One of India’s foremost artists, Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), altered the aesthetic notions of the people of the Indian Sub-continent and beyond. His professional career commenced in 1870 with a commission by Kizhakke Palat Krishna Menon, a Sub-Judge at the Calicut to paint a portrait of his family. With this painting commenced an inimitable career which altered our very perceptions of Hindu divinities and visual culture. In 2020, the Ganesh Shivaswamy Foundation commemorated 150 years since the commencement of the artist’s professional career by launching on its’ Google Arts and Culture platform, the largest collection of Ravi Varma’s  paintings, sketches and archival photographs.