Jakarta, Oct 15 — India has handed over a replica of the 9th-century Nalanda Copper Plate, an inscription that bears testimony to ancient maritime and cultural ties between India and the Srivijaya Empire, to the Nalanda Institute in Jakarta, the Indian Embassy in Indonesia said on Thursday.
India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, handed over the replica, while a Bodhi plant was also planted on the institute’s campus to mark the enduring ties between both countries.
“Unveiling history! Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty handed over a replica of the 9th-century Nalanda Copper Plate to Nalanda Institute, Jakarta,” the Embassy posted on X.
“This historic inscription stands as timeless proof of ancient maritime diplomacy, cultural ties, and shared heritage between India and the Srivijaya Empire. A Bodhi plant was also planted on campus to symbolise enduring bilateral ties,” it added.
The two countries are currently marking the ‘Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy’.
The Indian Embassy in Indonesia announced in July the commemoration of the ‘Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy’ from July 2026 to September 2027.
“India, Indonesia Celebrating 100 Years of a Shared Cultural Journey! We are thrilled to announce the commemoration of the ‘Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy’ from July 2026 to September 2027!” the Embassy wrote on X.
“Naming this historic year after Asia’s first Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, and the Father of Indonesian National Education, Ki Hadjar Dewantara, India and Indonesia honour a deep civilizational dialogue of freedom, education, and art,” it added.
During the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Indonesia, both countries announced the commemoration of the “Tagore-Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy”: fifteen months of festivals, films, fashion, textiles, literature, education and scholarship exchanges across two nations, from July 2026 to September 2027.
“In 1927, Rabindranath Tagore, poet, educator and Asia’s first Nobel laureate, travelled through Java and Bali. He found a nation awakening to itself through art, learning and self-belief. A hundred years later, both countries decided to honour the legacy of the visit by commemorating 2026-27 as the Tagore Dewantara Year of Cultural and Educational Diplomacy,” the Embassy stated.