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Wellcome Collection to return 2000 Jain manuscripts after century long custody and ethical acquisition revelations
India
Published on 15 May 2026
Some texts directly condemn Britain’s colonial rule
The Wellcome Collection in London says it will return more than 2,000 Jain manuscripts held for over a century to the Jain community. The “landmark” move follows talks with the Institute of Jainology and will initially transfer the collection to the Dharmanath Network in Jain Studies at the University of Birmingham, where researchers and faith communities can study, interpret and translate the works. The manuscripts span from 15th century illustrated texts to rare medical writings, and the museum cites unethical colonial-era acquisition from a temple in Punjab.
- Wellcome Collection will return over 2,000 Jain manuscripts
- The texts were held in London for more than a century
- Transfer begins with the Dharmanath Network at Birmingham
- Manuscripts cover religion, literature, culture and medicine
- More than half were acquired during the colonial era
- A colonial-era Jain temple in Punjab is cited as the source
#wellcome collection #cultural restitution #university of birmingham #colonial era #jain manuscripts
Read the full story at The Economic Times
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
The Economic Times