Assam will soon get to witness 16th century handwoven pictorial textile. This is a rare piece of ancient Brindabani 'bastra', created by Srimanta Sankardeva at the request of Koch-Rajbongshi king Naranarayan, which is preserved in the British Museum in London.

The 16th century handwoven pictorial depicts incidents in life of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama. It was woven by a village of weavers at Tantikuchi in Barpeta district as a gift for Naranarayan under the instruction of Sankardeva. It is not confirmed whether the textile in the British Museum is the original one, but is believed to be so.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who visited the Blythe House, a part of the British Museum, in London recently, requested curator Richard Burton to explore the possibility of bringing the textile along with him when he visits the state so the people here can have a glimpse of it.

Gogoi said the Brindabani 'bastra' should continue to remain in London. "It's being preserved so well that it should remain there." Mahanta too agrees and said that if it is brought to the state it won't be able to preserve it as well as at the British Museum.