Rare Lithograph | Ravi Varma Press, Karla Lonavala
After the Original Painting by Raja Ravi Varma
Published from Moti Bazaar, Mumbai | Registered No. 493 from Karla Lonavala. Around 1910-15.
This lithograph is one of the rarest surviving prints from the Ravi Varma Press, based on Raja Ravi Varma’s original painting “Ajamililap”—a powerful visual of grief, loss, and love transcending death. The oleographs now scarcely found or seen, has survived in very few reproductions, making this lithograph a historical treasure.
The composition shows Ajamil, devastated and torn by sorrow, holding a wilted garland over the lifeless body of his beloved. His anguished gaze and open arms contrast with the still peace of the woman’s repose, turning this moment into a timeless portrayal of emotional surrender and mortal parting.
lithograph not only preserves the visual story but also carries the spirit of Ravi Varma’s mission: to make sacred, mythological, and emotional art accessible to all through print. This specific version differs subtly from the painting—color palette, dress tones, and setting—but keeps the emotional intensity intact.
A rare lithographic imprint of a nearly-lost painting.
