"Temples burst in light,
Drums echo in sight,
Crowds move like a wave,
Joy comes alive in flight."
Comic Temple
Sari ID: 26 VARA TEM AAM
By Vara Ramakrishnan
Collection: Journey and Exile
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Created by: Vara Ramakrishnan, California
Sari Details: Silk Aari embroidery on temple-border Kanchipuram silk
Latest Exhibit: Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (March 2026)
Includes: Blouse kit (materials for two blouses) and certificate of authenticity
Care: Dry clean only by textile specialist
Status: Available for sale
The Artist
Vara Ramakrishnan is a California artist and creator of large-scale projects. She studied at BITS Pilani and later earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Irvine. She paints people, especially children, designs elaborate Halloween costumes, creates murals and street art, loves museums and travel, and has long collected beautiful saris. She is the founder of Lara Lakshmi, a nonprofit connecting contemporary artists with traditional Indian weavers to create fine art on handwoven silk.
The Inspiration
Comic Temples began with a moment of unexpected interpretation.
When Vara’s son first saw her wearing a traditional temple border sari, he saw something entirely different. The sharp, jagged motifs reminded him of comic book explosions, and he called it her “bang-bang” sari.
That moment transformed her view of a familiar design. She began sketching temple forms through the lens of comic imagery, reimagining traditional architecture in a playful, dynamic, and contemporary way.
The vibrant red throughout Comic Temple also carries personal significance. Vara's father loved red saris, but she spent years avoiding the color, curating a wardrobe of pinks, blacks, creams, and blues instead. She didn't own a single red sari until a college reunion required one, just two years before he passed away. Now, she leans into his favorite color, honoring his memory through the bold red that animates this work.
The sari depicts a temple procession in motion, with chariots, crowds, and celebration unfolding across the fabric. It captures the energy and joy of temple festivals while reinterpreting tradition through bold, graphic visuals.
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From Sari to Art
This sari came to life by meticulous hand embroidery by Prabha Narasimhan and her studio in Chennai. Vara collaborated closely with the team from California, guiding the visual direction and making key decisions remotely.
Thread colors were chosen using Birla Opus shade references, ensuring alignment between artist and artisans despite the distance. Together, they developed stitch techniques that captured both the architectural structure of temples and the movement of a festive procession.
The challenge was translating a graphic, comic-inspired concept into the tactile language of embroidery. Each stitch balances structure and motion, allowing the sari to remain fluid. The result is a vibrant surface, rich with color, movement, and layered storytelling.
Message for the World
When someone wears this sari, Vara wants them to feel powerful. Like a modern Indian comic book hero moving through their own story.