Oxford University in the UK has consented to repatriate a 500-year-old bronze statue of a saint, thought to have been illicitly taken from a Tamil Nadu temple, back to India.

The UK’s prestigious Oxford University has agreed to return a 500-year-old bronze idol of a saint believed to be stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu to India.

“On March 11, 2024, the University of Oxford’s Council backed the Indian High Commission’s request for the repatriation of a 16th-century bronze statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. The university’s Ashmolean Museum announced that this resolution is now awaiting the Charity Commission’s approval.”

3.6 crore Indians visited in a single day, making us the premier platform for India’s General Election Results. Discover the latest updates here! The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford acquired the 60cm-tall statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from Sotheby’s auction house in 1967, which was part of the collection of Dr. J.R. Belmont (1886-1981).

The museum was notified about the provenance of the ancient statue by an independent researcher in November of the previous year, which led to the Indian High Commission being informed.

The Indian government made a formal request for the bronze idol believed to be stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu and found its way to a UK museum through auction.

The museum, which holds some of the world’s most famous art and archaeology artefacts, says it acquired the statue in “good faith” in 1967.

Numerous instances of stolen Indian artifacts being repatriated from the UK to India have occurred, with the most recent in August of the previous year. A limestone carved relief sculpture from Andhra Pradesh and a 17th-century “Navaneetha Krishna” bronze sculpture from Tamil Nadu were returned to the Indian High Commissioner in the UK after a collaborative investigation by the US and UK, involving Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit.