"A joyous moment for every Indian. Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th century, will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands.

The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates and 3 small plates, and largely contain texts in Tamil, one of the most beautiful languages of the world.

They relate to the great Rajendra Chola I formalising an oral commitment made by his father, King Rajaraja I. They also showcase the greatness of the Cholas. We in India are immensely proud of the Cholas, their culture and their maritime prowess. I thank the Government of the Netherlands and Leiden University in particular, where the Copper Plates were kept since the mid-19th century."