Vrindavani Vastra

Vrindavani Vastra Latest News

The Assam Chief Minister recently left for London to initiate the process of bringing back the revered Vrindavani Vastra from the British Museum.

About Vrindavani Vastra

• It is a 400-year-old traditional textile from Assam, woven with the theme of Krishna’s various exploits.
• The childhood stories of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan, his divine pastimes, and various events are woven with thread on this cloth.
• It was made of woven silk using the complex ‘lampas’ technique. This technique requires two weavers working simultaneously. 
• The designs were woven with a large variety of colored threads, like red, white, black, yellow, green, etc.
• It was created under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, at the request of Koch king Nara Narayan, who ruled over parts of modern-day Assam and West Bengal.
  • Notably, Nara Nararan had sheltered Sankardeva after the Vaishnav saint was targeted by the Ahom kingdom on the instigation of Brahmin priests in the state.
• 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.
• The exhibit, acquired by the British Museum, is nine and a half metres long and is made up of several pieces of silk drapes and originally featured 15 separate pieces that were later assembled.
• A masterpiece of sacred art, the Vrindavani Vastra is a central part of Assamese Vaishnavism.

Source: TH

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