Assam CM’s British Museum pact to bring ‘Vrindavani Vastra’ to Guwahati

London, Nov 17 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday began the official process to showcase the iconic ‘Vrindavani Vastra’ at a new state-of-the-art museum in Guwahati after a ‘Letter of Intent’ signed with the British Museum in London.

The pact will pave the way for a loan of the massive tapestry unique to Assam and dating back to the 16th century, woven under the supervision of Saint Poet and Reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva.

Its narrative is centred on Lord Krishna’s childhood at Vrindavan and is venerated among the people of Assam.

“This is truly a momentous occasion for the people of Assam and for India. The ‘Vrindavani Vastra’ is a masterpiece of sacred art and a living symbol of Assam’s spiritual and cultural soul,” said Sarma, who oversaw the signing ceremony during his London visit.

“The textile was originally prepared in Assam in the 1500s AD by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva, depicting ‘leelas’ of Shri Krishna. It’s a masterpiece but we have never seen it because it was in the British Museum, via Bhutan and then Tibet,” he said.

The chief minister said the loaning agreement, signed by permanent secretary K K Dwivedi on behalf of the government of Assam, will lead to the textile being displayed at a state exhibition in over a year’s time.

“We are going to construct a museum in Guwahati, totally funded by JSW Foundation, meeting the same kind of requirements which the British Museum demands from us (for such a loan). So, once it is completed, there will be an inspection followed by the loan for the exhibition. We will complete this project by early 2027,” he told reporters, after the signing ceremony.

The huge tapestry, last displayed at the British Museum 10 years ago, is made of several strips stitched together to form a whole.

Srimanta Sankaradeva, a great saint and social reformer, supervised its creation on the request of King Narayana and his brother, General Chelarai, of the Cooch Behar kingdom in the 16h century.

He is said to have engaged many weavers to create the beautiful tapestry measuring 60 yards long and 30 yards wide. The technique is unique, involving a compound weave in which in addition to the normal warp and weft of the ground, a binding warp and pattern weft are used to make the design.

“We have a very long and fruitful partnership with India and with Assam. This extraordinary textile hasn’t been seen or on display for 10 years and so it’s an honour for it to be on display again in Guwahati. This is by far the largest textile that we have ever loaned anywhere around the world,” said Xerxes Mazda, director of collections at the British Museum, who signed the ‘Letter of Intent’.

The agreement was facilitated by the High Commission of India in London, with a view to enabling further India-UK collaborations in the sphere of heritage and culture.

“The real value isn’t just in access to the extraordinary collection of Indian artefacts that are here in various museums in the UK, but also in connecting with expertise in museology, displays, high quality exhibitions of art objects,” said Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK.

“The next stage in our journey of creating new museums must be to create the world’s best exhibitions and experiential quality of appreciating our millennia-old heritage and culture... On the ‘Vrindavani Vastra’ specifically, if we can display capacity to showcase particularly fragile elements of heritage – around fabric, paper, manuscripts – that will underscore what Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is trying to do to make our heritage, our museums world class,” he said.

The chief minister indicated Assam’s plans for an ongoing partnership with the British Museum, one of London’s leading tourist attractions, as he noted the conspicuous absence of Assamese artefacts during a tour of its South Asia Gallery.

“There were a lot of exhibits from across India but nothing from Assam. So, we will explore if something we can also give to them for exhibition as part of a continuous partnership,” added Sarma. PTI AK GSP GSP