British Museum To Loan Sankardeva's 16th-Century 'Vrindavan Vastra' To India

The British Museum in London has agreed to loan the silk textile 'Vrindavani Vastra', created by Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva in 16th century, to Assam for display in 2027, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

He said the British Museum has set certain conditions, including a state-of-the-art museum, for the display of 'Vrindavan Vastra' in Assam for 18 months in 2027.

''We have been trying to bring the textile for a long time so that people can see it, and now the British Museum has agreed to loan it for display, provided a museum, meeting environmental and security standards, is set up in the state," Mr Sarma said.

The JSW group of companies has come forward to set up a museum as a part of its CSR initiative and give it to Assam as a gift, he said.

''We have already allotted land to them for the purpose. After a long time, we are moving towards our cherished dream of bringing the textile to the state, the  Chief Minister said.

The officials of the British Museum had visited the state and reviewed the existing museums, but did not find it suitable for display, and so ''we decided to construct a new one", Mr Sarma said ''I have already written to the Centre seeking 'Sovereign Guarantee', an undertaking to be given to the British Museum that it will be returned after 18 months without any damage," he said.

The Vrindavani Vastra was created under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, depicting scenes from the life of Lord Krishna, at the request of Koch king Nara Narayan and also has a part of a poem written by him.

The exhibit, acquired in 1904 from Tibet by the British Museum, is nine and half metres long and is made up of several pieces of silk drapes and originally featured 15 separate pieces that were later assembled.

The textile serves as a testament to Assamese weaving, incorporating elements from various artistic traditions, and travelled from Assam to Tibet before being acquired by the British Museum in 1904. 

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