Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was born in Kilimanoor Palace as the son of Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakandan Bhattathiripad. At the age of seven years he started drawing on the palace walls using charcoal. His uncle Raja Raja Varma noticed the talent of the child and gave preliminary lessons on painting. At the age of 14, Ayilyam Thirunal Maharaja took him to Travancore Palace and he was taught water painting by the palace painter Rama Swamy Naidu. After 3 years Theodor Jenson, a British painter taught him oil painting.

Most of his paintings are based on Hindu epic stories and characters. In 1873 he won the First Prize at the Madras Painting Exhibition. He became a world famous Indian painter after winning in 1873 Vienna Exhibition.

Here we have collected some of the classic paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. Images are 75 Kb to 150 Kb and may take a while to download. Click the thumbnail to enlarge.

Some of the famous paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are : Lady Lost in Thought, Damayanti Talking to a Swan, The Orchestra, Arjuna and Subhadra, Lady with Fruit, The Heartbroken, Swarbat Player, Shakuntala, Lord Krishna as Ambassador, Jatayu, a bird devotee of Lord Rama is mauled by Rawana, Victory of Meghanada, A Family of Beggars, A Lady Playing Swarbat, Lady Giving Alms at the Temple, Lord Rama Conquers Varuna, Romancing Couple, Draupadi Dreading to Meet Kichaka, Shantanu and Matsyagandha, Shakuntala Composing a Love Letter to King Dushyanta,Girl in Sage Kanwa's Hermitage, etc.