Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of the Indian princely state of Travancore, in southern India until 1949 and later the Titular Maharajah of Travancore until 1991. His reign is known for several notable reforms that have indelible impact on the society and culture of Kerala.
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among the common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim. He was part of the royal family of erstwhile Parappanad, Malappuram district.
Thiruvananthapuram District is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present district was created in 1956 by separating the four southernmost Taluks of the erstwhile district to form Kanyakumari district. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is also known as the Information technology capital of the State, since it is home to the first and largest IT park in India, Technopark, established in 1990. The district is home to more than 9% of total population of the state.
The Adikesava Perumal Temple is a Hindu temple located in Thiruvattar, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India and is one of the 108 Divya desams, the holy sites of Hindu Vaishnavism according to existing Tamil hymns from the seventh and eighth centuries C.E. The temple is one of the historic thirteen Divya Deshams of Malai Nadu. The temple is a picturesque setting surrounded on three sides by rivers namely, It was the Rajya Temple and Bharadevatha shrine of Erstwhile Travancore. After state reorganisation, the temple handed over to Tamilnadu H&RCE Dept. The presiding Vishnu in the form of Ananthapadmanabhan/Adikeshavaperumal is believed to be older than Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Since Vishnu resides here in a reclining position, and is surrounded by rivers, the temple is called as "The Srirangam of Chera Kingdom".
Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, commonly known by its former name Jaganmohana Palace, is a royal mansion, arts museum and auditorium, and formerly an alternative royal residence of the ruling maharaja of Mysore, located in Mysore, India, about 200m (600ft) to the west of Mysore Palace. Began in 1856 and completed in 1861, the palace is one of the oldest modern structures in Mysore.
Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, 33 kilometres (21 mi) North-west of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 14 km (8.7 mi) east of Attingal and 20 km (12 mi) east of Varkala.
C. N. Karunakaran was an Indian painter, illustrator and art director from Kerala. He was the Chairman of the Kerala Lalitakala Academy and a recipient of several honours including the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Award which he won thrice. The Akademi honoured him again with the fellowship in 2005.
The city of Thiruvananthapuram has been the centre of cultural activities of Kerala (India) from the time it was made capital of Travancore in 1745. The capital city is a major intellectual and artistic center. The Thiruvananthapuram Museum and Thiruvananthapuram Zoo were started during the reign of Swathi Thirunal (1813–1847) and are one of the oldest of their kind in India. The city's libraries include the Trivandrum Public library, which was started in 1829. The Swathi Thirunal College of Music and 'College of fine arts' are the leading institutions related to music and arts.
Vattaparambil Sankaran Valiathan, commonly referred to as Artist V. S. Valiathan, was an Indian artist from Pandalam, Travancore who was known for his classical style of painting in the Raja Ravi Varma tradition. His paintings show muted colours and natural overtones.
The Napier Museum is an art and natural history museum situated in Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Kuthiramalika is a palace built by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma on the south-eastern side of Padmanabhaswamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram.
Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma was the titular Maharaja of Travancore. He was the younger brother of the last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Travancore, Maharajah Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma.
The Travancore royal family was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Travancore.The Travancore royal family signed a treaty with the British in 1788, thereby adopting British dominance. Later, in 1805, they revised the treaty, leading to a diminution of royal authority and the loss of political independence for Travancore. They had to give up their ruling rights over the common people in 1949 when Travancore were forced to merge with Independent India and their political pension privileges were abolished in 1971.
Krishnapuram is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.
Chirayinkeezhu Taluk is a Taluk (tehsil) in Thiruvananthapuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is shares border with Varkala Taluk in North and with Thiruvananthapuram Taluk in South. It comprises 12 panchayats and Attingal Municipality. Chirayinkeezhu taluk is the birthplace of a host of illustrious personalities like the painter Raja Ravi Varma, the great poet and social reformer Kumaran Asan and Prem Nazir etc.
The National Art Gallery situated in Egmore, Chennai, is one of the oldest art galleries in India. It is located in the Government Museum Complex on Pantheon Road, Egmore, which also houses the Government Museum and the Connemara Public Library. Constructed with red stones sourced from Satyavedu in Andhra Pradesh, the Gallery was built in 1906 in Indo-Saracenic architecture and houses paintings from Thanjavur, Rajasthan, Kangra and Deccan areas, as well as sandalwood sculptures. The Gallery has remained closed since 2002, as part of the structure suffered damage.
Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma is the current incumbent to the throne of Travancore. He is the youngest of the four children of the former titular Maharani of Travancore, Sree Padmanabhasevini Maharani Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi and her husband, Prince Consort Lt. Col. G. V. Raja of Poonjar Royal House.
Aswathy Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi is an Indian writer from Kerala and a member of the Travancore Royal Family. She has ten books to her credit. Aswathy Thirunal is the niece of the last King of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2024.
Mangala Bayi Thampuratti (1865–1954), known as Mangala Bayi, was an artist from Kerala, India, whose portraits depicted primarily domestic and devotional themes in everyday life in Travancore. She belonged to the Travancore royal family, and her brother, Raja Ravi Verma, was also a renowned Indian painter.
B. D. Dethan is an Indian painter from the state of Kerala. A recipient of several awards and Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Fellowship 2007, he was a member of the executive committee of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi thrice. His paintings are featured in several private and public collections in India and abroad including, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Parliament House, New Delhi; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram. The Government of Kerala awarded him Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram for his achievements in the field of visual arts in 2019.
