The first exhibition in Britain to explore the impressive cultural history of Assam through objects, classical dance form Sattriya, manuscripts, music, besides a documentary is being held at the British Museum London from January 21 to August 15 next.
A British Museum press release for the Assam event says "Assam is today little known outside the North-east of India.
"However, in the late medieval period it was the centre of a vibrant culture of devotion to the Hindu deity Krishna, a movement that was founded by the saint Shankaradeva (died 1568) and continues to this day".
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At the event titled 'Krishna in the Garden of Assam: the cultural context of an Indian textile', the release said, "A striking element of this devotional cult is the re-enactment of scenes from the Life of Krishna, all over Assam but especially on the island of Majuli in the Brahmaputra River during the Ras Lila festival".
"These Krishna narratives were recorded not only in music, drama and dance, but also in woven textile imagery. This is the first exhibition in Britain to explore the impressive cultural history of Assam through objects", said the release sent by NRI Assam Co-ordinator for UK Rini Kakati today.
"The largest surviving example of such a woven silk cloth, or Vrindavani Vastra, will be the centrepiece of this exhibition at the British Museum.
"It is one of the most important Indian textiles in the Museum's collection dated to about 1680 AD and is today over 9 metres long", it said.
Speaking on the state's handloom tradition, the Museum said, "Assam has been renowned for many centuries as a centre for weaving both silk and cotton.
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The lampas technique of weaving was used to produce
the Vrindavani Vastra.
"The lampas technique is now lost in India but produced vibrant and highly sophisticated figured textiles between the 16th and 18th centuries", the release added.
This textile is associated with the cult of the Hindu god Krishna.
It is today made up of 12 strips of woven silk, each one with depictions of the incarnations of Vishnu and with captioned scenes from the life of Krishna, These scenes are recorded in the 10th century text, the Bhagavata Purana, and elaborated in the dramas written by the saint Shankaradeva".
On the use of the Vrindavani Vastra, the release said, "The 12 individual strips were perhaps used to wrap copies of the Bhagavata Purana and decorate the altar used for venerating this text.
The episodes depicted include the defeat of the snake-demon Kaliya, the battle with the crane-demon Bakasura, swallowing the forest-fire, and hiding the 'gopis' clothes in the trees".
"The later history of these twelve strips of cloth is fascinating.
They were taken to Tibet, stitched together to make a massive hanging and then, years later, were discovered in the monastery at Gobshi near Gyantse in southern Tibet during the Younghusband Expedition, the release informed.
This military foray was sent by (then Viceroy of India) Lord Curzon to open a trade route between India and Tibet.
The correspondent of The Times on that expedition was Perceval Landon, a close friend of Rudyard Kipling.
It was Landon who acquired the textile and then in 1905 gave it to the Museum, the release informed.
Stating the dramas of Shankaradeva are still performed today, especially at the festival of Ras lila on the island of Majuli, the release said contemporary commissions from Majuli (dance masks) and from the artists group Desire Machine Collective will be on display.
The work by DMC, funded by the Gujral Foundation, is a video artwork, it said, adding, the dance masks are of the type used in performances at the annual Ras lila festival.
A three minute film shot at the 2014 Ras lila festival will be screened at the exhibition.
On display will be loans from the British Library of illustrated manuscript leaves from the Brahmavaivarta Purana with very lively painted scenes of great quality from the life of Krishna.
A loan from Chepstow Museum is a remarkable survival of an 18th century English gentleman's silk 'banyan' or dressing gown, the British Museum release said.
The exterior is of subtle monochrome Chinese silk damask while the lining inside is of brilliantly-coloured Assamese Vrindavani Vastra textile with, woven into it, scenes from the life of Krishna as well as depictions of the lion-man incarnation of Vishnu, Narasimha, it said.
Objects of the exhibition will be shown at the Chepstow Museum following the London display, the release added.
