About
Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is a cultural institution in the Panjabari area of Guwahati, Assam, named after the 15th-century saint-reformer, poet and playwright Srimanta Sankaradeva. Established in 1988 and spread over 17.5 hectares, it is dedicated to preserving, promoting and presenting the art and culture of Assam and the wider Northeast, and is the region's largest cultural congregation.
Conceived as a grand exposition of the life and culture of the people of Assam and named after the great 15th-century unifier Srimanta Sankaradeva, the Kalakshetra was founded in 1988 by the Government of Assam and built through the 1990s. Its campus grew to include the Purbajyoti and Bhupen Hazarika museums, a library of manuscripts, a Lalit Kala art wing, a 2,000-seat open-air theatre and, in a second phase, the Srimanta Sankaradeva International Convention Centre. Governed by the state Cultural Affairs Department and headed by a senior civil-service officer, it has become both a custodian of Northeast India's cultural heritage and a major public and tourist landmark.
Founding & Leadership
State-funded by the Government of Assam, with central-government support for capital projects such as the convention centre; earned income from ticketing, auditorium bookings and emporiums.
Leadership & Trustees
Cultural Funding
Recognition
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Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is the flagship cultural institution of Assam and Northeast India, uniquely consolidating the region's museums, performing-arts venues and heritage displays on one campus and sustaining the living traditions of its many ethnic communities.
[Atlas Perspective] The Kalakshetra is a state-government cultural operator, not a funder: it maintains museums and collections, runs venues and stages programmes. As Northeast India's foremost cultural complex, it is exceptionally well placed to anchor regional festival programming, folk-tribal-arts documentation and cross-state cultural exchange, and would benefit from deeper digital access to its collections. Named current office-holders should be web-verified against the official Assam Government site and date-stamped.