Kilimanoor Palace: Remembering Raja Ravi Varma

The name of Raja Ravi Varma resonates even today among art lovers & his contribution to Kerala history is of utmost importance. The Kilimanoor palace though was present before his birth, it is today dedicated to this great connoisseur of art who with his paintings not only made his lineage proud but also took the name of Kerala to far away lands. The Kilimanoor palace is today the place which celebrates the life of the great painter & a visit here takes you back to understand the story behind each of his works.

The palace one sees is over 300 years old & was constructed to the current style in 1753. This was actually the house called Chootayil which was the estate belonging to Pillai’s who ruled these places until the great king Marthanda Varma took over the Venad kingdom. In 1729 after ascending the throne Marthanda Varma started the Travancore kingdom & made Kilimanoor a feudal estate. It was in 1740 the feudal lords & army of Kilimanoor resisted a powerful army of the Dutch which was considered to be a big feat as it was the first time when a regional army had defeated a powerful European power. Marthanda Varma recognised this feat & in 1753 decided to exempt Kilimanoor from taxes & gave autonomous power which was the only place under the rule of Travancore along with initiating the construction of the palace complex. It is also to be believed that Marthanda Varma had great love for Kilimanoor as his father Raghava Varma was also born in this palace. 

The palace today is a beautiful structure made in traditional nalukettu architecture & many of the structures were reconstructed by the great painter Raja Ravi Varma. Ravi Varma was born in 1848 at the Kilimanoor palace & from his childhood all realised his love for art as many charcoal paintings were found on the walls. The title of Raja was conferred to Ravi Varma later by the Governor General of India recognising his patronage in art. Raja Ravi Varma was taken under his wings by Ayilam Thirunal who sent him to madurai to learn basics in painting. Raja Ravi Varma took to canvas painting as the irregularities helped him create flowing lines which gave the portraits he painted life. He was good with both water & oil, a quality credited to his earlier tutors. The one place where his skill was exemplary was in his expertise at creating lithographs of his paintings which could be accessed by all. This way of providing copies of his paintings to the people made him quite known among all & made him a public figure not just in Travancore or Kerala but his name resonated even in the North of India. This reach is attributed to the fact that Raja Ravi Varma was a great traveller & he visited many places around the country to find new subjects. His love for mythological characters & events in puranas can be found in many of great acclaimed works. His depiction of Hindu women as Goddesses is considered to be a work of great beauty as it enhanced all the features of the lady. His travel around the country also helped him find interest in western painting styles & these ideas were incorporated in many of his paintings. At the age of 25 his painting travelled to Vienna for the Exhibition of World paintings & it won the first prize making him an instant celebrity among world artists. His name was known outside the country & artists from around the world came to his studio in Kilimanoor to understand his way of art. By the end of the 18th century Raja Ravi Varma became a household name in Kerala & artists around the world followed his work making him one of the most celebrated artists of the era. It is believed that Raja Ravi Varma drew over 300 paintings in his lifetime and each were of different genres from portraits, landscapes, mythological events, Hindu Gods & Goddesses. He also made lithographs of these paintings so one can find many replicas of the original work but there is only one original work & most are in the Sri Chithira Thirunal Art Gallery in Trivandrum, many with prominent collectors & some at the Kilimanoor Palace & Kowdiar Palace. Some of the notable paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are Damayanti Talking to Swan, Nair Woman, Sakuntala writing a letter, Lady lost in Thought, Arjuna & Subhadra, Jatayu, Tilottama, Lord Krishna with Yashoda, Narasimha Avatar, Mohini playing with a ball. It is quite interesting to know that Raja Ravi Varma understood the importance & value of his work which made him allow auctioneers sell his work & the proceeds were collected by him to work for the welfare of his people. Raja Ravi Varma was a personality who replied to his critics with his work. Some contemporary artists accused Raja Ravi Varma for having included vulgarity rather than sensuality in his paintings, while others accused him of being a person who gave value to tribal art. All the controversies & accusations fell on deaf ears as Raja Ravi Varma continued his work of creating some of the best paintings of the modern era.

The Palace of Kilimanoor was in many ways constructed to its current grandeur using the money he collected from auctioning his work. The palace is a simple residence with many small buildings with a long fort-like wall. The entrance to the palace is through a small padippura & the visitors first arrive into the hall which was the studio of Raja Ravi Varma & a place he would be found on all days. The studio is next to the Pazhaya Malika which was the old living quarters of Raja Ravi Varma. As you walk further, the Natakashala is seen which is the place where the art forms like Kaliyattom & Kathakali were performed. The Palace is spread on a land of over 6 acres and many buildings had different purposes but all were connected with paved walkways. The Palace had big & small dining areas along with a grand Kitchen. The Kochu Madapalli is considered to be the place where the famous Prime minister of the Travancore King, Velu Thampi Dalawa had his last meal before fleeing from the British. The Puthiya Malika is a beautiful 2 tiered residence which was designed personally by Raja Ravi Varma but he could not live in it as he passed away before the completion of the building. The palace also has two ponds & many sacred groves. The palace also has its own temple which was a place to pray for the women of the palace. 

The palace, other than being the birthplace of many individuals, also became the place where the royal sword of Velu Thampi was placed by the great warrior himself for safe custody. The sword was presented as a gift by the Royal family to Dr Rajendra Prasad in 1953 on his visit to the palace which was later donated to the Napier museum in Trivandrum. The Kilimanoor palace thus is part of history & no wonder it is today a protected monument. The visit to the palace is not just to see first hand the beautiful works of Raja Ravi Varma but also to be part of history.