The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a world-class museum complex in Khanapara, Guwahati to display the historic Vrindavani Vastra. The textile will be loaned by the British Museum for 18 months starting in 2027.

About the Museum

• The museum would be constructed at Khanapara under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the JSW Group. 
  • The Assam government provided the land and the company will be bearing the construction costs.
• Earlier in November 2025, the Assam government and the JSW Group had signed an agreement to set up this world-class heritage museum.

About Vrindavani Vastra

The Vrindavani Vastra is a 16th-century silk textile depicting the life of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. It was created under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, at the request of Koch King Naranarayan’s brother, Chilarai.

Key Features of the Vrindavani Vastra

• Woven by weavers of Tantikuchi (Barpeta) along with master weaver Gopal, later honoured as Mathuradas Budha Ata.
• Weaved under the supervision of Sankardeva and Madhavadeva.
  • Under Madhavadev’s supervision, about 4 inches of extra cloth could be made in one day. Pleased with this progress, Srimanta Sankardeva praised him and gave him the title Badhār Po.
• Created using the rare lampas weaving technique, which requires two weavers working simultaneously.
• Originally 120 cubits long and 60 cubits broad, crafted as 15 separate silk panels later stitched together and it took about six months to finish the weaving.
• Designs were woven with a large variety of colored threads like red,white, black, yellow, green, etc. 
• Some colors were evidently mixed colors or ‘misravarna’ like Kāch-nilā, Gaura-syāma,etc.
• Presented to Chilarai, with due ceremony only a little before the passing away of Sankaradeva, Chilarai kept it at the Madhupur Sattra.
• Contains woven visuals of Krishna’s leelas and fragments of Sankardeva’s poems.
• A symbol of Assamese Vaishnavite spirituality, artistic excellence and cultural fusion.
• Significance: Symbol of Assam’s rich spiritual and cultural heritage, reflecting the devotion and vision of Sankardev. 

Journey of the Textile

• Believed to have travelled from Assam to Tibet (17th–18th century).
• Collected by British explorers (Perceval Landon) in the 19th–20th century.
• Acquired by the India Museum in 1904 and later transferred to the British Museum.
• At present it is on display in 4 museums in the world – one each in London, Paris, Boston and Los Angeles. 
  • The biggest fragments of the Vaishnavite textiles are on display in the museums of London and Paris.

The British Museum has agreed to lend the Vastra for 18 months, contingent on Assam building a state-of-the-art museum meeting global conservation standards—an area where the state has historically lagged.

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