Five plates contain Sanskrit inscriptions, and the remaining 16 plates contain inscriptions in Tamil. The other object (Or. 1688) comprises three copper plates also held together by a bronze ring – this time bearing the seal of King Kulōttunga Chola I (who reigned from 1070 to 1120) – and containing Tamil inscriptions.
Important sources
The Chola Plates, which have been in the possession of Leiden University since 1862, are important sources of royal charters in South India. They also provide historical information about the relationship between the Chola and Srivijaya Empires, and have a combined weight of 30 kilos. The plates are available at the university library for academic research and teaching, and have been made available by the UBL for exhibitions.
Provenance investigation
Following India’s request in 2023 for the return of the Chola Plates, the university commissioned an independent provenance investigation by experts. It also sought advice from the Colonial Collections Committee, which conducted an additional investigation, while taking the results of earlier research into account.
The national advisory committee on the return of cultural objects from the colonial context (i.e. the Colonial Collections Committee) was established by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and advises on requests for the return of cultural artefacts taken during the colonial era.
By entrusting the committee with this task, the university committed to the outcome of the investigation. In its advisory report, issued to Leiden University at the end of 2025, the committee concluded that the Chola Plates should be returned to India.
Colonial Collections Committee advice
The provenance investigation demonstrated that the Chola Plates were most likely excavated during the construction of Fort Vijf Sinnen and the redevelopment of the site at the ‘Chinese’ Pagoda in Nagapattinam by the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) between 1687 and 1700. At the time, Nagappattinam was a city in South India that had been captured by the VOC. It was subsequently used as a trading post and formed part of the colonial trade network of the VOC. The VOC exercised territorial authority in and around Nagapattinam.
The committee has determined that the Chola Plates left the area without the consent of the owners or rights holders at the time. The Chola Plates were carefully buried in the ground, most likely to protect them during a period of upheaval.
The committee considers it likely that the objects were subsequently brought to the Netherlands in 1712 by the Camper-Kettinghs – Florentius Camper was a pastor in Batavia. The exact circumstances under which the couple acquired the Chola Plates are uncertain. Their descendants donated the objects to Leiden University in 1862, where a relative, Hendrik Arent Hamaker, had been Professor of Eastern Languages until 1835.
The committee has concluded that the removal of the objects from Nagapattinam in South India without the consent of the rights holders constitutes an involuntary loss of possession. It therefore advises the university to unconditionally return both sets of Chola Plates to India.
On behalf of Leiden University, the UBL has consulted with the Indian Government about the timing (and manner) of the return. The official transfer of the Chola Plates to India will take place on a date after 16 May.
Great historical value
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Board, its president, Luc Sels, said: ‘We requested the Colonial Collections Committee’s investigation, and respect its advice to return the objects. We will therefore fully cooperate with the return of the Chola Plates. We recognise that these objects are of great historical value to India, and that is one of the reasons why they should return there.’
UBL director Kurt De Belder added: ‘The Chola Plates are quite unique in our collection. The UBL has held both objects for the past 160 years, making them accessible for research and teaching, as well as to an international audience through exhibitions, publications and digital access. It is good that they will now return to India. We also consider it important that the objects and their associated metadata remain accessible, so that future research can continue. We are happy to support this.’
The Archaeological Survey India
The Chola Plates will go to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi. The ASI functions under the Indian Ministry of Culture as the chief institution for archaeological research and preservation in the country. The ASI will decide whether, and if so, where the objects will be exhibited to the public in India.
Metadata and documentation
Together with the Chola Plates, the UBL will also provide the accompanying metadata and documentation, including archive materials and correspondence, to India. It has also been agreed that the UBL may continue to use and make available the digital version of the objects for research and teaching purposes.
Policy on contested heritage
The UBL has maintained a policy concerning the return of contested heritage for several years and cooperates constructively when such requests arise. In doing so, it adheres as closely as possible to the national policy framework.