London’s Victoria and Albert Museum will soon display Maharashtra’s famous Paithani saris, Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said on Tuesday.
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Shelar, who is in London to acquire the historic sword of the Maratha commander Raghuji Raje Bhosale, had visited the famous museum, where he had a discussion with its director Dr Tristram Hunt.
“We proposed that Maharashtra’s Paithani be displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. They have agreed to the request, and discussions were also held to ensure that in the future, exhibitions of handloom textiles from our state will also be held at the museum,” Shelar added.
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Paithani is a traditional rich and royal textile intricately woven by skilled weavers into saris. Paithani saris are often referred to as the “queen of saris”.
Shelar said: “We had received Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s iconic ‘Wagh Nakh’ (tiger claws) on a three-year loan. However, they will eventually have to be returned. Such situations should not arise in the future. Therefore, we discussed the possibility of obtaining other important artefacts from the Victoria and Albert Museum on a longer-term loan.”
Maharashtra will get back the sword of Raghuji Bhosale I, the general who expanded the Maratha empire in the 18th century, on August 18.
The sword was won in an auction in London and Shelar took possession of the sword.
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The Victoria and Albert Museum will extend its cooperation as a consulting expert for the state museum that the Maharashtra government is setting up at BKC in Mumbai.
The Cultural Affairs department is working towards signing a formal agreement in this regard.