‘Vrindavani Vastra’, the sacred textile created by Guru Sankardeva to return to Assam from the British Museum in London in 2027, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this today in a press briefing in Dispur.
The 16th-century silk tapestry, which was woven under the guidance of Vaishnav saint Guru Sankardeva, depicts the scenes from the life of Bhagwan Sri Krishna. The 9-meter-long silk marvel was woven by disciples of Sankardeva led by Mathuradas Bura Aata. The artist wove the Sri Krishna Leela into the silk cloth using a special weaving technique as described by Mahapurush Sankardev. It is considered that the Vrindavani Vastra is the first graphical representation of Bhagwan Krishan’s Leela in the Purvuttar Bharat. Later, it was owned by the ruler Kamrup King Naranarayan, and the sacred artwork travelled to Tibet. After that, it was acquired by the British and reached the British Museum in London. For hundreds of years, the masterpiece has been in Europe, and Assamese society has lost its connection with the sacred creation by Guru Sankardeva.
The BJP government in Assam has initiated the process to bring back the pride of Assam to the state for the last few years. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma travelled to London earlier and held discussions with the authorities of the British Museum.
Apart from the British Museum, the Vrindavani Vastra is housed in two other museums in Europe. The Victoria and Albert Museum and Musée Guimet also have two other versions of it. But it is largely considered that the Vastra housed in the British Museum is the original one created by Guru Sankardeva.
CM Sarma said that the British Museum has sent a letter to the Assam government, stating that they are willing to send the sacred Vastra for 18 months to Assam for a public display with some preconditions. The project has been mediated by JSW Foundation. The Assam government has to build a modern state-of-the-art museum to house the 16th-century silk marvel as per the requirements of the British Museum. JSW will construct the museum in Guwahati as part of its CSR activity. CM Sarma will travel to London in October this year to finalise the deal. The Indian High Commission in London is also actively working on it to make the task possible. If everything goes according to plan, the Vindravani Vastra will make its way back to its original root, Assam, after several centuries.
