# Ragini Upadhyaya

_Nepalese painting artist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/ragini-upadhyaya
Last updated: 2026-11-05

> Ragini Upadhyaya Grela (also spelled as Ragini Upadhyay Grela) (born 9 November 1959), popularly known as Ragini Upadhyaya, is a Nepalese fine artist, lyricist, and philanthropist. She served as the First Female Chancellor of the  Nepal Academy of Fine Art (2014-2018). She is known for her fusion of traditional mythology, symbolism, and modernism in her surrealist and abstract paintings. Her art often features social commentary and feminist or matriarchal themes.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 November 1959 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99010540#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Kathmandu ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99010540#P19))
- **Occupation:** painter ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99010540#P106))

## About

Major influences on Upadhyaya's art style include Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh and George Segal. She has received numerous national and international awards and honors. She is a board member of the B.P Koirala India-Nepal Foundation and the Barbara Foundation. She is also the chairperson and founder for the Shivata Love Foundation, an organization with which she engaged in social work through an education program for low-income families, particularly children, women, and minorities. This foundation also raises awareness of meningitis.

## Questions

**When was Ragini Upadhyaya born?**  
Ragini Upadhyaya was born on 9 November 1959 in Kathmandu.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Ragini Upadhyaya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragini_Upadhyaya) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): रागिनी उपाध्याय](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q99010540](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q99010540) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Ragini Upadhayay.jpg by Sitaram Badal (CC BY-SA 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ragini_Upadhayay.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Ragini Upadhyaya, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Ragini Upadhayay.jpg — Sitaram Badal, CC BY-SA 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Ragini Upadhyaya". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/ragini-upadhyaya. Retrieved 6 November 2026.