Historic Homecoming: 11th Century Chola Copper Plates Handed Over to PM Modi by Netherlands

Netherlands Government to Handover 11th Century Chola Copper Plates to PM Narendra Modi 
In a moving gesture of goodwill, the government of Netherlands has handed over priceless ancient artifacts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to reports, Netherland returned a set of 21 Anaimangalam copper plates which dates back to the 11th century.

What are the Anaimangalam Copper Plates?
The Anaimangalam Copper plates consist of a set of twenty-one large and three small plates detailing historical grants. The larger plates record the renowned Chola King Rajaraja I's contributions to a Buddhist vihara in the port town of Nagappattinam, Tamil Nadu, which was constructed by Chulamanivarman, a ruler of the Southeast Asian Sailendra dynasty whose domain spanned Malaya, Java, and Sumatra. 
Chronologically, these plates also highlight a linguistic shift in administrative terminology: while the larger plates employ the term ‘ulgu’ to denote customs duties, the smaller plates transition to ‘sunkam’. This change is attributed to Kulothunga Chola, a presumed descendant of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty, who favored ‘sunkam’ due to its widespread prevalence across the Deccan region at the time, leading it to ultimately replace the older term.

The priceless artifact that has been Netherland’s Leiden University for over 300 years will finally return home with PM Modi.
The historic handover was the culmination of prolonged diplomatic negotiations and repatriation efforts initiated by the Indian government.
Upon their much-anticipated arrival to India, the plates would be examined and processed by the Archaeological Survey of India and be housed in a secure location that is yet to be announced.

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