Art & Culture
Heritage, archaeology, literature and cultural institutions
Netherlands to return Chola-era copper plates during Modi visit. It’s culmination of a 14-yr effort
The Netherlands' return of the Anaimangalam Chola copper plates — held at Leiden University for over 300 years — illustrates the complex legal and diplomatic...
PM Modi in Netherlands LIVE: Netherlands hands back Chola dynasty copper plates to India
The Netherlands formally returned 21 copper plates dating to the 11th-century Chola dynasty to India during a state visit, marking one of the most significan...
Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex declared as temple by Madhya Pradesh High Court
On 15 May 2026, the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court delivered a 242-page judgment declaring the Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar (Madhya P...
Celebrating the Return of India’s Lost Cultural Heritage: Union Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Addresses Press Meet at National Museum
India repatriated three significant Chola and Vijayanagara-period bronze sculptures from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C., r...
Cabinet okays plan to put Vande Mataram on a par with Jana Gana Mana
The Union Cabinet approved an amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to extend its protections to Vande Mataram, India's nation...
On first Ladakh visit since violence, Amit Shah to join exposition of holy relics of Lord Buddha in Leh
A first-ever exposition of holy relics of Lord Buddha was held at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra in Leh, Ladakh, marking a historically and culturally significa...
US restitutes 657 stolen antiquities to India
The United States restituted a cumulative total of 657 stolen antiquities to India, valued at approximately $14 million (about ₹116 crore), in a repatriation...
A tangled tale of Tangail: How sarees wove a diplomatic knot between India and Bangladesh
A saree exhibition at Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi sparked diplomatic tension when India allegedly declined permission to use the Travancore Hou...
ASI begins drilling into Konark Sun Temple to remove 100-year-old British-era sand
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun drilling into the Jagamohan (assembly hall) of the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple in Odisha to extract san...
Why has Punjab introduced a new law on sacrilege?
The Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — an anti-sacrilege law prescribing lif...
Meghalaya approves Khasi, Garo as official state languages alongside English
On April 16, 2026, the Meghalaya Cabinet approved the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026, declaring Khasi and Garo as official state languages alon...
Bicentenary of Jyotiba Phule: Two-year nationwide celebrations launched
The Government of India formally launched a two-year nationwide commemoration (April 2026 to April 2028) to mark the 200th birth anniversary of social reform...
Gyan Bharatam survey: Over 4,100 manuscripts reported in Chhattisgarh so far, say officials
Over 4,100 manuscripts have been reported from eight districts in Chhattisgarh under the Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey, launched by the Ministry o...
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule: A light that still shows India the way
April 11, 2026, marks the beginning of year-long celebrations of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule's 200th birth anniversary (born April 11, 1827). Prime Minister Naren...
UNESCO cites India’s regional OTT content push as example for others, but warns of AI ‘policy gap’
A UNESCO report has credited India's growth in cultural exports to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's (MIB) push requiring OTT platforms to produ...
Follow the rituals and practices of a temple or stay out, says Supreme Court
The nine-judge Constitution Bench hearing the Sabarimala review reference continued on April 9, 2026, with the Supreme Court articulating the position that d...
Steps into past: 1,500-year-old reservoir unearthed on Elephanta island
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation on Elephanta Island (Gharapuri) near Mumbai unearthed a 1,500-year-old T-shaped stepped reservoir (vav/ku...
Justice B V Nagarathna: Women cannot be 'untouchables' for 3 days every month
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, resumed hearing the Sabarimala reference case, which examines broad...
History books can’t prove title, says Jammu & Kashmir HC; declares two shrines & attached properties in Kishtwar as waqf
The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court declared two Kishtwar shrines — Ziarat Farid-ud-Din Sahib and Ziarat Assrar-ud-Din Sahib — and their attached pro...
Iconic 19th Century painting sets Indian art record with $17.9m sale
Raja Ravi Varma's oil painting "Yashoda and Krishna" (c. 1890s) was sold for $17.9 million (approximately ₹167.2 crore, including buyer's premium) at a Saffr...