UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Restitution of Chola Copper Plates
Q1. How many copper plates in total were restituted by the Leiden University Library to the Government of India in May 2026 as the so-called 'Chola Copper Plates' set?
Q2. With reference to the restitution of the 11th-century Chola Copper Plates to India in May 2026, consider the following statements:
1. The plates were formally restituted by the Leiden University Library of the Netherlands.
2. The handover took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
3. The Archaeological Survey of India, under the Union Ministry of Culture, is the Indian receiving authority for the plates.
4. The plates record the grant of Anaimangalam village to a Jain matha at Kanchipuram.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The plates were formally restituted by the Leiden University Library of the Netherlands.
- The handover took place in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
- The Archaeological Survey of India, under the Union Ministry of Culture, is the Indian receiving authority for the plates.
- The plates record the grant of Anaimangalam village to a Jain matha at Kanchipuram.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q3. The Anaimangalam (Larger Leiden) copper plates, recently restituted by Leiden University to India, record a royal land grant made by which one of the following Chola rulers?
- A. Vijayalaya Chola
- B. Rajaraja Chola I
- C. Rajendra Chola I
- D. Kulottunga Chola I
Q4. With reference to the 2026 restitution of the Chola (Anaimangalam) copper plates from the Netherlands, which one of the following is the nodal Indian agency that has received custody of the plates and will undertake joint research on them with Leiden University Libraries?
- A. National Archives of India, under the Ministry of Culture
- B. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, under the Ministry of Culture
- C. Archaeological Survey of India, under the Ministry of Culture
- D. National Manuscripts Mission, under the Ministry of Culture
Q5. The set of 11th-century Chola Copper Plates restituted to India by the Leiden University Library in May 2026 comprises how many large plates?
Q6. In the bilingual Chola Copper Plates (Anaimangalam grant) restituted by the Leiden University Library, which language is used in the majority of the inscribed plates, recording the administrative and grant details?
- A. Sanskrit
- B. Tamil
- C. Prakrit
- D. Pali
Q7. In the context of Chola administration, the term 'tamra-sasana' (as exemplified by the Anaimangalam plates restituted from Leiden) refers to:
- A. A royal order recording a grant of land or privileges, engraved on copper plates
- B. A village assembly entrusted with the supervision of irrigation tanks
- C. A periodic land-revenue assessment carried out by temple authorities
- D. A guild of itinerant merchants conducting overseas trade with Srivijaya
Q8. The Anaimangalam (Larger Leiden) copper-plate charter, restituted by Leiden University Library in May 2026, was issued under the reign of which Chola sovereign?
- A. Vijayalaya Chola
- B. Rajaraja I
- C. Kulottunga I
- D. Rajadhiraja II
Q9. With reference to the Chudamani (Chulamanivarma) vihara at Nagapattinam, as documented in the Chola copper-plate charters recently restituted to India by Leiden University Library, consider the following statements:
1. The vihara was constructed by a Sailendra king of Srivijaya with the patronage of Rajaraja Chola I.
2. The Chola charters record the grant of the village of Anaimangalam in favour of this vihara.
3. The inscriptions on the copper plates are in Tamil and Sanskrit.
4. The vihara was a Jain monastic establishment.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- The vihara was constructed by a Sailendra king of Srivijaya with the patronage of Rajaraja Chola I.
- The Chola charters record the grant of the village of Anaimangalam in favour of this vihara.
- The inscriptions on the copper plates are in Tamil and Sanskrit.
- The vihara was a Jain monastic establishment.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q10. With reference to Buddhism in Chola-period Tamil Nadu and the Chudamani vihara at Nagapattinam, consider the following statements:
1. The vihara is associated with the grant of the village of Anaimangalam recorded in Chola copper plates.
2. It was built by a Sailendra ruler of Srivijaya during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I.
3. The relevant copper-plate charters carry inscriptions in Tamil and Sanskrit.
4. The vihara was originally established by the Pallava king Mahendravarman I in the seventh century CE.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The vihara is associated with the grant of the village of Anaimangalam recorded in Chola copper plates.
- It was built by a Sailendra ruler of Srivijaya during the reign of Rajaraja Chola I.
- The relevant copper-plate charters carry inscriptions in Tamil and Sanskrit.
- The vihara was originally established by the Pallava king Mahendravarman I in the seventh century CE.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 4 only
Q11. Under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, which one of the following is the statutory nodal authority entrusted with stopping illegal export of antiquities and coordinating their repatriation from foreign countries?
- A. Archaeological Survey of India, functioning under the Ministry of Culture
- B. National Monuments Authority, functioning under the Ministry of Culture
- C. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, functioning under the Ministry of Finance
- D. National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs
Q12. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Netherlands in May 2026, how many copper plates in total (large and small combined) were restituted by the Leiden University Library to the Government of India?
Q13. With reference to the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Netherlands on 16-17 May 2026, consider the following:
1. Signing of a MoU on a Partnership on Semiconductors and Related Emerging Technology.
2. The Netherlands' decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and co-lead the Capacity Building and Resource Sharing pillar.
3. Restitution of the 11th century Chola Copper Plates to India by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
4. Adoption of the Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership (2026-2030).
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as deliverables of this visit?
- Signing of a MoU on a Partnership on Semiconductors and Related Emerging Technology.
- The Netherlands' decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and co-lead the Capacity Building and Resource Sharing pillar.
- Restitution of the 11th century Chola Copper Plates to India by the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
- Adoption of the Roadmap of India-Netherlands Strategic Partnership (2026-2030).
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q14. In the context of India's efforts to retrieve looted artefacts, the 'Cultural Property Agreement' signed between India and the United States in July 2024 is best described as:
- A. A bilateral agreement, aligned with the UNESCO 1970 Convention, under which the US restricts import of specified categories of Indian archaeological and ethnological material and facilitates their repatriation
- B. A multilateral declaration adopted under India's G20 Presidency obliging all G20 members to return colonial-era artefacts
- C. A memorandum between the Archaeological Survey of India and the Smithsonian Institution for joint archaeological excavations in southern India
- D. An amendment to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention extending protection to movable cultural property held in foreign museums