• The Vrindavani Vastra is a silk textile woven under the guidance of Vaishnava saint Srimanta Sankardeva in the 16th century, depicting tales from Lord Krishna’s life.
• The British Museum agreed in principle to lend the textile on the condition that Assam builds a dedicated museum meeting international standards for conservation, climate control, and security.
• Assam has allotted land in Guwahati’s Khanapara area for this purpose, with the JSW Group funding and constructing the heritage museum, which will be owned by the state government.
• The Indian government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, is kept updated on the process.
• The British Museum also plans to assist in creating a digital reproduction of the Vastra to expand educational access prior to the physical exhibition.
• The agreement is considered a historic cultural homecoming and a significant Indian art repatriation effort.

• The Vrindavani Vastra is a magnificent silk textile created in the 16th century under the spiritual guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, a saint-reformer central to Assam's Vaishnavite movement.​
• It was commissioned by Koch king Nara Narayan and woven by Assamese weavers led by Mathuradas Burha Aata, a disciple of Sri Sri Madhabdev.​
• The textile vividly depicts scenes and childhood activities from the life of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan, including episodes of his divine pastimes and reincarnations of Vishnu.​
• The cloth consists of multiple silk strips (typically 12 to 15), which were woven separately using the highly complex "lampas" weaving technique that requires two weavers working simultaneously and then stitched together to form a large tapestry measuring about 9.37 meters by 2.31 meters.​
• It also contains portions of devotional texts and captions from Sankardeva’s writings, such as lines from the devotional play "Kaliyadamana" woven into the fabric.​
• The Vrindavani Vastra is not only an artistic masterpiece but also a symbolic religious artifact reflecting the Neo-Vaishnavite Bhakti movement led by Srimanta Sankardeva, aimed at propagating devotion and spiritual enlightenment through visual art.​
• It stands as a significant testimony to Assamese cultural identity, weaving craftsmanship, and the syncretic religious traditions of Assam, symbolizing the region’s rich heritage.​
• Historically, the textile traveled from Assam to Bhutan and Tibet, eventually being acquired by European collectors and museums such as the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, with parts still held in Paris at the Guimet Museum.​

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