Guwahati, Feb 22: India’s richest woman was in Assam on Sunday for a landmark cultural moment.
Savitri Jindal — chairperson emeritus of the OP Jindal Group — attended the Bhumi Pujan ceremony for a dedicated museum to house the sacred Vrindavani Vastra at Khanapara. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma performed the foundation ritual.
Ranked the wealthiest woman in India with an estimated net worth of $35.5 billion, Jindal stands among the country’s top three richest individuals after Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Born in Tinsukia, her presence lent a symbolic homecoming to what many described as a historic day for the state of Assam.
The ceremony marks the beginning of Assam’s long-awaited effort to bring back the 16th-century Vrindavani Vastra — currently housed at the British Museum in London — for public display in the state.
Calling the textile a “symbol of Assam’s civilisation and culture,” the Chief Minister said generations had waited to witness the priceless relic in their homeland. He described the museum as the first concrete step toward fulfilling that aspiration.
Woven in the 16th century at Tantikuchi in Barpeta’s Patbausi under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardev and his disciple Madhavdev, the Vrindavani Vastra is regarded as one of the finest expressions of Assamese devotional art and weaving excellence.
Dr Sarma recalled seeing the textile at the British Museum in 2007–08, describing the encounter as unforgettable. “The brilliance of its colours and the refined artistic and technical skill left me stunned. Every Assamese should have the opportunity to see this extraordinary creation at least once,” he said.
Tracing its remarkable journey, the Chief Minister said the textile travelled from Assam to Bhutan, then Tibet, before eventually reaching London in the 20th century.
Over the years, discussions were held with the Prime Minister, the Indian High Commission, and British authorities to facilitate its display in Assam. The JSW Group played a crucial role in advancing the process, with Dr Sarma acknowledging the personal efforts of the Jindal family and diplomatic support that helped make the Vastras’ return possible.
The museum will be built on two acres of land at Khanapara under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the JSW Group. While the Assam government has provided the land, the company will bear the construction costs.
The project is expected to be completed within 18 months and is envisioned as a world-class cultural facility capable of hosting rare artefacts from across the globe.
Dr Sarma linked the initiative to broader cultural milestones achieved in recent years, including classical language status for Assamese, global recognition of Bihu, and UNESCO inscription of the Charaideo Maidams.
Describing the day as “emotional and historic,” he said the arrival of the Vrindavani Vastra in Assam would ignite renewed cultural pride and civilisational consciousness, particularly among the youth.
Speaker Biswajit Daimary, several ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials, Satradhikars, devotees, and British Museum’s South and Southeast Asia section head Richard Blurton were present at the ceremony — alongside Savitri Jindal.
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