Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum returns 16th century bronze sculpture of Thirumangai Alvar

The Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, England, has returned a 16^th-Century bronze statue of Saint Thirumangai Alvar to the Government of India, following research into the object’s provenance and liaison with Indian authorities.

The handover of the statue was marked at a celebration held at the High Commission of India in London on Tuesday (March 3, 2026). The director of the Ashmolean, Xa Sturgis, CBE, and Professor Mallica Kumbera Landrus, head of the Museum’s Department of Eastern Art, were present.