The Birth of Shakuntala - Raja Ravi Varma Painting

The painting captures a pivotal, highly dramatic moment from the epic tale of Shakuntala's birth, featuring her parents, the celestial nymph Menaka and the great sage Vishwamitra.

Raja Ravi Varma was celebrated for his unique ability to merge traditional Indian mythological narratives with the realistic techniques of European academic art, creating vivid, emotionally resonant, and accessible portrayals of Indian deities and heroes. This particular painting was famously the subject of the first chromolithograph printed at the Ravi Varma Fine Art Lithographic Press, making it one of his most widely known and influential works, bringing classical art into the homes of the common people.