British museum to loan 16th-century ‘Vrindavani Vastra’ to Assam

The exhibit features 15 pieces that were later assembled. PIC/WIKIPEDIA

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

"We have been trying to bring this textile to Assam for a long time so that the people can see it. Now, the British Museum has agreed to loan it for display, but with certain conditions," Sarma said. "They require us to set up a museum that meets environmental and security standards for its 18-month display in the state."

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-a-half metre long and is made up of several pieces of silk drapes and originally featured 15 separate pieces that were later assembled.

18
months for which it will be displayed

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever