Obituary

Prabhakara Ravi Varma passed away peacefully on October 28, 2024 at the age of 82, surrounded by his wife, daughter, and son, in Irvine, California. Ravi is survived by his loving wife Rama Varma, to whom he was joyfully married for 52 years, his daughter Arthi Lakshmi Varma, his son Arjun Vishnu Varma, their spouses Gris Sanchez and Zeena Batliwalla, and his four grandchildren, Anjali Sanchez, Zyah Varma, Kavya Sanchez, and Rohan Varma, as well as a large and loving extended family. He was preceded in his death by his parents Thrikkettanal Amma Tamburan and K. Raja Raja Varma, and his two brothers Divakara Varma and Bhaskara Varma.

Ravi was a well-respected and reputed architect who worked for nearly 35 years at an award- winning residential design firm, whose work spanned cities across the world. He also designed custom homes here in Southern California for many in our community. He was the local architect of the Malibu Hindu Temple, one of the first Hindu temples in the area, located in Malibu, California and established in 1981.

Born in Kerala, India into the illustrious Travancore royal family, Ravi spent his early years in Trivandrum, where many fond memories were made. He grew up in Satelmond Palace with his brothers and many cousins. In his final days he always reminisced about the warm sunny days of his Trivandrum youth. As a teenager he moved to Bangalore, Karnataka and then later moved to Chennai, Tamil Nadu to pursue a degree in architecture from School of Architecture and Planning. In 1968 he moved to the United States to attend Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa to pursue a Master’s degree in Architecture. He later moved to California where he spent the rest of his life.

Ravi was a quiet and dignified person who always made people around him feel loved and comfortable. He was a caring and supportive spouse and father, and a loving, playful grandparent. His gentle demeanor and calm patience was matched by his light, playfulness with all the children in his life. Ravi enjoyed classical and Indian music, contemporary design, and was a talented artist, taking after his great-grandfather, Raja Ravi Varma. After his retirement he spent his time sketching drawings of his loved ones.  Ravi will forever remain in our hearts and be remembered dearly by all.

Family memorial services will be held in early November. A celebration of life is being planned for later this year and will provide an opportunity for everyone to pay tribute to Ravi.