TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 163

 The Man Who Painted the Royal Corridor

Last week, the renowned Indian classical musician Prince Rama Varma shared a four-episode series of short videos featuring the paintings adorning the walls of the corridor connecting the Valiyakottaram—the sprawling palace complex in the historic Fort area of Thiruvananthapuram—with the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. This corridor, which begins on the western side of the famous Kuthiramalika constructed by Rajah Swathi Tirunal Rama Varma, served as a private passage for members of the royal family to access the temple with ease.

The passage leading to Padmanabha Swamy temple. Image courtesy: Uma S. Maheswari.

In these videos, Rama Varma focuses on the artworks—scenes from the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata—which cover the entire wall and are compartmentalised into several panels with painted borders. The videos proved to be a treat for viewers, as the passage is usually off-limits to ordinary worshippers at the temple. However, unknown to many is the fact that these paintings (which have undergone retouching several times) were originally executed by O. Velayudhan Achari, alias O.V. Achari, a fine artist and sculptor of yesteryears.

O.V. Achari (1890–1979) was born into a family that claimed a deep bond with the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. His ancestors hailed from Tirunelveli, where they were members of a craft guild associated with the famous Nellaiappar Siva Temple. They settled in Thiruvananthapuram following an invitation from Rajah Anizham Tirunal Martanda Varma for the reconstruction of the Padmanabha Swamy Temple in the 18th century. The family was granted land known as “Pazhamchottu Vilakam,” part of the virutti lands bestowed upon families who rendered valuable service to the temple or the royals.

O. Velayudhan Achari.

By the early twentieth century, the descendants of these Tirunelveli craftsmen had made a mark in Travancore. Among them were carpenters, ivory craftsmen, occultists, and painters. O.V. Achari began his career as an ivory carver at the School of Industrial Arts (Fine Arts College) and later served as a Fine Arts expert in schools. He excelled as a sculptor and was the founder of the Travancore Ivory Carvers’ Cooperative Alliance. Among his contemporaries and friends were renowned artists such as K.R. Ravi Varma and Rama Varma, nephew and son of Raja Ravi Varma. It was on the instructions of K.R. Ravi Varma that Achari crafted a bust of Raja Ravi Varma, which still occupies a place of importance in the Sri Chitra Art Gallery.

Raja Ravi Varma's bust at Sri Chitra Art Gallery.

Achari’s wife hailed from Vaniyanmoola, from a family that held the right to offer the painted Onavillu (Pallivillu) to the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. Members of the Vaniyanmoola family still recall with gratitude that the master artist undertook the task of painting the Onavillu and remodelled the figures into the forms seen today.

O.V. Achari is also credited with modelling the exemplar for the idol of Sastha at the Sabarimala Temple. He created a clay figure that later served as the model for the panchaloha casting by Chengannur Neelakanta Panicker. The clay figure made by Achari was based on a photograph of an idol of Lord Sastha worshipped at the palace. The photograph had been taken by Uthradom Tirunal Martanda Varma, then Elayaraja, on the instructions of his mother, Sethu Parvathy Bayi.

An old photograph of the Sastha idol worshipped in the palace.

For a long time, the moulds made by O.V. Achari was housed in the Travancore Ivory Carvers’ Cooperative Alliance Limited building at Pazhavangady. Later, during the reconstruction of the building, this mould—along with numerous others made by craftsmen of the older generation—was used to fill the foundation. Thus, a remarkable piece of history still rests beneath the building.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 162

 Architectural Memory and Commercial Art in a Travancore Print

Advertisement for Rally Cycles by K.R.K. Achari (early 20th century).

Artist K. Ramakrishnan Achari (1888-1969) is remembered within the lineage of Travancore-associated artists, belonging to a broader tradition of skilled painter-craftsmen who moved fluidly between the royal court and commercial practice. The image presented here is an evocative early 20th-century print, derived from one of his paintings, and representative of the rich visual culture of Indian commercial art—where fine-art idioms were adapted to promote emerging consumer goods, in this case, bicycles.

Produced as an advertisement for Rally Cycles, the composition unfolds within a dreamlike, almost theatrical pastoral setting. Two women—idealised figures—occupy the foreground, arranged in a languid, reclining pose atop a stone parapet. One lie stretched out, her body elegantly aligned along the parapet, her head resting on her hand in a gesture of quiet contemplation. The other sits upright near her feet, her outward gaze suggesting alertness or anticipation. Beneath them, prominently placed and rendered with notable mechanical clarity, is a bicycle—the central object of advertisement.

The background opens into a softly rendered European-style garden landscape, with a fountain at its centre, reinforcing a sense of symmetry and refinement. A lone cyclist in the distance subtly reiterates the theme of cycling as a leisurely pursuit. The artist has carefully incorporated architectural elements to evoke an imagined cosmopolitan milieu. While these details may appear generic to the untrained eye, closer inspection reveals more specific visual references.

The mansion depicted on the right bears a striking resemblance to Belhaven Mansion, the sprawling bungalow located along Vellayambalam–Kowdiar Road. Although the artist has not attempted a faithful reproduction of all its features, the cylindrical tower capped with a shallow dome appears to be clearly inspired by Belhaven. This association is further strengthened by the structure visible on the left, which recalls the Gothic Revival turret of the nearby Kanakakunnu Palace—distinguished by its sharply pointed roof—situated to the south-west of Belhaven.

Belhaven Mansion and its tower. Image courtesy: Ar. T.M. Cyriac.

Kanakakunnu Palace (1970s). Image courtesy: Sharat Sunder R.

Another detail that lends weight to this interpretation is K. Ramakrishnan Achari’s association with Belhaven Mansion. The residence was home to Pānapillai Karthyayini Pillai Kochamma (also known as Vadasherri Ammachi), the consort of Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, Maharaja of Travancore. Karthyayini Pillai was herself a talented artist and is known to have sought Achari’s guidance in reviewing her works. The mansion later passed to her daughter, Bhagavathi Pillai Kochamma (also known as Thankam), and subsequently to her son, V. Padmanabhan Tampi—popularly known as the ‘Belhaven Tampi’—who served as Honorary A.D.C. to Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma. Tampi, an amateur artist and avid photographer, further fostered artistic activity at the residence. It was during his time that Achari was appointed as an official art tutor at the mansion.

Artist K. Ramakrishnan Achari (1888-1969)

Left: Pānapillai Karthyayini Pillai Kochamma with her daughter Thankam
Right: V. Padmanabhan Tampi

Bringing these strands together, it may be reasonably concluded that the artist drew upon actual architectural references while composing this scene.

This artwork features in my first book, The King’s Craftsmen. To learn more about K. Ramakrishnan Achari and his role as a court painter, look out for my forthcoming book, The Forgotten Atelier.

05.04.2026.