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lesser-known facts about Raja Ravi Varma

1. The small town of Kilimanoor had to open a post office due to Ravi Varma, as letters and requests for paintings came flooding in for him from various corners of the country!

2. During his time, Ramaswamy Naicker of Madurai was the only artist who had knowledge of oil painting techniques. Seeing Raja Ravi Varma as a potential rival, Naicker refused to teach him the technique. It was Arumugham Pillai, Naicker\’s student, who taught Varma the nuances of oil painting, sneaking into the latter’s house at night, much against the wishes of his teacher.

3. In 2013, a crater on Mercury was named ‘Varma’ in his honour!

4. Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings were the inspiration for India’s largest-selling comic book series, the Amar Chitra Katha comics!

5. According to the Guinness World Records, the most expensive sari in the world is an 8 kilograms sari ‘Vivah Patu’ priced at Rs 40 lakh which pays tribute to his paintings. The sari is flanked by 11 paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and designed by the director of Chennai Silks, Sivalingam Vivah Patu