Netherlands to Soon Return Shiva Statue and Damalung Inscription to Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - A 13th-century Shiva statue from East Java and a 15th-century Damalung inscription from Central Java, which have long been in the Netherlands, will soon be returned to Indonesia.

The Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung, and the Director General of Culture and Media of the Netherlands, Youssef Louakili, signed an agreement regarding the return of these two historical artefacts on 31 March 2026 in The Hague, Netherlands.

As quoted in a press release from the Indonesian Ministry of Culture received in Jakarta on Wednesday, Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon stated that the repatriation of historical artefacts from the Netherlands is part of efforts to restore the nation’s collective memory.

“This is a restoration of the nation’s collective memory and a concrete step towards historical reconciliation. Cultural heritage must return to the society that owns it,” he said.

The 13th-century Shiva statue from East Java and the 15th-century Damalung inscription from Central Java were previously part of the collections at the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam and Wereldmuseum Leiden in the Netherlands.

Both historical artefacts are currently being shipped to Indonesia and will later be handed over to the National Museum of Indonesia in Central Jakarta.

A total of 288 Indonesian cultural heritage items, including the Ganesha statue, Brahma statue, as well as Nandi and Bhairawa statues from Singosari Temple, and 284 items from the Puputan Badung collection, were successfully repatriated from the Netherlands in 2024.

Furthermore, the Java Man fossil, which has been abroad for over a century, will be repatriated from the Netherlands to Indonesia in 2025 through cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture.