The Last Light of Kurukshetra

"I did not come to capture it.  I came to listen—until the stone itself began to speak."

A shield lifted in fading light—stone stilled in the final breath of battle, as silence claims what fury leaves behind.

Carved into the western gallery of Angkor Wat, the great bas-relief of the Mahabharata’s climactic war unfurls across ancient stone—a sacred epic frozen in time.  Yet within the vast tumult of horses, chariots, and warriors, a single figure catches the eye: poised, luminous, and suspended in a rare stillness.  Here, beneath the canopy of jungle and centuries, the sacred atmosphere of Angkor gathers like incense—dense with memory, myth, and divine presence.

Standing alone before this scene in the hush of late afternoon, Lucas Varro was not drawn to the violence, but to the light—golden and soft as breath—spilling across the carved shield of a lone soldier.  In that moment, the ancient relief seemed not to depict war, but to remember it.  The artist’s task was not to capture, but to listen.

Photographed on large format black-and-white film using only natural light, the image was composed through a long exposure—allowing the atmosphere to etch itself slowly into silver.  In the darkroom, Varro returned to the moment through touch and tone, meticulously hand-layering warm golden hues onto the monochrome surface.  This subtle toning does not embellish, but reveals—drawing forth the spiritual and emotional resonance buried in stone.

Each print is rendered on museum-grade archival fine art paper, ensuring exceptional depth, tonal richness, and permanence.  Offered in a strictly limited edition of 25 prints (+ 2 Artist’s Proofs), The Last Light of Kurukshetra is a contemplative masterwork—crafted to endure as both object and offering.

For those who collect not merely images but presences—echoes of light, silence, and sacred time—this work is an invitation into the eternal field.

shield raised in still light—
stone breathes the dust of battle
through the falling dusk

Previously titled ‘Battle of Kurukshetra I, Study II, Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia.  2020,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone.  The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.