Oxford University has said it will be handing back a 500-year-old  sculpture of a Hindu saint to India.

The almost 60cm-tall bronze statue, which depicts Tirumankai Alvar, had been on display at the university’s Ashmolean Museum, The Guardian reported.

It is widely believed the statue was looted from an Indian temple.

The Indian High Commission had claimed for the statue.

A statement for the Ashmolean as quoted by the British newspaper: “On 11 March 2024 the council of the University of Oxford supported a claim from the Indian high commission for the return of a 16th-century bronze sculpture of saint Tirumankai Alvar from the Ashmolean Museum. This decision will now be submitted to the Charity Commission for approval.”