Raji Ravi Varma’s paintings travel to exhibitions: Vadodara Royal Radhikaraje Gaekwad

Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings, part of one of the world’s largest private collections of original works by Raja Ravi Varma, will be sent to national and international exhibitions in the future, said Radhikaraje Gaekwad, curator of the collection and holder of the title of Maharani of Baroda, on the sidelines of the two-day Aikyto200 festival Sunday, 16. The collection is housed at the Laxmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum in Vadodara.

The last time the artist’s paintings traveled outside Vadodara was about a decade ago, when the paintings were exhibited at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. In India, they were sent to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai for an exhibition two decades ago, Ms. Gaekwad said.

The renewed focus on paintings comes at a time when the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum is undergoing a major renovation. Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was commissioned by the Gaekwad royal family in 1888 before becoming known as an accomplished painter.

Now, the Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust is constructing a 20,000 square feet state-of-the-art, climate-controlled and secure storage facility that will house more than 40,000 items from the Gaekwad family collection, including paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, armour, royal regalia, textiles and photographic archives. There are also plans to create a newer, larger museum to showcase the family collection.

“This is Maharaja Sayajirao’s collection. Ravi Varma was not Ravi Varma (a famous painter) when he was commissioned to work here. He became Ravi Varma after he got the Gaekwad commission. Maharaja Sayajirao gave him good money for his paintings and gave him a gift. After that, Ravi Varma set up a printing press in Lonavala as his art became available and accessible to common people. Ravi Varma is the artist who created the faces of our gods and goddesses,” Manda Hingurao, curator and secretary of the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum.

Cultural capital

Vadodara is known as the cultural capital of Gujarat. Domestic tourists in Gujarat’s top 10 destinations reached 12.4 million in 2025, up 36.9% compared to the previous year, while foreign tourists accounted for a fraction of these numbers at 16 million.

“For this edition of Aikyam, the theme is ‘rasa (essence) and realism’. We chose Vadodara because we wanted to choose a place that is less visited, off the beaten track. Looking at its cultural significance, the confluence of Indian and European art, including Indo-Saracenic architecture, there are some hidden gems here. We couldn’t have imagined 10 more perfect places to have our cultural partners. Siddhaant Mohta, Director, Sopaan, start-up curator of cultural events.

The intention was to highlight Vadodara’s potential as a leading cultural and cultural tourism destination, said former Indian diplomat and Sopaan co-founder Monica Mohta.

International delegates from 15 countries, including ambassadors from 10 European countries, attended Aikyam 2026, with the two-day event exploring cross-cultural dialogues through art, architecture, performance and living traditions.

“logistical obstacles”

Such events have put Vadodara on the global tourism map, Ms. Gaekwad said, adding that the city’s infrastructure and presentation needed better alignment with its historical significance as a century-old center of art. She raised concerns about logistics, permits and infrastructure.

“There are many hurdles and logistically organizing events like this, even simple things like getting a license can be extremely challenging. There are small challenges, things that a person outside of Gujarat takes for granted. We have a long way to go, but I think the intention is to open up Gujarat to tourists and I hope we see that,” she said.

Aikyam 2026 was supported by Gujarat Tourism; Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad; Incredible India; Vadodara Municipal Corporation; Baroda Heritage Trust; and Federation of Gujarat Industries. The partner was the delegation of the European Union in India.

(The correspondent was in Vadodara at the invitation of Sopaan.)

Published – 11 Oct 2026 21:34 IST