Daily News Analysis ‘Chola Empire & The Leiden Copper Plates’ : 18 May

Why in News:

• The historic 11th-century Anaimangalam copper plates, popularly known as the Leiden plates, have been formally returned to India from the Netherlands, marking a landmark achievement in the repatriation of Indian cultural heritage.

About the Leiden Copper Plates & Chola History

• The Charter Composition: The artifacts consist of a complete set of 24 copper sheets divided into a larger set of 21 plates and a smaller set of 3 plates, strung together by a massive bronze ring.
• Monastic Land Grant: The inscriptions record a massive land-revenue endowment of Anaimangalam village near Nagapattinam to the Chulamanivarma Vihara (also known as Raja Raja Cholan Perumpalli), a Buddhist monastery.
• Maritime Diplomacy & Coexistence: The vihara was constructed by King Sri Mara Vijayatunga Varman of the Srivijaya Empire (Java and Sumatra) in honor of his father; the charter stands as prime epigraphic evidence of a Saivite (Hindu) king patronizing international Buddhism.
• Dynastic Succession: While Emperor Raja Raja Chola I (985–1014 CE) gave the initial oral decree for the land grant, his son Rajendra Chola I (1014–1044 CE) formalized the dedication by committing it to writing across 5 Sanskrit and 16 Tamil plates.
• The Extension Grant: The 3 smaller Tamil plates were issued later by Kulottunga Chola I (1070–1120 CE) to document additional provisions of paddy and resources to the Buddhist monastic community (Sangha).
• The Imperial Chola Seal: The binding bronze ring carries the intricate royal emblem of the Cholas featuring a central Tiger (Chola emblem), the dual Fish of the Pandyas, and the Bow of the Cheras, which symbolically proclaimed Chola victory over rival southern kingdoms.
• Colonial History: Excavated by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) during fort construction over the destroyed monastery site in Nagapattinam between 1687 and 1700, the plates were shipped to Europe and preserved at Leiden University for nearly two centuries.