Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma PAINTER OF COLONIAL I NDIA

Rupika Chawla

Raja Ravi Varma

PAINTER OF C OLONIAL I NDIA

Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) was among the first Indian painters to successfully adapt academic realism to the visual interpretation of Indian mythology and adopt Western painting techniques of portraiture. His genre of paintings, which eventually led to chromolithographs (oleographs), has maintained a lasting effect on the Indian sensibility, making him the best-known classical painter of modern times.

This book is an account of Ravi Varma’s traditional background and environment in the context of colonial India, and the relationship of this milieu with his profession as an aristocratic itinerant painter. Many royal families of India and several rich and powerful personalities were patrons of Ravi Varma, whose portraits he painted in large numbers.

His range of Puranic and religious paintings, reflecting his deep understanding of Sanskrit and Malayalam literature, have deeply influenced the forms of gods and goddesses in 20th-century visual culture of India. Ravi Varma’s fascination for feminine beauty and the ability to capture it masterfully is abundantly evident in his numerous portrayals of Shakuntala, Sita and Damayanti, and of the Indian woman. His lingering influence on the Indian mindset is also seen in the works of Indian contemporary painters and artists, who continue to be inspired by his art.

This lavishly illustrated book brings together paintings from royal and private collections, and museums. It presents many works that have never been seen before, along with previously undisclosed maps, letters, photographs and other archival material. It traces the sources used by Ravi Varma, examines the techniques and methodology of his paintings, and discusses their conservation and the problem of fakes and copies, much to the advantage of historians, collectors, curators and art aficionados.

With 442 colour illustrations

Front cover H.H. Sri Chamaraja Wadiyar X, portrait (detail), oil on canvas. See page 106 Back cover Yashoda Ornamenting Balkrishnan, oil on canvas. See page 236

Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma 2

Raja Ravi Varma

PAINTER OF C OLONIAL I NDIA

RUPIKA CHAWLA

Reprinted in 2019, 2017, 2013 First published in India in 2010 by Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd 706 Kaivanna, Panchvati, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006 INDIA T: +91 79 40 228228  F: +91 79 40 228201 E: mapin@mapinpub.com  www.mapinpub.com

Captions

Distributed in North America by Antique Collectors’ Club E: ussales@accartbooks.com  www.accartbooks.com/us

Page ii Portrait of Indira Bai Moolgavkar, oil on canvas, 29.5 x 40.5”, early 1900s.

Private Collection

Distributed in the rest of the world by Mapin Publishing

Ravi Varma used realistic portraits as the starting point for paintings with imaginary subjects. See page 247 for the link between Indira Moolgavkar’s portrait and Kadambari.

Text © Rupika Chawla Illustrations © as listed All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-81-89995-08-9 (Mapin) LCCN: 2010920300 Designed by Amit Kharsani / Mapin Design Studio Edited by Diana Romany / Mapin Editorial Processed at Reproscan, Mumbai Printed in India by Thomson Press (India) Ltd.

Page i H.H. Janaki Subbamma Bai Sahib, Rani of Pudukkottai, and her daughter, oil on canvas, 38.5 x 60.5”, c. 1886. Private collection (See also page 76, for a younger portrait of the Rani painted in 1879)

Page iii Portrait of Indira Bai Moolgavkar (detail), oil on canvas, 29.5 x 40.5”, early 1900s. Private Collection Page iv Bishop Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, oil on canvas, 38 x 60”, 1905. Collection: St. John’s Attamangalam Jacobite Syrian Church, Kumarakom, Kottayam, Kerala “I will varnish the portrait and hand it over to advocate Mr. John in Thiruvananthapuram on the 30th of this month. I have taken extreme care and drawn it beautifully. But on completing the portrait, I have come to feel that this saintly person does indeed possess some divine powers. Because, while drawing this portrait I had started feeling that its size – or something else, was not doing justice to the subject. I would pick up the photo and compare with the portrait and would find no shortcomings or size differences; but the feeling that the portrait was not good enough persisted. I can only say in the end I was made to do one more portrait, larger and more beautiful than the first one. Now there are two pictures that I have been blessed by that divine soul to complete despite my busy schedule: a large picture as commissioned by you and a smaller one that was started earlier and is half-complete.”

Excerpt of letter written by Ravi Varma on completion of the painting, 1905 Page v Bishop Pulikkoottil Joseph Mar Dionysis II and Mr. E.M. Philip, the Church Trustee, oil on canvas, 58 x 48”, c. early 1900s.

Collection: Syrian Orthodox Old Seminary, Kottayam, Kerala Pages vi–vii Rajibai Moolgavkar, watercolour sketch, 11 x 8.5”, early 1900s.

Collection: Dilip Moolgaonkar Rajibai’s watercolour sketch provided the composition for Disappointing News, see page 82. Another image of Rajibai is on page 101.

Page viii Radha in the Moonlight, oil on canvas, 57.5 x 41.5”, 1890. Private Collection Page 1 Yashoda and Krishna (detail), oil on canvas, 28 x 35”. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram (See page 166)

A Note to the Reader: Titles of Raja Ravi Varma’s original paintings and sketches appear in bold in the captions. The titles in brackets, where they appear, are the variant names, different from what the painter specified, but those that are more prevalent and often used in museums and publications.

Page 2 The Raja and Rani of Kurupam (detail), portrait, oil on canvas, 67.5 x 93.5”, 1902. Private collection (See page 315) Pages 8–9 Reclining Nair Lady, oil on canvas, 29 x 41”, 1902. Private collection (See page 224)

A drawing of a musician from Ravi Varma's sketchbook

This book is dedicated to Raja Ravi Varma whose life and works demand that such a book be written.

It is also dedicated to C. Raja Raja Varma, younger brother of Raja Ravi Varma, whose diaries and observations propelled it into the course it has taken.

Contents Author’s Note 11

Chapter 1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century

18

Chapter 3 Cities and States

68

Chapter 2 The Itinerant Varma Brothers

48

Chapter 4 Exploring the Source

154

Chapter 5 Themes and Preoccupations

Chapter 6 The Image Moves On

244

198

Chapter 7 A Century Looks Back

Chapter 8 Painting the Canvas

292

306 Notes 344

Index 354

Author’s Note

O

ver the years I have often pondered over the enigma

through the information I had gathered and through

of Ravi Varma, the man who painted portraits and

my reflections that willed him into manifestation.

mythological paintings, who spawned the beginning of

I will never fully know him but I found much to admire

popular visual culture and unbeknown to many Indians

in this bright-eyed charismatic man of easy laughter,

past and present, influenced their visual perception down

so capable of balancing the traditional with the avant-

the century. Who was this man who had breathed life

garde, gifted with well-honed senses and sensibility,

into these mythology-based paintings, moved with his

energetic, enterprising and entrepreneurial, a man

times and ahead of them as well, taken a farewell bow

indeed, of the twenty-first century.

in the prime of his life and reluctantly left the sphere of living beings with so much yet to accomplish? He

Sources in Mysore and Bangalore

had proved to be both provocative and elusive, yet had

It was a rainy September in 2003, and as usual, Mysore

beckoned, wanting to be known and discovered. I had to

was overflowing with people who had converged for the

seek him out, pursue his trail and unravel something of

Dasara celebrations. They were crowded into the palace

this man whose quicksilver thoughts and rich emotional

gardens, lit up by the lights that chased the contours of

reserves guided his actions and his creativity for fifty-

this vast structure, impervious to the rain that fell well

eight years.

into the night. Central to the festivities was Srikanta

I have not been able to track down every source or

Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the erstwhile Maharaja of

run every bit of information to the ground; neither do I

Mysore, resplendent in his regalia. With everybody

believe it possible to do so. After a hundred years there is

preoccupied with the celebrations this was perhaps the

so much that has vanished with time’s merciless sweep

wrong time to be in Mysore but Sunny, who photographed

and the indifference of unwilling custodians of tangible

a large part of the paintings for the book, was emigrating

evidence. Yet, there was much that was retrieved—a fact

to Australia. It was vital that he photograph the fabulous

this book bears testimony to.

Mysore collection before he left, leaving the remainder

I followed Ravi Varma’s fading footsteps, discovered

to his assistant Pratap to finish.

his environment and family, heard anecdotes, unearthed

In the midst of his multiple preoccupations

his friends and their present families, exhumed period

essential for this time of the year, the former maharaja,

letters, newspapers and photographs, and correlated him

Mr. Wadiyar, most graciously opened up his private

with the India of his times. Slowly I found him as he

rooms for us to photograph his personal collection.

emerged from the mists of nothingness, conjured up

Among them was the impressive portrait of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar, that forms the cover of this

The Swan Messenger (detail), oil on canvas, 26 x 73.6”, 1906.

Collection: Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, Chairman, Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery Trust, Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore

book. Large parts of the palace lay in darkness as the electricity had been diverted to illuminate the extensive exterior. With the rain and the darkness, the walk through

11

the vast areas was almost an adventure. We loped over

In Kerala

electric wires temporarily fixed on the roof and hunched

Kilimanur, Ravi Varma’s ancestral home and the place

under umbrellas in order to reach inaccessible parts of

where he died, caught the tangential light of limpid gold

the palace, guided by a man with a lantern.

as the sun dipped behind the trees. I walked through his

Mr. Wadiyar did manage to speak with me

palace with Principal R.K. Varma of the Raja Ravi Varma

between crowded, hectic moments, and was kind

Central School in Kilimanur. Ravi Varma’s studio, which

enough to direct M.G. Narasimha, Superintendent of the

was his sanctuary, now appeared to be a demystified

Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, to steer us through our

space—just four walls and a large room. Books from his

visit, which also included the Mysore Archives located

library are locked in a cupboard in another part of the

in the palace complex. The archival findings from the

building, with Dr. R.K. Varma as their custodian. Most of

Department of Archaeology were rich in information,

them are stamped with Ravi Varma’s insignia, and offer

Museum and Heritage, where I was assisted by the very

an insight into the kind of books he enjoyed and where

capable Dr. J.V. Gayathri, the Deputy Director. I am grateful

he bought them.

to Kamal Kumar for introducing me to Mr. Wadiyar.

12

The person to give me the correct perspective on

We would not have found a room during this

Ravi Varma, his milieu and the norms that governed it,

busy festival season but for the sanctuary offered to

was the knowledgeable Dr. R.P. Raja, Ravi Varma’s great-

my daughter Rukmini, who was accompanying me on

grandson who lives in Thiruvananthapuram. Without

this trip, our photographer Sunny and me, by the Lalitha

Dr. Raja’s help I would perhaps not have understood the

Mahal Palace Hotel, thanks to Amitabh Kant, Chairman

complexities of Ravi Varma’s environment; so essential

and Managing Director of ITDC at that time.

for a book of this nature.

Anjolie Ela Menon’s sister-in-law, the late Lily

I am much obliged to the late Maharani Karthika

Parameshwar who lived in Bangalore, introduced me

Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore, her brother, the

to V. Damodaran Nair, who translated from Malayalam

erstwhile Maharaja Sri Padmanabha Martanda Varma,

the obituary of Ravi Varma, unearthed from the archives

(great-grandchildren of Ravi Varma) and Karthika

of Malayala Manorama by Philip Mathew, the Managing

Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi’s daughters, Princess Gouri

Editor.

Parvathi Bayi and Princess Gouri Lakshmi Bayi, of the

Lily Parameshwar also introduced me to the

erstwhile Travancore royal family, for allowing me to

Bangalore based Rukmini Varma, who was of great

photograph their formidable collection. (It was Rukmini

importance for my research. While at Rukmini’s house

Varma who related to me, while in Bangalore, the

I met her sister Lakshmi Raghunathan, author of the

anecdote about the brocaded fabric gifted to Ravi Varma

book on her grandmother that I consulted often while

by the Maharaja of Mysore, later made into the wedding

writing my own. They are both granddaughters of Setu

skirt for Rukmini’s grandmother; and it was Gouri

Lakshmi Bayi, one of Ravi Varma’s two granddaughters

Parvathi Bayi who showed me the wedding photograph

who were adopted into the Travancore royal family (See

reproduced in Chapter 1. I am thankful to Hormese

Chapter 1). What I should have calculated earlier struck

Tarakkan, the former DGP of Kerala, and K. Jayakumar,

me forcibly now: four to five generations divide us today

(IAS) for introducing me to Gouri Parvathi Bayi and for

from Ravi Varma and his contemporaries. This is a detail

making it possible to meet the family at Kaudiar Palace.

that I kept well in mind as the research proceeded and

While at Thiruvananthapuram, I photographed

as I looked around for lost material. The charming and

the extensive Sri Chitra Art Gallery collection with the

very informative Rukmini helped further my research

permission of T. Balakrishnan, who was then Secretary,

by introducing me to Dr. R.P. Raja and Dr. R.K. Varma,

Tourism and Culture, and C.S. Yalakki, Chief Conservator

other descendants of Ravi Varma’s children who lived in

of Forests and Director of the art gallery in 2003.

Thiruvananthapuram and in Kilimanur.

Mr. Balakrishnan also gave me permission to photograph

PR

O

V.

POTLITICAL DIVISION OF THE

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KABUL

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FR

A F G H A N I S T A N

SRINAGAR

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PESHAWAR

BRITISH INDIA COLOURED

RT

H-

W

Rawal Pindi Jammu

NO

Kandahar

T

Sialkot

Quetta

A

B

E

TERRITORIES PERMANENTLY ADMINISTERED

BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

T

NATIVE STATES AND TERRITORIES

Simla

B

Ambala Patiala Saharanpur

Multan Bahawalpur

Kalat

I

Amritsar

Lahore

P U N J

Garhwal Tehri

Kham

Meerut

Khairpur Jaisalmer

pu

B

O

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B

Udaipur

A Y

Bhuj

G u j a Ahmadabad r a t

E

N

A TR

IND

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P

Bhopal

Cooch Behar EASTERN BENGAL

Darbhanga

B i h a r

Shillong

Jabbulpore

NAGPUR

Midnarpur

Howrah CALCUTTA

Chittangong

Raipur

U P P E R B U R M A Mandalay

Southern Shan States

Orissa Cuttack

n

Bastar

L O W E R

H Y D E R A B A D Sholapur

Secunderabad

HYDERABAD Kolhapur

D

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C

B U R M A

Vizagapatam

P

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Bellary

Gulf of Martaban

O F

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RANGOON

B A Y

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I

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Karenn i

ka

Puri

Ratnagiri

Nova Goa

DACCA

Jagdalpur

Poona

S E A

Imphal

ASSAM a

ra

BOMBAY

Bhagalpur

B E N G A L C h o t a N a g p u r Chandernagar

P R O V I N C E S B e r a r

Auragabad

AND

A

Y E N C I D E S

Amraoti

Surat

Gulf of Cambay

Gaya

C E N T R A L

R

Bhavnagar

Mirzapur I A A G E NRewah CY

INDORE

Baroda

Kathiawar

A R A B I A N

Punakha

B H U TA N

Patna

Rann of Cutch

Gulf of Cutch

Sikkim Darjeeling

Lucknow Gorakhpur

Ajmer Gwalior Cawnpore AJMER Jodhpur MERWARA Tonk P R O V I N C E S Bundi Gwalior A G E N C Y ALLAHABAD Benares

Sind Karachi

Agra

JAIPUR

R A J P U T A N A

r

KATMANDU

pe

air

N E P A L

Barelly

U N I T E D

Alwar

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Rampur

Aligarh Muttra

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A G E N C Y

Chin Hills

Delhi

Bikaner

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B A L U C H I S T A N

K a l a t

INDIAN EMPIRE

K A S H M I R

Mangalore

Bangalore

Coorg

MYSORE

Mahe (Fr)

LACCADIVE ISLANDS

M A D R A S

B E N G A L M Y S O R E

Salem

Calicut

MADRAS ANDAMAN ISLANDS Pondicherry (Fr) Cuddalore

MERGUI ARCHIPLAGO

Port Blair

Kumbakonam

n Trava

Coimbatore Negapatam Trichinopoly Tanjore Str. k Cochin l Pa Madura

Little Andaman Ten Degree Chanel

co

Trinnevelly

I

N

D

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Trivandrum

Gulf of Manar

N

CEYLON

O

C

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A

NICOBAR ISLANDS

N

Great Nicobar

Map created by Mapin Publishing, 2010; Source: Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 26, Atlas 1909 edition (Oxford University Press) p. 20

Political Map of British India contemporaneous with Ravi Varma’s time, till 1947 The India of that period was divided between what was British India [orange] and princely states [green]. Hyderabad, Mysore, Baroda, Udaipur, Pudukkottai, and Travancore were incorporated into the Indian Union. Bombay acquired the nomenclature of Mumbai, Madras of Chennai and Baroda of Vadodara.

13

some paintings at the Tripunithura Palace in Kochi

narrative of this book. Rani Rema Devi Tondaiman and

(Cochin). S. Raimon, who was the Director of the

Vijendra Tondaiman of Pudukkottai opened up Ravi

Kerala State Archives, helped me locate a cache of Ravi

Varma’s Pudukkottai, while over our many trips to

Varma correspondence, which placed several incidents

the Chettinad area I slowly discovered the many ways

in perspective and which became the backbone of

Ravi Varma’s oleographs had influenced this part of

the sub-chapter on Travancore (See Chapter 3). I thank

Tamil Nadu, highlighted in Chapter 6. It seemed almost

them all.

natural for me to chance upon the sculptures at a Trichy temple inspired, yet again, by Ravi Varma’s oleographs.

In Hyderabad

Similarly, a drive to the Courtallam Falls in the company

There is no connection between the crowded Chudder

of Mahita and Suresh Jaganathan years before I had even

Ghat in Hyderabad today and its more spacious environs

thought of the book had, unknown to me, helped me

of a century ago. I was trying to locate the haveli built

later invoke the famous waters which Ravi Varma sadly

by Raja Bhagwan Das, court jeweller to Mahbub Ali

enough had thought would heal his diabetes. There is a

Khan Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad. Ravi Varma had

whiff of poignancy in his faith in the Courtallam Falls

moved in with Bhagwan Das after his misunderstanding

during the last few months before his death as narrated

with the celebrated photographer Raja Deen Dayal,

in Chapter 7.

during his unsuccessful visit to Hyderabad in 1902

A long interchange with historian and writer

(described in Chapter 3). I had no precise address for

S. Muthiah led to the discovery of George Moore’s portrait

Bhagwan Das’s house but finding it was meant to be,

in the Ripon Building and that of Lord Ampthill’s portrait

and so I did find it, squeezed tightly into a narrow street

at the Freemasons Lodge, both in Chennai. Ravi Menon,

and not visible from the busy main road. Miraculous

the present Grand Master, connected me further with

still, as though awaiting my arrival, was a middle-aged

Rustom Dastur, ‘Dusty’, and grandson of Aloo Kharegate

gentleman leaning against the gate, who happened to be

who is the subject of Ravi Varma’s Going Out. Dusty

Gopaldas Bhagwandas Shah, the great-great-grandson

evoked his grandmother’s personality and unravelled

of Raja Bhagwan Das, and who welcomed me into

the story behind the portrait, for which I am exceedingly

the haveli. This connection led to the discovery of the

thankful. I acknowledge my debt to N. Ram, the Editor-

Nizam’s portrait and a set of letters exchanged between

in-Chief of The Hindu newspaper and its meticulously

Ravi Varma and Raja Bhagwan Das, presently in the

maintained archives, and for Ravi Varma’s obituaries;

possession of Satish G. Shah, the uncle of Gopaldas

to Meenakshi Meyyappa, Mahitha Suresh, Sheila Priya

Shah. The letters helped me develop the narrative about

(IAS), and Mr. and Mrs. K.K. Varma.

the discovery of the Nizam’s portrait made during the

I am indebted to Dr. R. Kannan for being able to

Varmas‘ stay in Hyderabad. My many thanks to Satish

photograph the Ravi Varma paintings at the Government

Shah, Gopaldas Shah, to Mohamed Safiullah, a collector

Museum, Chennai and for being able to examine and

of old photographs with special interest in those of Deen

photograph the portrait of W.A. Porter hanging high

Dayal, and to our friend S. Anwar, (IAS), who facilitated

inside Porter Town Hall in Kumbakonam. It was covered

the transparencies at the Salar Jung Museum and who

with cobwebs and the painter’s identity had long since

clarified some details in the text.

lapsed into the past. Porter had been a man of some consequence who had helped to further Ravi Varma’s

14

In Tamil Nadu

career in Mysore. While in Kumbakonam I sought out

It seems almost ordained that my many trips to Tamil

J. Jaishankar, descendant of Seshaiah Sastri, the Dewan

Nadu made since 1979 which had resulted in my

of Pudukkottai and friend of Ravi Varma, who informed

travelling and meeting people in this state, should

me that I had come too late as his ancestor’s palace had

abundantly come to my assistance when I started the

only recently been pulled down.

In Mumbai and Pune

The railway line that connects Pune and Mumbai

The Mumbai to Pune stretch proved to be the matrix

goes past Malavli, the station for Ravi Varma’s Fine

for several concepts and areas of information that fitted

Art Lithograph Press. Fritz Schleicher, who bought the

into the general jigsaw puzzle of the book. As in Tamil

press from the brothers in 1903, lived there till his death

Nadu, each trip here was never a disappointment; so

in 1935. I thank Patrick Bowring for introducing me to

provocative were the findings in these places. `Bombay’

Robert Phillips Sandhu, Schleicher’s grandson. Robert

had to be seen de nouveau through Ravi Varma’s eyes,

provided me with a perspective to Malavli during Ravi

mainly the geography of the Girgaum/Opera House area

Varma’s time that made the narrative quicken with

frequented by him because of the press and because of the

authenticity. The day spent in Schleicher’s cottage in

voice of Anjanibai Malpekar, a well known exponent of

Malavli’s forest with Robert and his late wife Lisbeth

the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana in Bombay, who lived in this

was quite unforgettable.

area. I recall with appreciation the many conversations with Suhasini Koratkar, whom I met through S. Kalidas.

In Manipal

Suhasini is one of Anjanibai’s disciples who introduced

I started to accumulate the material on Ravi Varma’s

me to Malpekar’s grandchildren Vijay, Sadhana, Vidya

press when I met Vijaynath Shenoy, the Trustee-

and Deepak Ved. They gave me the Hindi translation

Secretary of the Hasta Shilpa Trust in Manipal, again

of the last interview given by Malpekar to a Marathi

introduced to me by Anjolie Ela Menon. It was only a

magazine in 1972, aged 89. It has been reproduced with

couple of years later that I was able to meet with Robert

all its nostalgia in the section on Bombay in Chapter 3.

Sandhu, Fritz Schleicher’s grandson. All the surviving

In Pune, it was from Dr. S.D. Gokhale that I heard

lithostones, pigments and oleographs of the press were

of Anand Madgulkar, who knew about the Marathi

handed over to Shenoy by Sandhu some years ago and

autobiography of Balasaheb, the Raja of Aundh, a friend

are now displayed in a museum at the Hasta Shilpa Trust

and admirer of Ravi Varma, who wrote extensively on

in Manipal. It is because of Shenoy’s cooperation that a

the artist in his book. Anand Madgulkar went through

great deal of this material has been used in Chapter 6.

the autobiography and sent me the relevant pages that pertained to Ravi Varma, for which I am very grateful.

In Vadodara and Ahmedabad

Anjali Nargolkar, introduced to me by D.N. Mishra, my

My special thanks to B.N. Doshi who accompanied me

yoga instructor, graciously translated the text for me.

into the Girgaum district of Mumbai, where I evoked the

I thank them all as the extracts proved invaluable,

time when Ravi Varma had stayed there. He was equally

allowing me an extraordinary insight into Ravi Varma’s

a great help in Vadodara and Ahmedabad for the days

art practices, discussed extensively in Chapter 8. Also

that I was there. I cannot forget G.V. Shah, Superintendent

translated by Anjali Nargolkar were excerpts from

at the Archives in Vadodara and his staff, who were

the Marathi newspaper, Kesari, with contemporary

very cooperative. I thank the Sarabhai Foundation and

references to Ravi Varma. Rajender Thakurdesai, who has

Gira Sarabhai for completing the reference on Ambalal

a special interest in Ravi Varma, researched these at the

Sarabhai, her father. I am grateful to her sister, Gita Mayor

Pune Archives. He also investigated into the rumoured

for her insights on Anjanibai Malpekar, and to the painter

defamation suit against Ravi Varma by delving through

Amit Ambalal for introducing me to Gita Mayor.

legal gazetteers of the Pune High Court without finding anything sensational. I greatly appreciate the generosity

In Udaipur

of The National Film Institute with its great archives at

Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma saw the beauty of Lake

Pune; and for allowing me to see how the Magic Lantern

Pichola from Amet Haveli that stands on the opposite

operates. The relevant visuals from the National Film

side of the lake from Udaipur’s famous palaces. I was

Institute archives have truly enriched Chapter 6.

at Amet Haveli with my daughter Rukmini, under a

15

16

luminous sky and a soft drizzle standing in the chatri

varying degrees; Priya Bhasin and Vidita Singh for their

that hangs over the water, the same chatri from where

sustained help on the computer. I am equally obliged

Ravi Varma painted the extraordinary view. My many

to Rakesh Aggarwal, Vijay Aggarwal, Ashish Anand,

thanks to the erstwhile Maharana Shriji Arvind Singh

Sharon Apparao, Kishore Babu, Nishajyoti Bahadur,

Mewar for the photography of his paintings, and to Nina

Sonia Bellani, Shobhana Bhartia, Shobha Bhatia,

Singh for introducing me to him, as well as to the family

Shaupon Bosu, Suma and the late John Chakola, the late

at Amet Haveli for allowing me to spend time there.

Urmila Chathli, Tunty Chauhan, Sita Chidambaran, Avanish Chopra, Kukie Choudhrie, Atul Dodiya, Urmila

Museums and Archives

Dhongre, Professor Dhumal, Ritu and Alak Gajapati

I am indebted to the following museums and archives for

Raju,

enhancing the diversity of visuals in the book: Hill Palace,

V. Krishnamoorthi, Seth Vijay Kumar, the late Madhavan

Thripunithura, Kochi; Madhavan Nayar Foundation,

Kutty, Adithya Lakshma Rao Jatprole, Ashok Mehta,

Kochi; Krishna Menon Museum, Kozhikode; Sri Chitra

Rakesh Mohan, Kiran and Shiv Nadar, Ritu and Rajan

Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala State Archives;

Nanda, Peter Nagy, Karan Singh Pawar, Mr. Perumal,

Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, Mysore; Mysore State

Jyoti M. Rai, Mariam Ram, Chameli Ramachandran,

Archives; Government Museum, Egmore, Chennai; Fort

V. Ramesh, Poonam Bevli Sahi, Rajiv and Roohi Savera,

Museum, Chennai; Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad;

Gyanendra Seth, Dilip Shankar, Kavita and Jasjit Singh,

Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata; Birla Academy of Art and

Nina Singh, the late Tejashwar Singh, Ujuala Singh,

Culture, Kolkata; National Gallery of Modern Art, New

Siddharta Tagore, Faredum Taraporwala, Shikha Trivedi,

Delhi; National Railway Museum, New Delhi; National

Neville Tuli, Sunita Vadehra, Amol Vadehra and Madhu

Museum Laboratory, New Delhi; Pudukkottai Museum;

and Chander Verma.

Manisha

Gera

Baswani,

Namita

Gokhale,

Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in Mumbai

My conservator friend Dr. Clare Finn in London

for the Ravi Varma images at Shree Bhavani Museum,

introduced me to Dr. Nick Eastaugh who provided me

Aundh; Bombay Art Society, Mumbai; Merchant Ivory

with two important connections: one with Sally

Productions, Mumbai; Maharaja Fatesingh Museum

Woodcock, who had worked extensively on the Roberson

Trust, Vadodara; Gujarat State Archives, Vadodara;

Archives at the Hamilton Kerr Institute at Cambridge, and

National Archives, New Delhi and the Director General,

the other with Sarah Miller, the UK Education Manager

Mr. S.M. Baqar, and Dr. Gautam there.

at Winsor & Newton. It is the valuable information they generously made available that gave an extra punch to

In Delhi and elsewhere

Chapter 8.

The strangers, family and friends who have helped

My many thanks are for Navin, my husband and

me through the book, its narrative and the journeys

steady-constant, and his reflections on the narrative of

undertaken while writing this book are innumerable. I

the book; to my elder daughter Rukmini for her editorial

am grateful to A. Ramachandran, Dr. R.P. Raja, Mala

help since I began writing it, and to my younger daughter

Marwah, Ranesh Ray and Chanda Singh for their

Mrinalini for burning CDs late into the night! All of them

invaluable help. I also wish to acknowledge Sudha

too, for their concern and constant inquiry.

Gopalakrishnan, K.K. Gupta, Madhu Jain, K. Jayakumar,

I am extremely grateful to Pavan Morarka for his

Ranbir Kaleka, Suhasini Koratkar, M.G. Narasimha,

support. Without his sponsorship I would not have been

M. Safiullah, Robert Sandhu, Shobha Deepak Singh, and

able to explore Ravi Varma’s world to the extent that

Gayatri Sinha for patiently sifting through the text in

I did.

I am indebted to everyone at Mapin for the

Oleograph of Shakuntala and Menaka, based on the original by Raja Ravi Varma (See page 193)

meticulous work done in the making of the book.

17

Private Lives and the Turn of the Century

Memories of a Rare World

the Travancore royal family were rewarded with the

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, has always

large estate of Kilimanur. They were known as the

been known by that name except for the time when the

“Koil Thampuran,” which was a great honour, as

British referred to it as Trivandrum. There was no single

only the Koil Thampurans were permitted to make

state but three separate regions—Travancore, Cochin

endogamous marriages with the Travancore royal

and Malabar—till they were amalgamated in 1956 to form

family. The prefix of “Raja” to Ravi Varma’s name does

Kerala. Trivandrum, which had earlier been the capital

not connote kingship even while it finds a connection

of Travancore, continued to be the capital of Kerala

with his royal antecedents. It is perhaps more strongly

after the merging of the three states. In 1991, the city’s

linked with the recognition and acknowledgement

original name, Thiruvananthapuram, was reinstated

he received as a painter, from the British and also

and Trivandrum, as it was known during Ravi Varma’s

the Indian elite. For a socially mobile person like

time, disappeared into history.

Ravi Varma, it would have been of a greater advantage

About 40 kilometres out of Thiruvananthapuram

to adopt the more familiar Raja than the unfamiliar “Koil

is Kilimanur, Raja Ravi Varma’s birthplace, which during

Thampuran” while outside Travancore. Ravi Varma

his lifetime was a prosperous estate inhabited by about

inscribed Koil Thampuran together with his name

200 members of the Kilimanur clan (Fig. 1.2). It is today

on paintings whenever he wished to communicate

almost desolate, and a bleak, shuttered air hovers over

his status. C. Raja Raja Varma, (Fig. 1.3) Ravi Varma’s

the place. Some family members continue to live in

younger brother, who chronicled their lives for several

Kilimanur, while most of them have scattered in different

years, testifies to the importance of this title when he

directions.

writes in his diary in 1903: “We—the Koil Thampurans of

The Kilimanur clan originally descended from

Kilimanur—went first to settle in Travancore for marriage

the rulers of Beypore (near Kozhikode on the northern

alliances with the royal family.” His own name, Raja Raja

coast of Kerala), who, for their valorous defense of

Varma, is a proper noun particular to men in Kerala. The initial “C” has no specific relevance. It was attached to

Fig. 1.1 Maharani Lakshmi Bayi (1848–1900), oil on canvas, 41.6 x 53.6”, 1883. Collection: Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram The older sister of Ravi Varma’s wife, Mahaprabha Thampuratty, Lakshmi Bayi was adopted into the Travancore royal family and became the Senior Rani of Travancore.

Raja Raja Varma’s name in order to differentiate him from other Raja Raja Varmas in the family.

“Varma” is a caste name of the Kshatriyas, who are the warrior class and second in the four-tier caste system in India. Strict codes of behaviour and a rigid hierarchic system had bound the social structure of this

2 3

Fig. 1.2 View of Kilimanur Palace across the paddy fields, as seen in 2003 Fig. 1.3 C. Raja Raja Varma (1860–1905). Collection: R.P. Raja Ravi Varma’s brother, constant and beloved companion, painting assistant, secretary, and writer of a diary maintained over several years till a while before his death in early 1905.

Raja Ravi Varma 20

Fig. 1.4 Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi (1851–1894), oil on canvas, 29 x 40”, 1894. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram The middle sister among Ravi Varma's wife's sisters, Parvathi Bayi, was adopted into the Travancore royal family and became the Junior Rani.

4 5

6

Fig. 1.5 Bharani Thirunal Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (c. 1830–1890), oil on canvas, 31 x 48”, c. 1890. Private collection Ravi Varma’s mother-in-law and mother of the two ranis of Travancore.

Fig. 1.6 Pooruruttathi Thirunal Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (1855–1891), oil on canvas, 21 x 25”, undated.

Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Ravi Varma’s wife. Names such as Mahaprabha, Lakshmi, Parvathi, Kerala Varma and Raja Raja Varma were often used within the family, necessitating the prefix of the birth star to a name for easy identification.

1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century

21

particular Kshatriya community into which Ravi Varma

too died young, having given birth to four sons and no

was born. This insulated them from the outside world for

daughters, while Lakshmi Bayi, unfortunately, remained

more reasons than just their geographic isolation, which

childless. This complicated matters further and it

produced in them a perception uniquely their own.

became obligatory on the Senior Rani to adopt two of

Mavelikkara,

some

80

kilometres

north

of

Kilimanur, was the seat of another important Kshatriya

her sister Mahaprabha and Ravi Varma in 1900.

family and the home of Bharani Thirunal Mahaprabha

The former Dewan (Prime Minister) of Travancore,

Amma Thampuran, mother of Ravi Varma’s wife

Sir A. Seshaiah Sastri, who had retired in the late 1890s

Mahaprabha Amma Thampuran (Figs 1.5 and 1.6). Mave-

and returned to live in Kumbakonam (formerly in

likkara could not have marital alliances with the royal

Madras Presidency, now a town in Tamil Nadu), wrote to

family because the caste structure of the two houses

Lakshmi Bayi in 1896, entreating her to adopt her nieces.

did not permit it. But the Mavelikkara family could, and

She replied with the following sentiment: “I have now

did, marry into the Kilimanur clan. Mahaprabha’s eldest

devoted my life entirely to the service of God, who may

sister, Lakshmi Bayi (Fig. 1.1), married Kerala Valiya Koil

be pleased to vouchsafe to me the satisfaction of seeing

Thampuran, known as Kerala Kalidasa, and Parvathi

many more female issues in my mother’s line eligible for

Bayi (Fig. 1.4), the middle sister married Kerala Varma

adoption to the Travancore Royal Family. I hope to be

Kochu Koil Thampuran (after his early death in 1872, she

spared long enough to bring up two girls to inherit my

was married to Raja Raja Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran,

estate and its appurtenances”.1 The “two girls” in their turn, were to become the

also from Kilimanur).

Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi Bayi lived lives quite

Senior Rani Setu Lakshmi Bayi and the Junior Rani Setu

different from their younger sister, Mahaprabha. Apart

Parvathi Bayi when the earlier Rani Lakshmi Bayi died

from links through marriage, the social structure of

in 1901. Setu Lakshmi Bayi (Fig. 1.7) was Ravi Varma’s

aristocratic Travancore at times necessitated the adoption

older granddaughter and the progeny of Mahaprabha,

of girls into the Travancore royal family. According to

his eldest daughter, acknowledged as being the beauty

the matrilineal system in Kerala, it is the eldest male

of the family. Mahaprabha and her mother were known

member in the royal family who becomes the king. In

by the same name, as there was a limited choice of

the likelihood of there being no female members, the

names within the aristocracy, also evident in names like

Maharaja had to necessarily adopt one or two “sisters”

“Lakshmi” “Parvathi” and “Raja Raja Varma”. Several of

or “nieces”. These girls were adopted from Mavelikkara

the women in Ravi Varma’s paintings are modelled on

because the caste structure of the two families allowed

Mahaprabha and she is undoubtedly immortalized in

it. Such an adoption occurred several times in the royal

There Comes Papa (Fig. 1.8).

history of Travancore. Both Lakshmi Bayi and Parvathi

The second granddaughter to be adopted was Setu

Bayi were adopted into the royal family as young girls

Parvathi Bayi, child of Bhageerathy Amma Thampuran,

and were subsequently known as the Senior Rani

Ravi Varma’s second daughter. Sri Chithira Thirunal,

Lakshmi Bayi and the Junior Rani Parvathi Bayi of

the eldest son of Junior Rani Setu Parvathi Bayi and the

Travancore.

great-grandson of Ravi Varma, was the Maharaja until

A different situation endangered the royal line

his death in 1991. His brother, Marthanda Varma is the

when Kerala Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran, Parvathi

nominal ruler today, while his sister, Karthika Thirunal

Bayi’s first husband, died early in life leaving her childless.

Lakshmi Bayi was the Maharani until her death in

Her remarriage became imperative, as the royal line

June 2008 (Fig. 1.10, also see Chapter 3, Travancore).

would otherwise have been at risk. She was wedded to

Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bayi, elder daughter of

Raja Raja Varma Kochu Koil Thampuran a year later in

Setu Lakshmi Bayi has succeeded her. The painter

1873. But it proved to be of no avail, as Parvathi Bayi

Rukmini Varma, and Lakshmi Raghunandan, author of

Raja Ravi Varma 22

her Mavelikkara grand-nieces, the granddaughters of

Fig. 1.7 Photograph of Setu Lakshmi Bayi and Shree Rama Varma Koil Thampuran on their wedding day, Trivandrum, 1906. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Daughter of Mahaprabha, Ravi Varma’s eldest daughter, Setu Lakshmi Bayi was the Maharani of Travancore from 1924 to 1931.

Her wedding pavada, a long brocaded skirt, in deep pink, was made from a brocade fabric gifted to Ravi Varma by the Maharaja of Mysore. The pattern of the skirt was used by Ravi Varma in Sri Krishna as Envoy (Fig. 4.19), a tribute paid to his royal patron.

7 8

Fig. 1.8 There Comes Papa, oil on canvas, 32 x 49”, 1893, signed “Ravi Varma, 1893” in black, below left. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Ravi Varma’s eldest daughter, also called Mahaprabha (1872–1919), with her one-year-old son, Marthanda Varma. Her beauty inspired her father to often adapt her classical features in his paintings.

There Comes Papa was one of the 10 paintings sent by Ravi Varma in 1894 to the International Exhibition at Chicago. He was advised to add a dog to the painting with the reason that the dog would be an added attraction for American viewers. Over a century ago, household pets were seldom seen in Indian homes, as they were considered unclean.

1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century

23

At the Turn of the Tide: The Life and Times of Maharani Setu Lakshmi, the Last Queen of Travancore, are her daughters.

The social system of Ravi Varma’s environment was both rigid and complex, governed by many rules that guided the religious and sociocultural life of the community. Much of the complexity hinged on the matrilineal system itself. According to this concept, the Brahmins married into their own community while also forging alliances with Kshatriya women and those of other castes, thus sustaining dominance over

other

sections

of

society.

The

families

of

Kilimanur and Mavelikkara, as has been explained, were Kshatriya clans.

The Kshatriya wife did not live in her husband’s home for various reasons, a custom that continued till the 1950s. Intercaste marriages were the practice in earlier times. But such a system did not permit a Kshatriya wife to live in the home of her Brahmin husband.2 For this reason women who married Brahmins continued to live in their mother’s home after marriage. Their children grew up in the same house. Thus the matrilineal system continued, extending into large joint families.3 Ravi Varma’s parents, to whom he was born on 29 April 1848, are an example of such a union. His father, Ezhumavil Neelakantan Bhattatiripad was a learned Namboothiri Brahmin, the highest among all Brahmins.

The Brahmins were traditionally priests and teachers and above all others in the caste system. His mother, Uma Amba Bai Thampuratty of Kilimanur, was a Kshatriya, intellectually

accomplished

and

an

acknowledged

Malayali poet. Their four children, Ravi Varma, Goda Varma, Raja Raja Varma and Mangala Bayi, lived in Kilimanur (Figs 1.11 and 1.12), which was their mother’s

Fig. 1.9 Veena Player, oil on canvas, 34 x 43”, undated, signed “Ravi Varma” in red, below left. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Family members playing the veena were a frequent sight in Ravi Varma’s milieu, resulting in several paintings of this genre.

9

10 11 12

Fig. 1.10 The Hindu, 29 October 1937. Courtesy: The Hindu Archives, Chennai Clockwise from top left: Maharaja Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, son of Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi; Ravi Varma's granddaughter Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi; her younger son, Marthanda Varma: now the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore, Sri Padmanabha Dasa; Junior Rani Setu Parvati Bayi's daughter, now the late Maharani Lakshmi Bayi; Maharani Setu Lakshmi Bayi, Ravi Varma's older grandaughter adopted into the Travancore royal family.

Fig. 1.11 View of Ravi Varma’s studio as seen in 2003.

The studio occupies a prominent position in the grounds of Kilimanur Palace. The yellow painted door on the extreme left earlier led to an open verandah where Ravi Varma sat and listened to the recitation of ancient texts.

Fig. 1.12 Ravi Varma in the open verandah outside his studio listening to scriptures, late 19th century. Collection: R.P. Raja.

1 Private Lives and the Turn of the Century

25

Fig. 1.13 Nair Lady Arranging Jasmine in Her Hair, oil on canvas, 18 x 24”, 1903. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram Fig. 1.14 Ramaswamy Naidu, Lady Coiling Jasmine in Her Hair, oil on canvas, 27 x 35”, undated. Collection: Sri Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram Fig. 1.15 Varasiyar at the Bathing Ghat, oil on canvas, 31.6 x 56”, c. 1890s. Collection: Travancore Royal Family, Kaudiar Palace, Thiruvananthapuram An anecdote often recounted within Ravi Varma’s family was of a Varasiyar lady who drifted to the wrong bathing tank by mistake. This incident inspired Ravi Varma's depiction of the embarrassed young woman in this painting. The Warriers maintained major temples.

Raja Ravi Varma 26

13 14 15

16 17 18

Fig. 1.16 Wife of Kunjaru Raja, oil on canvas, 26 x 34”, 1870.

Collection: Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad Kunjaru Raja was the head of the Mavelikkara family and a close friend of both, Prince Martanda Varma of Travancore and Ravi Varma. Ravi Varma's wife was from Mavelikkara.

Fig. 1.17 Nair Lady with Mirror, oil on canvas, 28.6 x 40.6”, 1894. Collection: Government Museum, Chennai This work reflects one of the many familiar sights that structured Ravi Varma's childhood environment.

Fig. 1.18 Goda Varma. Collection: R.P. Raja Goda Varma was the modest, quiet sibling who led a comparatively uneventful life in Kilimanur managing the affairs of Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma while they were away. He was a musician of considerable talent.

Raja Ravi Varma 28

“Rupika Chawla’s lavishly

produced book is not a heavy academic tome. In style and substance, it is hugely engaging, carrying its scholarship with a remarkable lightness of grace.”

—India Today

Rupika Chawla is a conservator of paintings based in Delhi. She has restored several Ravi Varma paintings at her studio in Delhi and she also gives training in conservation. Together with artist A. Ramachandran she had organized the seminal exhibition on Raja Ravi Varma in 1993 at the National Museum, New Delhi, which brought about a strong revival of the artist and his work. She has written extensively on contemporary Indian art, and is the author of Surface and Depth: Indian Artists at Work (Viking), A. Ramachandran: Art of the Muralist (Kala Yatra & Sistas) and Icons of the Raw Earth (Kala Yatra). She also maintained a column in The Indian Express from 2001 to 2004.

ART

Raja Ravi Varma Painter of Colonial India Rupika Chawla

Other titles of interest

Maharanis Women of Royal India Edited by Abhishek Poddar and Nathaniel Gaskell EBRAHIM ALKAZI

Directing Art Edited by Dr. Parul Dave-Mukherji

Kalamkari Temple Hangings Anna L. Dallapiccola

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“…with this sumptuous, well-researched and deeply written volume,

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