Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation presents “Daughter of Providence” an exhibition showcasing one of Raja Ravi Varma’s most charming paintings—a hitherto unseen work from the Travancore royal collection.
Bengaluru: On the occasion of the 176th birth anniversary of master artist and national treasure Raja Ravi Varma (that falls on 29th April), the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation presents “Daughter of Providence” a first of its kind exhibition on the life and times of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (1895-1985), the last ruling queen of Travancore and Ravi Varma’s eldest granddaughter.
The exhibition will be on display between 29th April and 30th May at the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, Mezzanine Level, 38 Maini Sadan, 7th Cross Lavelle Road, Bengaluru 560001.
Conceptualised by the Foundation with research and documentation by historian Dr. Manu S. Pillai, author of the award-winning The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore, the centrepiece of the exhibition will be a stunning, never before seen, original oil painting of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as a three year old child, painted by her grandfather Raja Ravi Varma as a present to her.
The exhibition will also showcase a collection of photographs of the Maharani and her life, narrated visually in different chapters. A magnificent oil painting by the Maharani’s first granddaughter, Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi Thampuran, also the Chairperson of the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, will be on display.
Gitanjali Maini, Managing Trustee & CEO of the Foundation says: “While the focus of the Foundation remains on documentation and preservation of Raja Ravi Varma’s work, we often come across paintings done by the artist that have never been seen, researched, documented or published before they reach out hands. It therefore becomes the responsibility of the Foundation that such paintings are talked about and displayed for the world to see. This painting of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi as a three year old girl, is one such work that needs to be spoken about and shared with anyone who has a love for Raja Ravi Varma and his work.
Hence we couldn’t think of a more fitting manner in which to honour the artist on his 176th birth anniversary than by exhibiting this magnificent painting that he did of his granddaughter, who went on to become one of the most important figures in the history of Travancore and India.
The exhibition, with this painting being the highlight, showcases the life of the Maharani from infancy to her last days, which she spent peacefully in Richmond Road, Bengaluru. While she ruled Travancore and created history through reforms and wise governance, she also chose our city to spend her years once she gave up the throne, thereby making it more pertinent for us to remember her and her talented grandfather, Raja Ravi Varma.
Through exhibitions and outreaches such as this, we hope to spread the word about the work that the Foundation does and encourage more and more collectors to seek our assistance in documenting and preserving Raja Ravi Varma’s work.
About the Maharani:
Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore was one of the most striking female icons of twentieth century India. Admired by nationalists like Mahatma Gandhi and colonial-era figures like Lord Mountbatten alike, the seven years she ruled Travancore, between 1924-31, saw new standards of social justice and economic prosperity. She appointed women to high positions and opened the doors of her state’s legislature to them; she skilfully began to dismantle caste disadvantages, and even supported the making of the first feature film in Kerala.
The British too, who did not typically look at Indian royalty favourably, admitted that Sethu Lakshmi Bayi was a talented ruler, bringing “unexampled prosperity” to her people. Through all this, she remained personally modest and self-effacing. With the march of time and the rise of democracy in India, she gracefully accepted change.
In the 1950s, she moved away from the palace, shifting permanently to Bangalore. Giving up the half a dozen titles she once held, and becoming simply “Smt Sethu Lakshmi Bayi”, she died in 1985 as an ordinary citizen. Her life saw drama, and she battled many court intrigues, giving her story an almost cinematic quality. As the last queen to wield power under the matrilineal system, she was actually addressed as “Maharajah” when she was in power.
In her heyday, she encountered everyone from Rabindranath Tagore to figures like Edda Mussolini, the daughter of the Italian dictator. Hers was a rich, eventful, fascinating life, one to which this show pays tribute.
A special talk by Dr. Manu S. Pillai on Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and her significance in Indian history is scheduled for 27th April 2024, 6:30 pm at the exhibition venue.