Raja Ravi Varma lithograph restored

Kochi, Oct 15: An 1895 lithograph, ''Radha'', painted by Raja Ravi Varma, which was found in pieces with several portions missing, has been restored by a team of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) after a painstaking effort of nearly two years.

The lithograph, which depicts two young women talking by the side of a pond, was found in the Kalarikovalikam Palace at Koliangode in Palakkad District after the CGH Group of Hotels acquired the palace for developing as a theme-based resort.

''The lithograph was in pieces and large portions missing.

However, the celebrated painter's signature was intact at the bottom of the lithograph. After painstaking effort, the available pieces were joined and the missing ones recreated,'' said Mr Arvind Kumar, Coordinator, INTACH Mural Painting Conservation Research and Training Centre.

The Ravi Varma lithograph is among six paintings restored by the INTACH team. Nearly 150 paintings and photographs were found lying in the Kalarikovalikam Palace besides numerous palm leaf 'granthas'.

Thirteen of the 'granthas' had also been restored by a team from the State Archaeological Department.

On the condition of the paintings, which are 50 to 60 years old, Mr Arvind Kumar said the boards on which they were mounted had become brittle and acidic or damaged with dampness. Some of them were also infested with fungus and termites.

''The damp Kerala climate makes the restoration work very slow and difficult as it takes a long time for the paintings to dry after each stage of work. Also, it took time to soften the mount boards so that the paintings were not damaged,'' Mr Kumar said. After the removal of the old mount boards, the paintings were cleaned and the stains and fungus removed. Insecticide and fungicide coatings were given at the back of the paintings after remounting them.

The special acid-free mount boards and adhesives used for the restoration were not available in Kerala and had to be brought from Delhi, he said.

Work is now going on to restore the other paintings also. The estimated cost of restoring the entire lot was about Rs five lakh which was being borne by the CGH Group.

Dr P Gopi, Documentation Officer with the Archaeology Department, said the palm leaf 'granthas' were also found in a bad condition, affected by fungus and acidity.

The 'granthas', written in the old Malayalam script, contain a treasure trove of Ayurveda treatises relating to pregnancy, eye ailments, children's problems and skin diseases, 'tantra', mathematics and epics such as 'Bhagvad Gita' and 'Ramayana.' These had been restored through indigenous techniques, using lemongrass oil, he said.

Dr Gopi said thousands of such 'granthas' were lying in cane baskets in the attics of erstwhile feudal households, especially in the rural areas. Several such 'granthas' had been restored and kept in the Archaeology Department's Hill Palace Museum at Thripunithara near here.

''We are willing to take up the restoration work of more 'granthas'. If any families bring us these texts, we will restore them and return them to the owners,'' he said.

CGH Group Chairman Jose Dominic, speaking at a function here over the weekend at which the restored works were formally handed over to the hotel group, said the preservation of the state's cultural heritage was essential to acquaint both the tourists and the future generations of Malyalis with this legacy.

UNI