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Leiden Copper Plates
The Netherlands returns the Chola-era Anaimangalam Copper Plates to India as a gesture of cultural diplomacy and heritage restitution. The plates are of Chola history, Buddhist patronage, and India’s cultural heritage recovery.
Anaimangalam Copper Plates:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Other Name | The Anaimangalam Copper Plates are also known as the Leiden Copper Plates. |
| Record | The plates record the land grant of Anaimangalam village near Nagapattinam by Raja Raja Chola I to a Buddhist monastery. |
| Grant Purpose | The grant was made for Chulamanivarma Vihara, also known as Raja Raja Cholan Perumpalli. |
| Geopolitical Linkage | The vihara was constructed by King Sri Mara Vijayotunga Varman of the Sailendra dynasty of Srivijaya in honour of his father Sri Chudamani Varman. |
| Religious Harmony | The plates show Saivite Chola rulers patronising and protecting Buddhist institutions. |
| Raja Raja Chola I | Raja Raja Chola I issued the initial oral decree for the land grant. |
| Rajendra Chola I | Rajendra Chola I committed his father’s oral command to writing. |
| Larger Leiden Plates | The larger Leiden Plates comprise 21 plates, including 5 in Sanskrit and 16 in Tamil. |
| Kulottunga Chola I | Kulottunga Chola I issued 3 smaller Leiden Plates on appeal by 2 emissaries from Java. |
| Additional Grant | Kulottunga Chola I confirmed additional land grants and 4,500 kalam of paddy to the Buddhist Sangha. |
| Earlier Paddy Grant | Raja Raja Chola I’s grant included 8,943 kalam of paddy. |
| Seal | The plates are strung together with a massive bronze ring secured by the Chola royal seal. |
| Dynastic Symbols | The seal comprises the Chola tiger, Pandya fish, and Chera bow, indicating Chola imperial suzerainty. |
| Other Seal Features | The seal includes a royal parasol, 2 chamaras, lamps, a swastika, the word Anaimangalam, and a Sanskrit verse praising the monarch. |
| Future Repatriation | Experts support repatriation of the Velvikkudi Copper Plates from the British Museum. |
| Velvikkudi Plates | The Velvikkudi Copper Plates belong to the Pandya dynasty and were issued by Parantaka Nedunchadaiyan. |
| Velvikkudi Significance | The Velvikkudi Copper Plates are important for reconstructing land tenure systems. |