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Raja Ravi Varma - Self portrait, 1887

Raja Ravi Varma is famous for his paintings based on Indian mythology & epics. He was was born in Kilimanoor Palace and he learnt water colour painting from the palace artist Rama Swamy Naidu. He learnt oil painting from the British artist Theodor Jenson. Towards the end of the 19th century, when there was a lack of vitality in Indian painting, he was one of the few artists who re-introduced Indian subjects in his works.Varma was the first Indian to use Western techniques of perspective and composition and to adapt them to Indian subjects, styles, and themes. He won the Governor’s Gold Medal in 1873 for the painting Nair Lady Adorning Her Hair. He became a much-sought-after artist among both the Indian nobility and the Europeans in India, who commissioned him to paint their portraits. Varma adapted Western realism to pioneer a new movement in Indian art. In 1894 he set up a lithographic press in order to mass-produce copies of his paintings as oleographs, enabling ordinary people to afford them. That innovation resulted in the tremendous popularity of his images, which became an integral part of popular Indian culture thereafter.

Dashavatara, the ten

avatars of Lord Vishnu

A representation of the Gayatri MantraThe goddess sits on a lotus flower and appears with five heads and five pairs of hands, representing the incarnations of the goddess as Parvati, Saraswati etc. She is Saraswatī. She is the consort of Brahma

Usha's Dream (oleographic print)

Ah

ima

hi V

ad

h

(Ha

nu

ma

n k

ills

Ah

i an

d M

ah

i)

Jagannath (Lord of the

Universe) Lithograph by

Raja Ravi Varma,1900s

Ardhanarishva

Ardhanarishvara is a composite androgynous form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati. Ardhanarishvara is depicted as half male and half female, split down the middle.

The origin of Ardhanarishvara lies in hermaphrodite figures in ancient Hindu and Greek cultures. Maruti

Ganesha with AshtaSiddhi

Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha

Ganapati (Ganesha with consorts Riddhi and Siddhi)According to Scriptures Ganesha Purana, Lord Ganesha is married to Buddhi and Siddhi, daughters of Lord Brahma. Buddhi  means intelligence. Siddhi is the ultimate achievement, i.e. liberation (moksha). Riddhi  means progress, prosperity and material enjoyment (bhoga). Buddhi, Siddhi and Riddhi are all Lord Ganesha’s  own powers. When they are personified, they are considered as his consorts.

Ganapati (Ganesha with consorts Siddhi and Buddhi)

Ganesh on his vahana, a mouse or rat

Lord Ganesha is the son of lord Shiva and the God is given the first honour of worship in Hinduism. Before undertaking anything auspicious Hindus offer prayers to Lord Ganesha

Lord Ganesha is given prime importance among the Panch Devtas. The Panch Devtas are Lord Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Surya. In Hindu mythology, Panch Devtas together makes the Brahman (universe), which is supreme and absolute.

Goddess Ambika (Durga)

the wife of Vichitravirya seated on a throne with

attendants and musicians by her side, she

has four hands. Co

lou

r lit

ho

gra

ph

of

the

go

dd

ess

Am

bik

a

Brit

ish

Mu

seu

m,

Lo

nd

on

Dattatreya, the incarnation of the

thrimoorthis, Brahma,

Mahavishnu and Maheswar (Shiva)

Sacred River Goddess Ganga

Parashurama (the sixth avatar of

Vishnu) with his axe M

ats

ya

(th

e a

vata

r o

f th

e H

ind

u g

od

Vis

hn

u in

th

e f

orm

of

a f

ish

)

Ma

ha

tma

Bu

dd

ha

Jud

ith

Po

rtra

it o

f V

asa

ntik

a,

the

sp

ring

Ah

aly

a 1

89

6In

Hin

du

myt

ho

log

y, A

ha

lya

is t

he

wife

of

the

sa

ge

Ga

uta

ma

Ma

ha

rish

i

Na

tara

ja -

Th

e C

osm

ic D

an

cer

(Lo

rd S

hiv

a d

an

cin

g in

th

e f

orm

of

Na

tara

j)

Va

ma

n

Durga Goddess Chamundi kills evil Mahishasura

King Harichandra in his vow to speak only the truth, losing his son

Mohini on a swing

Mohini (Heavenly Apsara) is the only female avatar of the

Hindu god Vishnu Mo

hin

i (O

leo

gra

ph

)

Mohini asking Rugmangada to kill his own son, 1899

Mohini and Bhasmasur (he destroyed himself by putting his hands on his head)

Arjuna and Subhadra (half

sister of Krishna)

Kali trampling Shiva

Meerabai (Women who changed the

world)

the Rajasthani poet-saint

and a devotee of

Lord Krishna is singing

songs (Bhajans) in praise of her lover, Lord

Krishna

Vasanthasena (Oleographic

print)

Garuda Vahan Vishnu

Lord Vishnu

flying on his divine vehicle Garuda Bird with two of his attendants on either

side.

Shani Deva, the elder brother of Yama, the

Hindu god of death.

Shani is

embodied in the planet Saturn and

is the Lord of Saturday

Vishnu Laxmi and

Serpent Anant

Dhruv NarayanDhruva, son of King Uttanapada and Suniti, meditating in the forest. Narayan (Vishnu) appears and gives him boon to be in the middle of the sky so that all the stars would revolve around him.

Krishna Drishta (1888)The viewing of the infant Krishna

Birth of Krishna

Savitri Narad Samvad Satyavan Savitri Savitri

De

sce

nt

of

Ga

ng

a

Markandeya

Godess Saraswati

playing a Veena and her vehicle

a Peacock seated, facing

her

Th

e G

od

de

ss L

aks

hm

i sta

nd

ing

on

a L

otu

s

Th

e G

od

de

ss L

aks

hm

i (d

eta

il)

Shesh Narayan, is considered to be one of the many manifestations of Vishnu and is also considered as the servant of Vishnu.

Se

sha

na

raya

na

N

ara

yan

a (

Vis

hn

u)

an

d w

ifes,

with

Sh

esh

a (

Ole

og

rap

hic

prin

t)

Seduction of Vishwamitra (Menaka, the

nymph tempting the

yogi)

Urvashi and Pururavas

Tilottama is an

Apsara (celestial nymph)

described in Hindu

mythology

Murugan Hindu deity Karktikeya (the Hindu god of war) with his consorts on his Vahana peacock

Skanda, Murugan or Kartikeya, is the Hindu god of war. He is the commander-in-chief of the army of the devas (gods) and the son of Shiva and Parvati.

Sound: Gaurangi Devi Dasi aka Pia - Govindam

Text and pictures: InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda