In 1904 Viceroy Lord Curzon, on behalf of the King Emperor bestowed upon Raja Ravi Varma the Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal. At this time his name was mentioned as "Raja Ravi Varma" for the first time, raising objections from Maharajah Moolam Thirunal of Travancore. Ravi Varma however defended the title stating that his ancestors had been the Rajahs of Beypore in Malabar and besides, as per the Marumakkathayam tradition, the name of the maternal uncle (Raja Raja Varma) was prefixed to the name. Thereafter he was always referred to as Raja Ravi Varma [1].
In 1993, art critic/conservator Rupika Chawla and artist A Ramachandran jointly curated a large exhibition of Ravi Varma's works at the National Museum, New Delhi. Considering his vast contribution to Indian art, the Government of Kerala has instituted an award called [[Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram]], which is awarded every year to people who show excellence in the field of art and culture. Awardees include:
K.G. Subramanian (2001)
M.V. Devan (2002)
A Ramachandran (2003)
Vasudevan Namboodiri (2004).
Kanai Kunhiraman (2005)
V.S. Valliathan[2006]
A college dedicated to fine arts was also constituted in his honour at Mavelikara, Kerala. The renewed interest in Ravi Varma has spilled into the area of popular culture as films and music videos have started using his images. Propaghandi, a popular Canadian band, has cited him as a major influence to their work. The lead singer of Propaghandi claims to have had sudden inspiration for the song "Gifts" while looking at Lady Giving Alms at the Temple.
In 1993, art critic/conservator Rupika Chawla and artist A Ramachandran jointly curated a large exhibition of Ravi Varma's works at the National Museum, New Delhi. Considering his vast contribution to Indian art, the Government of Kerala has instituted an award called [[Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram]], which is awarded every year to people who show excellence in the field of art and culture. Awardees include:
K.G. Subramanian (2001)
M.V. Devan (2002)
A Ramachandran (2003)
Vasudevan Namboodiri (2004).
Kanai Kunhiraman (2005)
V.S. Valliathan[2006]
A college dedicated to fine arts was also constituted in his honour at Mavelikara, Kerala. The renewed interest in Ravi Varma has spilled into the area of popular culture as films and music videos have started using his images. Propaghandi, a popular Canadian band, has cited him as a major influence to their work. The lead singer of Propaghandi claims to have had sudden inspiration for the song "Gifts" while looking at Lady Giving Alms at the Temple.
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