Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in London to bring back the sacred Vrindavani Vastra for 2027 exhibition

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is visiting London to finalise the guidelines for bringing the sacred Vrindavani Vastra from the British Museum in London back to the state for a temporary exhibition. 

Sarma, who left for London on Saturday, is scheduled to hold a meeting with officials of the Museum on the guidelines to follow during the display of the sacred tapestry in Assam.

Vrindavani Vastra was woven under the guidance of neo-vaishnavite saint and scholar, Srimanta Sankardeva in the 16th Century in Assam that depicts childhood of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. According to researchers of Vaishnavite culture in Assam, the sacred tapestry reached the the British Museum via Tibet in the 20th Century. Sankardeva had propagated Vaishnavism among the Assamese in the 15th and 16th Century. 

There has been a long demand in Assam to permanently bring the Vrindavani Vastra back to Assam. The matter was taken up by the Tarun Gogoi led Congress government and also during BJP's tenure since 2016. The British Museum, however, agreed to send the tapestry for a brief period for a temporary exhibition. 

CM Sarma on Saturday said an agreement would be signed with the British Museum on the guidelines to be followed for the exhibition in Assam in 2027. JSW Group, a private company, would bear the cost for constructing a Museum in Guwahati for the exhibition, Sarma said.