Art & Culture
Heritage, archaeology, literature and cultural institutions
Return of Leiden Copper Plates Renews Call for Systematic Repatriation of India's Heritage Abroad
The Netherlands formally returned the Anaimangalam copper plates — also known as the Leiden copper plates — to India on 16 May 2026 during an official...
Chola-Era Anaimangalam Copper Plates Repatriated from Leiden University After 164 Years
The Chola-era Anaimangalam Copper Plates, held by Leiden University in the Netherlands since 1862, were formally handed over to India at a ceremony in The...
Leiden Plates Return: A 14-Year Diplomatic Effort for India's Cultural Heritage
The return of the 11th-century Anaimangalam Chola copper plates by the Netherlands marks the culmination of a diplomatic effort initiated in 2012 — spanning...
Netherlands Returns 11th-Century Chola-Era Copper Plates to India: Anaimangalam Plates Repatriated After 300 Years
The Netherlands formally returned the Anaimangalam copper plates — approximately 1,000-year-old artefacts from the Chola dynasty — to India during an...
Netherlands Returns 11th-Century Chola Copper Plates to India After 14-Year Diplomatic Effort
During an official bilateral visit, the Dutch government formally returned a set of 11th-century Chola copper plates that had been held by Leiden University...
Legal Framework Behind the Chola Plates Repatriation: How Colonial-Era Artefacts Return Home
The Netherlands' return of the Anaimangalam Chola copper plates — held at Leiden University for over 300 years — illustrates the complex legal and...
Chola Dynasty Copper Plates Returned by Netherlands After 300 Years
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...
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...
Return of India's Lost Cultural Heritage: Antiquities Repatriated from the United States
India repatriated three significant Chola and Vijayanagara-period bronze sculptures from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C....
Vande Mataram Granted Equal Legal Standing to National Anthem: Cabinet Amends National Honour Law
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...
Ladakh's Statehood and Sixth Schedule Demands in Focus as Centre Engages Region
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...
US Returns 657 Stolen Antiquities to India: Cultural Repatriation and the Fight Against Heritage Trafficking
The United States restituted a cumulative total of 657 stolen antiquities to India, valued at approximately $14 million (about ₹116 crore), in a...
Tangail Saree GI Tag: How a Weaving Tradition Became a Diplomatic Flashpoint
A saree exhibition at Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi sparked diplomatic tension when India allegedly declined permission to use the Travancore...
ASI Begins Removing British-Era Sand from Konark Sun Temple After 122 Years
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...
Punjab's New Sacrilege Law: Life Imprisonment for Desecration of Guru Granth Sahib
The Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — an anti-sacrilege law prescribing...
Meghalaya Makes Khasi and Garo Official State Languages via Ordinance
On April 16, 2026, the Meghalaya Cabinet approved the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026, declaring Khasi and Garo as official state languages...
Jyotiba Phule Bicentenary: Government Launches Two-Year Nationwide Commemoration
The Government of India formally launched a two-year nationwide commemoration (April 2026 to April 2028) to mark the 200th birth anniversary of social...
Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey Documents Over 4,100 Manuscripts in Chhattisgarh
Over 4,100 manuscripts have been reported from eight districts in Chhattisgarh under the Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey, launched by the Ministry...
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule's 200th Birth Anniversary: Legacy of India's Pioneer Social Reformer
April 11, 2026, marks the beginning of year-long celebrations of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule's 200th birth anniversary (born April 11, 1827). Prime Minister...
India's OTT Regional Content Push Earns UNESCO Recognition: But AI Governance Gap Flagged
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...