Plans are afoot to create a second museum dedicated to artist Svyatoslav Roerich in his family’s estate in Bangalor.

The Indian authorities intend to fulfil the last wish of the Russian artist Svyatoslav Roerich and open a museum in his family’s estate in Tataguni. The estate was acquired in 1948, with the family subsequently living there for more than 40 years until the early 1990s.

The cremation and burial site of Svyatoslav Roerich and his wife (the Indian film actress Devika Rani) has been preserved. Once both had passed away, the family stated its wish to open a scientific and cultural centre on the estate. However, this was prevented by the Roerich housekeeper, who decided to try and claim ownership of the estate. This tussle lasted for fifteen years, and it was only in 2011 that the court decided to honour the Roerich’s wishes and open a museum complex (a Sibnovosti.ru correspondent, citing Tass, reports).

Throughout the long years of litigation, the collection of historic paintings and objects that had been kept in the estate wereconfiscated. They are now set to be returned, however, as the legal obstacles to the creation of the museum have been removed. The Indian authorities expect to open the complex within the next three to five years.

In an interview with Tass, Puttahalagay, head of the organization for monitoring the Devika Rani Roerich Estate, said that “the Roerich family, especially Svyatoslav Roerich and his wife Devika Rani-Roerich, have a special place in India. Svyatoslav and his father are famous artists who wrote extensively about India, while Devika Rani is the first star of Indian cinema. The family has lived here for more than 40 years, and the people who lived in these places loved them, some today even worship them. After all, the Roerichs helped the people here — with water, food, and the like.”

Svyatoslav Roerichmoved to India at the age of 27. It is only natural then that the country became his second homeland.