New Delhi: The British Empire, during its almost 200-year rule in the Indian subcontinent had stolen various things from the country. Infact, there is a popular joke that almost every item in the British Museum is taken from the territories that the Empire used to rule. But in recent years, especially in the second half of the 20th century and in the 21st century, there have been efforts from the UK to return those allegedly stolen artefacts to those respective nations. In a recent development, Oxford University has decided to return something to India which is reportedly stolen.
Why has Oxford University decided to return to India?
In a welcome move, the famous Oxford University has decided to return a bronze idol of a saint believed to be 500 years old. It is said that the idol was stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu. The Indian High Commission had previously raised a claim to get back the idol, the Council of the University of Oxford affirmed the claim on March 11, 2024, and decided to return the bronze sculpture of Saint Thirumangai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. Now, the Charity Commission has to approve the decision.
Notably, the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford got the 60cm-tall statue of Saint Thirumangai Alvar in 1967 from Sotheby’s auction house. Before that, it was in the possession of a collector named Dr JR Belmont. According to the museum, an independent researcher in November 2023 informed them about the statue’s origins and then the museum alerted the Indian High Commission. The Indian government made a formal request to retrieve the idol.
Who is Thirumangai Alvar?
Also known as Thirumangai Mannan, he was the last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India who were affiliated with Vaishnavism. He was an extremely learned person and the most superior Alvar when it came to composing verses. He is called ‘Narkavi Perumal’ which means an excellent poet and Parakala which means ‘Beyond Time’. Notably, before being a saint, he was a military commander and a chieftain.
Thirumangai advocated devotion to attain salvation and composed six poems in Tamil. His most important work is ‘Periya Tirumoli’ which has 1084 hymns. In many ways, he was a man of many talents since he worked both as a commander in wars and a social reformer. Thirumangai was born in Tamil Nandu’s Thirukuraiyalur. His original name was Kalikanti or Kaliyan his father was also a general for the Chola empire. Notably, as a commander, Thirumangai a was skilled archer and he served the Chola Empire. He was honoured with the title ‘Parakala’ for his courage and was also rewarded a small territory called Ali Nadu to govern whose capital was Thirumangai. It is believed that once, he fell in love with a Vaishnava doctor’s adopted daughter named Kumudavalli and decided to marry her. agreed to marry, but only if he became a Vaishnavaite. Thirumangai, over time, fell in love with Vaishnavism as well. He kept the title of Thirumangai even after becoming a saint.
Thirumangai was immensely knowledgeable in earlier Tamil literature like Naaladiyar, Thirukkural, the Sangam literature, and also in the Jain literature. In Periya Tirumoli, he mentions hymns which show the greatness of Vaishnava deities and their temples. His sons mention about temples of Lord Vishnu from Badrinath to Thirukkurungudi, covering the span of India. Also, he talks about human suffering in his works and mentions several methods to overcome the suffering and attain salvation.
In a welcome move, the famous Oxford University has decided to return a bronze idol of a saint believed to be 500 years old. It is said that the idol was stolen from a temple in Tamil Nadu. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
