500-year-old Stolen Bronze Idol to be Returned to India by Oxford University

Britain’s famous Oxford University has decided to return a 500-year-old bronze idol of Tirumankai Alvar to India. It is believed that this statue was stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu.

“On 11 March 2024, the Council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian High Commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of Saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval,” said a statement from the Oxford University’s Ashmolean Museum.

The 60cm-tall statue of Saint Tirumankai Alvar was acquired by the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford from Sotheby’s auction house in 1967.

An independent researcher in November 2023 informed the Indian High Commission that the statue was stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu and found its way to a UK museum through auction.