Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian artist from the princely state of Travancore (presently in Kerala) who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. His paintings are considered to be among the best examples of the fusion of Indian traditions with the techniques of European academic art.

Varma is most remembered for his paintings of sari-clad women portrayed as shapely and graceful. Varma's paintings became an important motif of the time, reproductions being found in almost every middle-class home. His exposure in the west came when he won the first prize in the Vienna Art Exhibition in 1873. Raja Ravi Varma died in 1906 at the age of 58. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art.

Raja Ravi Varma was born as Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran of Kilimanoor palace, in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore (Thiruvithankur) in Kerala. His father Ezhumavail Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad was an accomplished scholar, and his mother Umayamba Thampuratti (died 1886) was a poet and writer whose work Parvati Swayamvaram was published by Raja Ravi Varma after her death. His siblings were C. Goda Varma (born 1854), C. Raja Raja Varma (born 1860) and Mangala Bayi Thampuratti, who was also a painter.

At a young age he secured the patronage of HH Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal of Travancore (a relative) and began formal training thereafter. He learned the basics of drawing in Madurai Chithirakara veddhi(Artist's street). He was trained in water painting by Rama Swami Naidu and later in oil painting by Dutch portraitist Theodor Jenson.

Raja Ravi Varma High School at Kilimanoor was named after him. There are many cultural organisations throughout Kerala in his name. His palace is nearly 6 kilometres from Ponganadu, 7.7 kilometres from Pazhayachanda and 36 km fromTrivandrum, the capital of Kerala.