CM Sonowal releases e-book on 'Vrindavani Vastra'

Along with CM Sonowal, state BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass, state minister for health and family welfare Pijush Hazarika, media advisor to the chief minister, Hrishikesh Goswami, MLA Prasanta Phukan, and many other dignitaries were also present at the book launch programme.

CM Sonowal took to Twitter and wrote, "Released the book 'Vrindavani Vastra' authored by Shri Mrinal Chandra Kalita at Assam Legislative Assembly this morning."

Vrindavani Vastra is a drape woven by Assamese weavers led by Mathuradas Burha Aata during the 16th century under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, a saint-scholar, playwright, poet, social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam.

Mathuradas Burha Aata wove the Brindavani Vastra along with his twelve assistant weavers.

The large drape illustrates the early life of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. Parts of the original Vrindavani Vastra are now owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Musee Guimet (the Guimet Museum) in Paris. According to some reports the Vrindavani Vastra piece was collected by a reporter of "The Times" (London) and donated to the museum in around 1904.

The piece of cloth shows the skillful weaving methods developed during the middle ages and such complexity is rarely seen in present-day's Assam.

Assamese silk weavers portrayed scenes from the Bhagavatha, Mahabharatha, mainly of the Lord Krishna's childhood days on silk clothes under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva and his disciple Madhvadeva during 16th Century.

Similar silk drapes are also held by other museums like The Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 2004, a similar piece of silk drape, probably designed by Sankaradeva during 16th Century, was plaed up for auction by the Christie's auction house in New York at a reserve price of $120,000.

This type of silken-weaving artwork was produced up to around 1715 in Assam and its neighborhood and exported to places like Tibet

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