The role of Indian Royals in public services in Democratic India

                                                                                                                                                                                V 2.3

The  role of  Indian Royals in public  services in Democratic India:   

(The name of the same Maharaja   is  repeated  in different paragraphs to show their multi faceted life and activities.)

 The Rule of India by British Crown:

            The British Crown assumed control of British India from the East India Company in 1857 and thereafter controlled the internal governance through a Secretary of State for India in London and a Viceroy in India. At the time of the proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India in 1877, more than 700 Indian princely states and territories enjoyed treaty relations with the British Crown. These princely states, ruled by local hereditary rulers, accepted British suzerainty, and  control of their external affairs, but who retained local autonomy.  Only the four largest princely states namely, Hyderabad, Baroda, Mysore, and Jammu & Kashmir, had Residents directly under the authority of the Viceroy. Two agencies, the Central India Agency and Rajputana Agency, were made up of numerous princely states, and their political Agents were appointed by the Viceroy. The other tiny princely states worked closely with a British political Agent who was responsible to the Governor of a British province.

Role of Sardar Patel and V.P.Menon to form  Democratic India:

            The tireless efforts of Sardar Patel,(Minister of Home Affairs and States, and also Deputy Prime Minister) and V.P. Menon( Secretary ) resulted in the princes agreeing to the dissolution of their respective states. They surrendered several villages, thousands of acres of scattered jagir land, palaces, museums, buildings, aircraft, and cash balances and investments amounting to Rs.77 crore. In addition, there was the railway system of about 12,000 miles which the states surrendered to the Centre without receiving any compensation.

            On October 12, 1949, Sardar Patel persuaded the Constituent Assembly to include Articles 291 and 362 in the Constitution, to guarantee the payment of Privy Purses and also preserve the personal rights, privileges and dignities of the rulers. His brilliant speech bears clear testimony to his statesmanship and deserves to be carefully read:  “The privy purse settlements are, therefore, in the nature of consideration for the surrender by the rulers of all their ruling powers and also for the dissolution of the States as separate units … Need we cavil then at the small — I purposely use the word small — price we have paid for the bloodless revolution which has affected the destinies of millions of our people? …The capacity for mischief and trouble on the part of the rulers if the settlement with them would not have been reached on a negotiated basis was far greater than could be imagined at this stage. Let us do justice to them; let us place ourselves in their position and then assess the value of their sacrifice. The rulers have now discharged their part of the obligations by transferring all ruling powers by agreeing to the integration of their States. The main part of our obligation under these agreements is to ensure that the guarantee given by us in respect of privy purses are fully implemented. Our failure to do so would be a breach of faith and seriously prejudice the stabilisation of the new order.”  He also informed the Assembly that if the cash received from the rulers of Madhya Bharat alone were invested, the interest would cover the payment of Privy Purses to all the princes. Nobody but Sardar Patel and V.P. Menon could have negotiated such a settlement with them. After Patel’s death, there were repeated demands to abolish the Privy Purses, but Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru refused to do so. Appalled at these demands, Menon remarked: “As an honourable party to an agreement, we cannot take the stand that we shall accept only that part of the settlement which confers rights on us, and repudiate or whittle down that part which defines our obligations. As a nation aspiring to give a moral lead to the world, let it not be said of us that we know the ‘price of everything, and the value of nothing’.”

            In consideration of their agreeing to integrate with India, the princes were to be paid a Privy Purse, which was approximately 8.5 per cent of the annual revenue of each princely state. The amounts varied from Rs.43 lakh a year to the Nizam of Hyderabad to just Rs.192 a year to the ruler of Katodia. Of the 555 rulers, 398 were to get less than Rs.50,000 a year. The total cost to the Indian exchequer in 1947 was Rs.6 crore, which was to be progressively reduced. At the time of abolition in 1970, the total amount payable to all the erstwhile princes was just Rs.4 crore a year.

            Initially these princely states were supposed to be granted the stature of independent federal states but later as the idea of Republic of India took a concrete form it was decided that these princely states would merge with the Republic.

1.  Maharajas  as  Rajpramukhs

As per Art.366 of the Indian Constitution ( as it existed in 1950):

Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India, which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain of India's provinces and states.  To appease the rulers of princely states, Indian leaders let the title of Rajpramukh continue and act as the Governor of the state. They were given few more privileges such as their own privy purses and right to succession   

Art 366(21): Rajpramukh means- (a) in relation to the States of  Hyderabad, the person for the time being is recognised by the President, as Nizam of Hyderabad.; (b) in relation to the State of Jammu and  Kashmir or the State of Mysore, the person who for the time being is  recognized by the President, as the Maharaja of that State; and (c) in  relation to any other State specified in Part B of the First Schedule,  the person who for the time being is recognized by the President, as the  Rajpramukh of that State, and includes in relation to any of the said  States any person for the time being recognized by the President, as  competent to exercise the powers of the Rajpramukh in relation to that  State.

Governing Rajpramukhs, 1948–1956 :

(a) Hyderabad State had its last Nizam, HEH Mir Osman Ali Khan (b. 1886 -d. 1967) as Rajpramukh from  26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956.

     (b)   Saurashtra had Sir Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji (b. 1912 -d. 1965), the former Maharaja of Bhavnagar, and Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja(b. 1895 -d. 1966), the former Maharaja of Nawanagar, as acting and regular Rajpramukh respectively.

     © Meanwhile, Maharana Maharaja Shri Raj Mayurdhwajsinhji Meghrajji III Ghanshyamsinghji Sahib, the former Maharaja of Dhrangadhra, on the establishment of the United State of Kathiawar (Saurashtra) in 1948, was installed as Upa-Rajpramukh (Deputy Rajpramukh) and he served as Acting Rajpramukh during the absence of the Rajpramukh.

    (d) Mysore had its last Maharaja, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur (b. 1919 -d. 1974) as Rajpramukh.

   (e) Travancore-Cochin state had the last Maharaja of Travancore, Sir Bala Rama Varma II (b. 1912 -d. 1991) as Rajpramukh from 1 Jul 1949 – 31 Oct 1956.

    (f) Madhya Bharat had the last Maharaja of Gwalior, Sir George Jivaji Rao Scindia (b. 1916 -d. 1961) as Rajpramukh from 28 May 1948 to 31st Oct 1956.

    (g) Rajasthan had two Rajpramukhs, Sir Bhim Singh II (b. 1909 -d. 1991), the former Maharao of Kota, from 25 March 1948 to 18 April 1948 and Sir Bhupal Singh (b. 1884 -d. 1955), the Maharana of Udaipur, from 18 April 1948 – 1 April 1949. The latter continued with the designation of Maha Rajpramukh from 1 April 1949 to 4 July 1955. The Maharana of Udaipur was appointed as Rajpramukh and Kota Naresh was appointed as Upa-Rajpramukh of Union of many former princely states of Rajasthan, and subsequently Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur was appointed as the Maha-Rajpramukh and the Kota Naresh was appointed as the Upa-Rajpramukh.

    (h)  Vindhya Pradesh had Martand Singh (b. 1923 – d. 1995), the former Maharaja of Rewa, as Rajpramukh during 1948–49, then passing under the administration of a Chief Commissioner.

    (i)  The Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) was a state of India between 1948 and 1956. It was created by combining eight princely states: Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Kapurthala, Faridkot, Kalsia, Malerkotla and Nalagarh. The state was inaugurated on July 15, 1948 and formally became a state of India in 1950. The capital and principal city was Patiala. The state covered an area of 26,208 km². Shimla, Kasauli, Kandaghat, Dharampur and Chail also became part of the PEPSU. When the state was formed, the then-Maharaja of Patiala, Yadavindra Singh, (b. 1913 -d. 1974), was appointed its Rajpramukh (equivalent to Governor). He remained in office during the entire length of the state's short existence,till October,1956.  The then Maharaja of Kapurthala, Jagatjit Singh served as Upa-Rajpramukh. While inaugurating Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) with the Patiala ruler as the Rajpramukh, Vallabhbhai Patel said, "If I were to be born again I shall like to  be born as a loyal subject of the Maharajadhiraj of Patiala."

 2. Maharajas as  Governors:

            In 1956 the States Reorganization Act took place and the states were reorganized on the basis of linguistic lines. Earlier organization of states on the basis of former British Provinces and the princely states was annulled and the position of Rajpramukh abolished.

a)         Maharaja, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur of Mysore, continued as Governor from 1 November 1956 to 4 May 1964. He held office as Governor of Tamil Nadu (then known as Madras State) from 4 May 1964 to 26 June 1966.

b)         Pressure from Nehru and Sardar Patel had eventually compelled Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu & Kashmir, to appoint his son and heir, Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh, as Regent of Jammu and Kashmir in 1949, although he remained titular Maharaja of the state until 1952, when the monarchy was abolished. Karan Singh was appointed 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' ('President of the Province') in 1952 and Governor of the State in 1964. 

3. Privy Purse, its abolition and  Indira Gandhi : 

            The Privy Purse was a payment made to the royal families of erstwhile princely states as part of their agreements to first integrate with India in 1947, and later to merge their states in 1949 whereby they lost all ruling rights..  Privy Purses ranged from Rs. 5000 per annum to amounts in millions. 102 privy purses were of more than 1 lakh rupees with an upper ceiling of 2 lakh rupees for all except 11 states. Only 6 of the most important Princely states in India were provided with Privy Purses above Rs. 1,000,000. These were Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, Baroda, Jaipur and Patiala. For several rulers, the agreements provided for a reduction in the Privy Purse for successors. For certain other states, while certain amounts were guaranteed for the time being, it was liable to be reduced soon after. Thus Hyderabad which received initially a Privy Purse of Rs. 4,285,714 was a few years later guaranteed a Rs. 2,000,000 purse. The Government of India also generally reduced the allowances with every succession in the family.

            However, the influential royalty was not contented and they started contesting elections (V.P. Singh, Vasundhara Raje, Amarinder Singh, Digvijay Singh, Arjun Singh, etc.). In the 1967 election, several rulers had joined the Swatantra Party headed by C. Rajagopalachari, and many of them defeated Congress candidates. Indira Gandhi was, therefore, determined to abolish the Privy Purses. On June 25, 1967, the All India Congress passed a resolution to abolish them. The Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Bill, 1970 was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha by a majority of 332:154 votes, but it was defeated in the Rajya Sabha by 149:75. Having failed in Parliament, Indira Gandhi asked President V.V. Giri to derecognise all the rulers. This derecognition was successfully challenged by N.A. Palkhivala before the Supreme Court in the historic Privy Purses case. Indira Gandhi’s landslide victory in the 1971 election, with “Garibi Hatao slogan”, enabled her to amend the Constitution that abolished the Privy Purses and extinguished all rights and privileges of the rulers. In Parliament, Indira Gandhi stated that the concept of Privy Purses and special privileges were incompatible with an “egalitarian social order.”

            The motion to abolish Privy Purses, was again proposed in 1971, and was successfully passed as the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India in 1971. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and   the need to reduce the government's revenue deficit. 

" The concept of rulership, with privy purses and special privileges unrelated to any current functions and social purposes, is incompatible with an egalitarian social order. Government have, therefore, decided to terminate the privy purses and privileges of the Rulers of former Indian States. It is necessary for this purpose, apart from amending the relevant provisions of the Constitution, to insert a new article therein so as to terminate expressly the recognition already granted to such Rulers and to abolish privy purses and extinguish all rights, liabilities and obligations in respect of privy purses. Hence this Bill.

    —Indira Gandhi, "The Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Bill, 1971".

            The Bill was considered by the Lok Sabha on 1 and 2 December 1971 and passed in the original form on 2 December 1971. The Bill, as passed by the Lok Sabha, was considered by the Rajya Sabha on 7, 8 and 9 December and passed on 9 December 1971, after a two-year legal battle. The Bill received assent from then President Varahagiri Venkata Giri on 28 December 1971. It came into force on the same date, and was notified in The Gazette of India on 29 December 1971.

            Thus,from December 1971, the Congress Party,( of which Sardar Patel was a member), “betrayed the solemn constitutional guarantee given to the rulers by the Constituent Assembly”. It was primarily on the assurance of Sardar Patel that the rulers signed the Instruments of Accession that created a united India.  In the end, the abolition of Privy Purses will remain one of the most shameful events in our constitutional history. The nation saved Rs.4 crore annually but lost its honour. It is equally regrettable that neither the Janata Party in 1977 nor any subsequent non-Congress government did anything to redeem Patel’s pledge. What purpose will, then, be served by spending Rs.2,500 crore to build the tallest statue in his memory? 

            The dictatorial, charismatic, hypnotic spell of PM Indira Gandhi, on the Congress members of the two houses was very evident, in the abolition of privy purse, Nationalisation of Banks, Press Censorship, mass sterilisations, and later on in the Imposition of “National Emergency” in June 1975-  March 1977. "The question before us is not whether Indira Gandhi should continue to be prime minister or not. The point is whether democracy in this country is to survive or not." from Gurmit Singh’s book. According to Amnesty International, 140,000 people had been arrested without trial during the twenty months of Gandhi's Emergency. Jasjit Singh Grewal estimates that 40,000 of them came from India's two percent Sikh minority.

            Indira Gandhi’s regime could not foresee the creation of hundreds of Maharajas, in the shape of Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, MLCs of various States, and various other power wielders of Democracy. The total annual expenditure to keep them going, is a staggering, whopping thousands of Crores of rupees, and these great people raise their own salaries very frequently, having done no useful work in the Parliamentary Sessions. This is a great, permanent, eye-sore of the Democratic India, that is Bharat Mahan.

4.  Maharajas  as elected by the people of the Democracy.   

a)         Former Royalty like Capt. Amarinder singh-( Sir Bhupinder Singh's grandson), Maharaja of Patiala, Maharani Vasundhara Raje Sindhia of Dholpur even rose to posts of Chief Ministers of Punjab(from 2002 ro 2007) and Rajasthan respectively till recently. Many others like V.P Singh, Digvijay Singh, Srikanata Datta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar, Late Madhava Rao Sindhia and his son, Arjun Singh, and many others have been in active politics and been Prime Minister, Governors, Ministers, MLA's and MP's for some time.

b)         Raja Bahadur Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Raja of Manda, (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008)  B.A., B.Sc., LL.B., son of Raja Bhagwati Prasad Singh of Daiya. He was  MLA  1969/1971 and 1981/1983 and MLC of Uttar Pradesh  1980/1981; Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh 1980/1982; Member of the Lok Sabha 1971/1974 and 1980 and Member of the Rajya Sabha 1983/1988; Union Deputy Minister/Minister of State/Minister holding portfolios of Commerce, Supply, Finance and Defence 1974/1977 and 1983/1987; Leader of the house, Rajya Sabha 1984/1987; 8th Prime Minister of India 1989/1990, Foreign  Minister 1984/1987.

c)         Virbhadra Singh (born 23 June 1934) of Bashahr, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, he has served as Chief Minister since 2012; he previously served as Chief Minister from 1983 to 1990, from 1993 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2007. He was an elected member of the Lok Sabha in 1962, 1967, 1972, 1980 and in 2009. He is a member of the Indian National Congress.   His wife, Pratibha Singh, was a Lok Sabha member from Mandi.

d)         Iftikhar Ali Khan, Nawab of Malerkotla was elected MLA in 1952, 54, 69  from Malerkotla.

e)          Digvijay Singh (born 28 February 1947) of Raghogarh, was a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He is also currently a General Secretary of the Indian National Congress party's All India Congress Committee. Previously, he had served as the 9th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, a central Indian state, for two terms from 1993 to 2003.

f)          Maharaja of  Paralakhemundi Shri Krushna  Chandra Gajapathi, ably provided a multidimensional  leadership to Orissa and was  unanimously elected the First Prime Minister or Premier of Orissa (as Chief Ministers of Indian States were then known). He was one among the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution, being a Member of the Constituent Assembly of India as well.

g)         In 1952, the young Maharaja Karni Singh, also known as Dr Karni Singh of Bikaner (21 April 1924 – 4 September 1988)  was elected Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of India from Bikaner constituency as an independent candidate, serving on several consultative committees of different ministries and holding his seat until 1977.

h)         Maharaja Shri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Bahadur (20 February 1953 - 10 December 2013),  was the prince of Mysore Kingdom and head of the Wadiyar dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore between 1399 and 1950. Wadiyar,  was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the Mysore Parliamentary Constituency four times as a candidate of Indian National Congress and has lost twice, once as a BJP candidate and recently as a Congress party candidate.

i)          Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur MVC was  involved in local politics, as was his  stepmother, Gayatri Devi, his father's third wife. In 1975 he was arrested and imprisoned for a short period during The Emergency by Congress government at centre, due to political vendetta along with Gayatri Devi,  but was released after protests from various people including Indian Army and Lord Mountbatten, who spoke to Indira Gandhi.

j)          Lt.Gen.Yadavinder Singh decided to stand as an independent candidate, and was voted in by a handsome majority. His short parliamentary career was over as he soon realized that he was unfit for the role of a professional politician. He continued, however, to involve himself closely in Sikh affairs, and in 1969 revived his role as intermediary with the Centre in an unsuccessful bid to head off Darshan Singh Pheruman's fast to death over status of Chandigarh. Earlier he had presided over the Sikh Educational Conference annual sessions held at Patiala (1949), Delhi (1952) and Indore (1961). He was also chairman of the Punjabi University Commission which preceded the establishment in 1962 of Punjabi University at Patiala. He was chosen president of the Guru Gobind foundation as well as Guru Nanak foundation, the former set up to honour the tercentenary of the birth of Guru Gobind Singh (1967) and the latter the quicentenary of the birth of Guru Nanak (1969).

k)         HH Gajsingh II, Maharaja of Jodhpur-Marwar, has also been a Member of Parliament and served in the Rajya Sabha.

l)          The grandson of Shri Krushna Chandra Gajapathi, Maharaja of  Paralakhemundi,  Shri Gopi Nath Gajapathi, a Chemical Engineer was a former Member of Parliament, from the Berhampur Constituency for two consecutive terms of the Lok Sabha, between the years 1989 and 1996.

 

4a.  The Princesses  and Maharanis, elected by the people of India, are:

a)         Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (of Kapurthala Clan) was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1958 and was inducted to Union cabinet by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

b)         After independence Maharani Gayathri Devi of Jaipur, contested elections in 1962 and earned a royal victory winning by a whopping 1,75,000 votes!  Vijaya Raje Scindhia , Rajmata of Gwalior, entered in politics in 1962  as a debutant on Congress ticket. However after five years she parted ways with Congress and joined Jan Sangh.

c)         Pratibha Singh,wife of Virbhadra Singh of Himachal Pradesh,  was a Lok Sabha member from Mandi.

d)         Mohinder Kaur, wife of Maharaja of Patiala,Yadawinder Singh, was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1964 and to Lok Sabha in 1967 from Mohindergarh.  

e)         Begum Yusuf Zaman and Begum Sajida wives of Nawab  Iftikhar Ali Khan, of Malerkotla,  were elected MLA in 1962; and  MLA in 1972 , respectively.

5.   Maharajas as intellectuals , achievers of Academic Awards, and Administrators:

a)         Maharaj  Sri Nagendra Singh (18 March 1914 – 11 December 1988) ,  was born in Dungarpur State of India as the third son of Bijaya Singh and Devendra Kunwar Sahiba; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer and Cambridge University, England. He obtained his Doctorate in Law from the same university and joined the Indian Civil Sevice (ICS) in 1938.  Between 1966 and 1972 Singh worked in various capacities as  secretary to the President of India,  Chief Election Commissioner of India.,  representative of India in the United Nations Assembly and served on the United Nations International Law Commission on a part-time basis from 1967 to 1972. He was also elected as secretary of the International Bar Association. In 1973, he moved to The Hague to become a judge of the International Court of Justice and was its president between February 1985 and February 1988, when he retired. Singh was awarded the Kama award in 1938, and in 1973 he received the Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India.  He continued to live at the Hague and died there on 13th  December 1988.

Nagendra Singh was indeed a many splendoured  personality;  a prince who was a jurist,judge, civil servant, scholar, author, international diplomat, connaisseur of art, defender of human rights and environment,  and a  deeply religious man.

( The reader is advised to see:  ICJ notification: for Singh's achievements which runs in two pages.

HIS EXCELLENCY, JUDGE NAGENDRA SINGH 1914 - 1988    13 December 1988

The following information is made available to the Press by the Registry of the International Court of Justice: )

 b)         Dr Karan Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, had earned a Ph.D from Benares Hindu University.

c)         In 1964  Maharaja Karni Singh of Bikaner, received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Bombay University, for his thesis “The relationship of the Bikaner royal family with central authority (1465-1949)”.  He was an ardent supporter of the Rajasthani language and argued for its inclusion in the 14th schedule of the Indian Constitution. He was  keen in many sports, his interests included photography and painting.

d)         Maharajkumar Shri Digvijaysinhji Pratapsinhji Jhala [Dr Digvijay Sinh],  of Wankaner,  was the eldest son of    Captain H.H. Maharana Raj Shri Pratapsinhji Sahib, of Wankaner    and  , H.H. Sisodiji Maharani Sri Rama Kanwar Sahiba . Educated at Rajkot,Cambridge Univ (BA) (MA), and St Stephens College, Delhi. Earned his PhD  from Delhi University. Joined IAS in 1955. Worked in various positions from Under-Secretary level and upwards in central government and in Gujarat.  Retired in August 1990.

e).        Dr M.K.Ranjitsinhji was born in Feb 1938, as second son of HH Pratajsinhji and HH Rama Kunwer of Wankaner. Did his MA from St Stephen’s College Delhi in 1959. Wrote his IAS entrance examination in November 1960 and selected for IAS in 1961. He retired from IAS in Feb 1996 at superannuation age of 58 years . He earned his Ph.D for his thesis “Beyond the tiger and the Indian blackbuck”.. He was the prime architect of the “Wildlife Protection Act 1972”. Has travelled in all the seven continents  for wild life conservation   studies. The Eastern sub species of barasingha or swamp deer of Assam is named after him:    “Rucervus Duvaucelii Ranjitsinhi”.   He was awarded  "Most Excellent Order of the Golder Ark"  of Netherlands by Prince Bernhard.    His book  "A life with wildlife" (Harper Collins Publication) is a   must  for every wildlife enthusiast.

f)          Maharaja  Apji Shivraj Singh ( of Palaitha) , IAS Retd., educated at the Doon School, Dehra Dun and St Stephen’s College, New Delhi; he served in the Indian Administrative service for 37 years with distinction 1965/2002; granted Superannuation in a Rank of Chief Secretary, West Bengal Cadre; he also served extensively in the Central Government at New Delhi in various ministries in several designations; he is currently retired and is based between Kotah, Palaitha and Gurgaon; married Rani Roma Rajyashree Singh, daughter of late Maj.Gen. Subarna Shumshere Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal.  

g)         Maharaja Kumar M.S.Singh Deo, erstwhile ruler of Surguja Princely state, (Chattisgarh), born on 02 June 1930, was selected for IAS (MP Cadre) in 1954 and worked in various positions, and retired as Chief secretary, Government of MP,   on  30th June 1988.

h)         Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan Singh of Banares, the last King of Banares (Varanasi in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh). He was a scholar of Sanskrit, Veda and Purana. He served as Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.

i)          Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, Wodeyar Dynasty  of Mysore  (18.7.1919 - 23.09-1974), was the twenty-fifth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1940 to 1971, ruling from 1940 until the monarchy was abolished in 1950. Graduate of the University of Mysore, was a great lover of music and literature. He had a special interest in Western music. He was a noted philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and  philanthropist and the Founder-President of Vishva Hindu Parishad. Most of his privy purse money was  given in charity to temples in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Vishwanatha Temple, Benares (UP), and Mysore State. He was the Chancellor of the University of Mysore.

            Occasionally was in the Royal sport of Hunting wild animals like Tigers, Leopards, and elephants. He was also well known for his marksmanship and was highly sought-after by his subjects whenever a rogue elephant or a maneating tiger attacked their immediate surroundings. There are many wildlife trophies attributed to him in the Palace collections. 

             Maharajas Car Garrage  near  the Maharajas  stable,  had 24 Rolls Royces,  and Bentleys at one time. The collection included other great marks like Daimler, Hispano Suiza, Delahaye, Invicta, Lancia, Jaguar, to name a few. It was a great sight to witness the Ayudha Pooja Day when he used to have them all in  a  long row and performed  pooja.

            The Maharaja was a gifted pianist. He had nurtured hopes of becoming a concert pianist; a dream that necessarily ended with his ascension to the throne. He was a Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music, London;an honorary Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London; and the first president of the Philharmonia Concert Society, London. Has composed around 94 Karnataka Music compositions in Sanskrit  with Sri Vidya ankita in many raagaas..  Was proficient in playing other musical instruments too

He played Golf, in the Mysore Race Course area He was a good horseman and a tennis player who helped Ramanathan Krishnan to participate at Wimbledon. He was responsible for the famous cricketer/off-spin bowler, E. A. S. Prasanna's visit to West Indies.

His published works on Philosophy are :

 The Quest for Peace: an Indian Approach, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 1959;.Dattatreya: The Way & The Goal, Allen & Unwin, London 1957;. The Gita and Indian Culture, Orient Longmans, Bombay, 1963. ; Religion And Man, Orient Longmans, Bombay, 1965. Based on Prof. Ranade Series Lectures instituted at Karnataka University in 1961.; Avadhuta: Reason & Reverence, Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore, 1958. ; An Aspect Of Indian Aesthetics, University of Madras, 1956.

6.         Maharajas  as  Wildlife hunters :

            Maharajas took shikaar as a royal ancestral  sport and  used it for diplomacy and VIP entertainment., with big game  hunting parties using guns and rifles of  foreign make,Holland and Holland, Winchester, double barrels, with bores from .275 to .450   They did kill thousands of migratory ducks  in the  Bharatpur region.

a)         Maharaja Ramanuj Saran Singh Deo, the last ruler of this princely state,  has the  record of having shot and killed a total of 1710 Bengal tigers, the highest known individual score;

 b)        Maharajas of Surguja  and their guests shot over 1900 tigers. Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya  shot the last three cheetahs of India.

c)         Maharaja of Rewa and family killed about 900 tigers.The above  three princely families, together, almost scored 3000 tigers.

d)         The Maharaja Nripendra Narayana Bhupa of Cooch behar killed in about 35 years,  365 tigers,311 leopards,207 rhinos, 438 buffalos,133 bears, 259 sambhars, 318 barasinghas, and 48 bisons. 

e)         The Maharaja of Mysore  Jayachamaraja  Wodeyar,  held a poor record compared to the above.

            Many of those hunting Maharajas, lateron turned over to wild life conservation and helped building National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

6a)       Mahararajas  as  Wildlife Conservationists:

a)         For the last half a century, Dr M.K. Ranjitsinh of Wankaner Princely State, has been at the forefront of shaping conservation strategies for not only the flagship species but also for key habitats in India. One of his greatest contributions to wildlife conservation was the framing of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, that laid the foundation for India’s wildlife movement. He did work with the UNEP. He was the Member Secretary of the task force that put together Project Tiger. He was responsible for the establishment of many National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in India.

b)         Though Maharaja of Mysore also entertained the Royal VIPs from European Kigdoms, the animals that were killed mostly were tigers, rarely elephants..His personal score also can no where be compared with the Kings of Cental India. Maharaja of Mysore was the First Chairman of the Indian Wild Life Board, with all interest in Animal Conservation. The many "Khedda" operations to catch wild elephants, and to domesticate them, came to an end in his regime

c)         HH Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan III GCIE, KCSI, Nawab of Junagadh,  is credited with a conservation effort that helped ensure the survival of the asiatic lion.

7.   Maharajas as Army Officers: 

a)         Maharaja Ganga Singh was born on the auspicious day of Vijay Dashmi on 3 October 1880 to Maharaj Shri Lal Singh Sahib and his wife Maji Shri Chandravatiji Sahiba. He was educated privately at Mayo College, Ajmer, where he studied for 5 years. Later on, he was tutored by Sir Brian Egerton, who also provided him administrative training. For military training, he was sent to Deoli in 1898 and attached to the 42nd Deoli Regiment, which had the reputation of being one of the finest regiments in India under the command of Lt. Col. Bell. He served in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1900). During the first World War, he commanded the Bikaner Camel Corps which served in France, Egypt and Palestine. He was an Honorary ADC to the Prince of Wales when he visited the United Kingdom for the Coronation in 1902, later serving him when he became His Majesty King George V, the King-Emperor, in 1910. A Member of the Central Recruiting Board-India 1917, he represented India at the Imperial War Conference 1917, the Imperial War Cabinet and the Paris Peace Conference 1919 and was Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes from 1920–26. He also represented India as a delegate at the fifth session of the League of Nations in 1924. He constructed the Ganga Canal and developed the Sri Ganganagar city.  He died 2 February 1943 in Bombay after a reign of 56 years, aged 62, and was succeeded by his son Sadul Singh

He had the following decorations:

• Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, 1st Class-1900
• China War Medal (1900) – 1901 – which he received in person from the Prince of Wales on 2 July 1902, during a parade of Indian troops in London for the coronation festivities.^[6]
• King Edward VII Coronation Medal-1902
• Delhi Durbar Medal (gold)-1903
• KCIE:Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire – 24 July 1901 – in recognition of services during the recent operations in China (Boxer rebellion)^[7]
• GCIE: Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire – 1907
• King George V Coronation Medal-1911
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1911 (KCSI-1904)
• 1914 Star-1914
• Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John (GCStJ)-1914
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)-1918
• British War Medal-1918
• Victory Medal-1918
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)-1919
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) – New Year Honours 1921, for war service^[8]
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
• King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
• Africa Star-1942
• War Medal 1939–1945-1945 (posthumous)
• 1939-1945 Star-1945 (posthumous)
• India Service Medal-1945 (posthumous)

b)         Lt.-Gen  (retd.) Apji Bahadur Singh  (of Palaitha) , M.B.E., born 5th August 1910 , one of India’s celebrated Military officers, was educated at Herbert College, Kotah and at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehra Dun (R.I.M.C.) 1923/1929,  was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, UK where he gained entry as the top student from India. He was commissioned into the then British Indian Army, 19th Hyderabad Regiment on 27th August 1931, he served with the Highland Light Infantry 1931/1932   Later he was promoted to Captain on 1st January 1939; he fought in the Second World War in the Malaya - Singapore theatre and was a POW for more than 12 months in a Japanese Internment Camp. He returned  to India in very poor health and despite these setbacks, he was conferred the Order of the British Empire on 9th May 1946, in recognition of gallant and distinguished services as a prisoner of war, he went on to become the Colonel of the Kumaon Regiment 1961/1971 and General Officer Commanding in Chief for Central Command of the Indian Army 1962/1966.  He served as Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh [16.5.1967] - [24.1.1971]; married Rani Rajendra Kumari of Barwani, and had issue, one son and four daughters. He died 8th May 2007 at Kota in Rajasthan.

c)         Prince Karni Singh   saw  active service in the Second World War, serving in the Middle East with his grandfather, H.H. General Sir Ganga Singh, the 23rd Maharaja of Bikaner. Prince Karni succeeded his father, H.H.Lt.Gen.Maharaja Sir Sadul Singh, in 1950. Karni Singh was awarded Africa Star (Second World War campaign medal), India Service Medal

d)         Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur MVC (22 October 1931 – 17 April 2011) was the titular Maharaja of Jaipur from 24 June 1970 to 28 December 1971.  He was commissioned into Indian Army in the 3rd Cavalry regiment as a Second Lieutenant in 1951 and was selected for the President's Bodyguards in 1954 and where in, he served till 1963. He was posted to 50th Parachute Brigade in 1963. Later, he was posted as Adjutant, Indian Military Academy at Dehradun from January 1964 to 1967. In 1967, Sawai Bhawani Singh was second-in-command of the 10th Parachute Regiment, one of the two elite Special Forces battalions and became the Commanding Officer (CO) later in 1968.   In 1970 Bhawani Singh helped train Mukti Bahini before the commencement of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Later next year, Bhawani Singh commanded Para Commandos of the 10th Parachute Regiment in the 1971 war against Pakistan and was responsible for the capture of Chachro in Sindh.  The President bestowed upon him the rank of Brigadier in 1974. This is a rare honour when an army personnel has been given a promotion in rank after retirement.    Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh, Maharaja of Jaipur, was awarded Mahavir Chakra.

 e)        Gen. Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO (15 June 1899 – 1 January 1964) of Nawanagar, also known as Kumar Sri Rajendrasinhji and K.S. Rajendrasinhji, was the first Chief of Army Staff of the  Indian army, and the second Indian, after Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, to become Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

f)          Brig. HH Maharaja Sri Sukhjit Singh Sahib Bahadur , born 16th October 1934 in Kapurthala, educated at Doon School, Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal, and then attended the Indian Military Academy, (I.M.A.) Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal, and was commisioned in 1954, as a  2/Lt  in the Indian Army, rose to the rank of Brigadier in the Indian Army and won the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second  highest gallantry award in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, married in 1957 at New Delhi, HH Maharani Geeta Devi.

8.   Maharajas as Ambassadors of the Nation:  

a)         HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur,( had married Maharani Gayathri Devi of Cooch Behar)   the erstwhile Maharaja of Jaipur was an  ace polo player, He was the  Indian Ambassador to Spain.

b)         After his retirement from Indian Army, Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur MVC served as Indian High Commissioner to Brunei from 1994 to 1997.

c)         Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru sent   Lt.Gen. Yadavendra Singh, to New York as a member of the Indian delegation to the 11th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In 1958, Yadavinder Singh represented India in Paris at the 10th annual conference of UNESCO,  Indian team at meetings of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) - a task for which the horticulturally-knowledgeable Maharaja was well suited. In 1965, the Lal Bahadur Shastri government appointed him to the prestigious post of Indian Ambassador in Rome, where he served until 1967.  Throughout the late 1969, Yadavinder Singh continued his association with FAO and the Council of Sports, and in 1970 took on a new role as chairman of the Indian horticulture development council. In 1971, Yadavinder Singh took up his second and last permanent diplomatic postings at the Hague in the Netherlands. Three years later, on 17 June 1974, he suffered a severe heart attack and died. He was 61 years of age.

d)         HH Gajsingh II, Maharaja of Jodhpur-Marwar, is an international celebrity, many books, publications and films have been made on and about him. He has served as Indian High Commissioner in the West Indies, concurrently accredited to Trinidad & Tabago, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia St. Vincent & Commissioner to Antigua, St. Kitts, Montsarrat, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands. He has also been Member of Parliament and served in the Rajya Sabha.

e)         Sanjay Singh was born on 25 September 1951. His father was Raja Rananjay Singh, of  Ramnagar, Amethi. A part of his education was at the city's Ranvir Rananjay Post-Graduate College and he gained an MA in Hindi and a   PhD from Awadh University.  Sanjay Singh was an IFS officer and was posted as Ambassador  to Iran. f)           Natawar Singh  was the fourth son of Thakur Govind Singh of Deeg and his wife Thakurani Prayag Kaur, was born on 16th May 1931, in the princely state of Bharatpur to an aristocrat Jat family related to the ruling dynasty of Bharatpur. He attended Mayo College and Scindia School, Gwalior, both traditionally for Indian princely clans and nobles, and took an undergraduate degree at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He subsequently studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University and was a visiting scholar for a period at Peking University in China. Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1953 and served for 31 years. One of his earliest assignments was in Beijing, China (1956–58). He was then posted to New York City with the Permanent Mission of India (1961–66) and as India's representative to Executive Board of UNICEF (1962–66). He served on several important UN committees between 1963 and 1966. He was an MP also. Served as Ambassador to Pakistan and as Minister of External Affairs.  In 1966, he was posted to the Prime Minister's Secretariat under Mrs Indira Gandhi. In August 1967, Singh married Maharajkumari Heminder Kaur (b. June 1939), the eldest daughter of the last Maharaja of Patiala State, Yadavindra Singh, and the sister of Amarinder Singh, the present titular Maharaja of Patiala and current chief minister of Punjab. He was awarded Padmabhushan.  h)           HH Maharao Shri Bhim Singh II,  Hony. Brigadier of Indian Army and also Hony Colonel of 17 Poona Horse. During the WW II, he was a member of the Viceroys War Council, UpaRajapramukh of Rajasthan 1948-1956,. He also served as India's  alternate delegate to UN General Assembly in 1956.

 9. Maharajas as Sports Personalities : 

a)         The late H.H. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh - II of  Jaipur's  patronage of  Indian Polo was so great in the 1950, 60's  that Indian Polo and its players were famous all over the world. All the Princes and Maharajas of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Rajasthan as a whole, played Polo as a tradition. Polo is known as the Game of the Kings.

b)         Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur MVC (22 October 1931 – 17 April 2011), Maharaja of Jaipur, was in the field of radio sports, licenced as an amateur radio operator with the call sign VU2HHJ.  

c)         Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Indian Test cricketer, ruler of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933.    Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar, a cricketer who played for England.

d)         Maharaja Bhupinder Singh,  donated the Ranji Trophy in honour of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar. He was selected as the captain of India on its first Test tour of England in 1932, but dropped out for reasons of health two weeks before departure and the Maharaja of Porbandar took over. The cricket ground at Chail was made by Maharaja of Patiala in 1893. It is the highest cricket ground in the world. Most of the buildings of Chail Military School were donated by Maharaja of Patiala to the government of India.  He is perhaps the most famous Maharaja of Patiala, best known for his extravagance and for being a cricketer. His cricket and polo teams – Patiala XI and Patiala Tigers – were among the best of India. He was a great patron of sports.

 e)        Lt.Gen. Yadavinder Singh's public activities were, however, overshadowed by his sporting achievements. Patiala had always been synonymous with Indian cricket boasting at Chail, the Maharaja's summer residence, the highest ground in the world. Encouraged to play the game by his father, who had captained India on the tour of England, Yadavinder Singh rapidly blossomed into a fine all-round player. He donned Indian colours in 1934 when he was selected to play against England. However, cricket was far from his only athletic accomplishment. Supple of limb and reaching almost 6'5" when fully grown, he had no difficulty adapting successfully to a variety of games: he climbed, ran, played hockey, was north Indian tennis champion, and led the Patiala polo tearn. In his devotion to sport, he had followed in the footsteps of his father. In 1928, Bhupinder Singh had been elected founder-president of Indian Olympic Association, formed after India had won its first gold medal in the hockey competition at the IXth Olympiad in Amsterdam. On Bhupinder Singh's death in 1938, the members of the Association chose the son to replace the father. Yadavinder Singh continued as president until 1960, when he stepped down in favour of his brother, Bhalendra Singh. During his 22-year term, he cemented India's connection with the International Olyrnpic movement, fostered the establishment of branches of the Association in several provinces and encouraged the formation of national federations for individual Olympic sports. In 1960, the government made him chairman of the newly created Indian Council of Sports, a body designed to oversee the whole sporting sphere and advise on the allocation of public money to sports teams and facilities

 f)         Maharaja Karni Singh (21 April 1924 – 4 September 1988) also known as Dr Karni Singh, was from 1950 the last Maharaja of the of Bikaner State to hold the title of Maharaja of Bikaner, officially, till 1971. He was  an international clay pigeon and skeet champion.  Won the National Championship in Clay Pigeon Trap and Skeet for 17 years in a row.  Silver medal at the 38th World Shooting Championships at Cairo in 1962. First shooter to be awarded the Arjuna Award (1961).  He won  at Seoul in 1971,  a Gold Medal. He won a Silver Medal at the Asian Games in Tehran, 1974, and another in the Asian Games at Kuala Lumpur in 1975.  Maharaja Karni Singh attended his last Olympic Games in 1980, and he died on 4 September 1988.

g)         Maharajkumari Rajyashree Kumari D/o Maharaja Karni Singh,(born 1953) is a former shooter from India.  Dr. Karni Singhji taught her to shoot at the age of six years and she won her first medal in 1960 aged seven years. During her sporting career spanning 20 years she represented India in the World Shooting Championship at San Sebastian, Spain where she was placed 8th in the world and was awarded the silver badge and the II Asian Shooting Championship at Seoul in Korea where she won a bronze medal in the team event. She was awarded `Arjuna Award` in 1969 by the then President of India Shri V. V. Giri.

h)         The late Ram Chandra Gajapathi, the former Yuvaraj of  Paralakhemundi was a keen sportsman and an ace marksman with his rifles and shot-gun. Late Madhav Sundar Gajapathi, the former Rajkumar of Paralakhemundi,  was a reputed sportsman and had the distinction of representing India in the game of golf. They were  the elder and younger sons of Maharaja Sri Krushna Chandra Gajapathi, respectively.

 i)          Maharajkumar of Vizianagram , was a  Cricketer and Test Captain, cricket administrator and legendary cricket commentator and politician. Educated at Mayo College and at Haileybury and Imperial Service College. Was knighted although he renounced his knighthood after India gained her independence

  j)         Maharaj Raj Singh was born in the erstwhile princely state of Dungarpur in Rajasthan (then called Rajputana) on 19 December 1935. He was the youngest son of Maharawal Lakshman Singhji, the ruler of Dungarpur. He studied at Daly College, Indore. He had a long-standing friendship with Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary singer.  He played for Rajasthan and Central Zone, appearing in 86 first class cricket matches from 1955 to 1971, taking 206 wickets as a medium-pace bowler. In Rajasthan's victory over Vidarbha in 1967-68 he took his best figures of 7 for 88 and 5 for 55. He was appointed as the Manager of the Indian Cricket team on a number of occasions. He was also a keen wildlife enthusiast, and also a keen golfer. He was also the president of Cricket Club of India for 13 years in Mumbai. He served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for two terms.[ His last cricketing stint was as the manager of the Indian team to Pakistan. He died on 12 September 2009.

k)         Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of erstwhile Pataudi, captained Indian Cricket Team.

l)          Ajay, and  Ravindra Jadeja, are Indian cricketers, of Nawanagar.     Ajay Jadeja, former cricketer who played between 1992 and 2000, playing in 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals.

m)        The Maharaja, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, also represented Mysore University as a cricket player and was captain of the University team. He served as President of Karnataka State Cricket Association till November 2010. . He was a Member of the following committees.. Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Tourism, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation 1984/1989, Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions 1989/1991, Consultative Committee, Ministries of Commerce and Tourism 1990/1991, Committee on Transport & Tourism 1999/2000

10  Maharajas   as  Philanthrophists..

            By the title and deeds, the Maharajas,in general, throughout India, were looking after their people, quite well. They did care for their education, good health, sports, and what not. Though, the list will become abnormally long, I am reducing it, to a few, and the readers may please be kind enough to correct me and excuse me for the omissions.

a)         The Maharajas of Mysore, were well known for their work to develop their state and looking after their subjects. Apart from that, they gave grants to Temples at Varanasi, Tirupati, Madurai and many other places and even built, choultries (dharmashaalaas) for their subjects, who go on religious pilgrimages.The first ever hydro-electric project of India, was in the princely kingdom of Mysore. The University, Hospitals, the Research Institutes at Mysore and Bangalore, stand as part of the many faceted work the Maharajas did.

b)         After, Independence of India, in 1951, when the Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan (the Mithila Post-Graduate Research Institute), located at Kabraghat, was established on the initiative of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, first President of India at that time, Maharaja Kameshwar Singh, of Darbhanga, donated a building along with 60 acres  of land and a garden of mango and litchi trees located beside the Bagmati river in Darbhanga to this institution. He, in a major act of philanthropy, gifted in a ceremony on 30 March 1960, his Anand Bagh Palace to start a Sanskrit University, now named after him as Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University.

c)         It is touted that the Umaid Bhawan Palace was built as a drought relief measure by Maharaja of Jodhpur, Umaid Singh. The idea was to make a luxurious private residence for the Maharaja in order to create employment for the starving people of Jodhpur.  Surprisingly the Maharaja is glorified till this day as a philanthropist for his `noble gesture’.  The moment you enter the Umaid Bhawan a large plaque informs you about this `generosity’. In 1977, more than half of it was converted into a hotel. It is divided between a luxury hotel, a museum and the residence of the Maharaja’s successors. But it is so massive that it still remains the largest private residence in the world. After the imposing Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan is the next monumental attraction in Jodhpur for tourists.    A Trust is now instituted  on  Hanwant Singhji for charitable purposes to include education, medical relief and relief to the poor. The Trust has worked in the following areas:  Providing Succor to the needy; Drought Relief work in the Years 1985-1990, 1999-2000 & 2000-2001; Promoting Girls’ Education; Activities as Project Implementation Agency;  Natural Disaster Relief Programme – Operation Sahayata; Eye Care Programme – Project Netra Drishti; Sheep & Wool Development Programme; etc.,.

d)         Rajyashree Kumari of Bikaner, has  interests which include the preservation of heritage properties and ancestral Forts and Palaces that belong to the Bikaner family. She is a Life member of INTACH. She is the chairperson of the six public charitable trusts set up by her late father Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji that carry out numerous charitable and other philanthropic works in Bikaner. In 1999 she founded Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji Memorial Foundation in the memory of her late father.

e)         The Travancore royal family, particularly the Maharajas did not lead a very lavish lifestyle as they vowed to rule on behalf of their deity Lord Padmanabha for the welfare of their people. No royal family has been as giving and philanthropic as that of Travancore with their contributions towards developing infrastructure which is unparalleled. Unlike other royalty in India, the kings of Travancore spent a very small amount of the state’s resources for their own personal usage. The kings used to dress in the regal finery which was very simple when compared to the Maharajas of the North, while the queens and princesses used to dress in their typical simple white mundu sarees along with delicate and refined jewellery. They were largely adored by their subject as they spent a large portion of the revenue for the benefit of the general public.

f)          Shri Krushna  Chandra Gajapathi, the late Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, made liberal donations to the Pasteur Research Institute at Coonoor, the Coimbatore  Agricultural University, the Indian Red Cross Society and also made generous contributions to  a few industries in Orissa State founded by the political colossus of Orissa, late Biju Patnaik. The name of Shri Krushna Chandra Gajapathi adorned several Boards of corporate institutions in the country. He was the hereditary trustee of many religious temples and institutions, for whose management and maintenance he exercised special care.

g)         HH Gajsingh II, Maharaja of Jodhpur-Marwar, is the Founder of numerous well known philanthropic institutions & Charitable Trusts, among them being: For the education of Women: Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls Public School, Jodhpur and Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls' Hostel, Desuri, Jalore. For Health Care: Rajdadiji Hospital, Managed by Apolo Hospitals Group, Jodhpur and the Head Injury Foundation. For Rural Development: HH Maharaja Hanuwant Singh Trust and Vanishing Herds Foundation. For Heritage, Culture and Art Conservation: Mehrangarh Museum Trust, Jodhpur. For Rehabilitation of Army Widows and Personnel: Veerni & Sahyog Projects. HH Gaj Singh II is the Chief Patron and Chairman of: Mayo College Ajmer, Chopasni School Jodhpur, Chopsani Shiksha Samiti Jodhpur, Hanwant Educational Society Jodhpur, BJS Educational Society Jodhpur, Aravalli Management Institute Jodhpur, Jodhpur Nagrik Society (JODHANA). He has also held positions in Trusts, Associations and Philanthropic Organizations as Founder President of Indian Heritage Hotels Association Jodhpur, Convenor: Rajasthan Chapter of Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), Trustee: Jaipur Virasat Foundation, Ambassador: Federation of International Polo, Member: Indian National Committee of the United World Colleges, Mumbai, Member National Tourism Advisory Council, Fellow: Paul Harris Rotary International.

            It was not that all the Ex Maharajas, squandered the money of the people of their State, but, there were some jewels amidst them, who shone without the title of Maharaja or the privy purse, which the  country’s  chosen representatives, cheated and broke the promises made by Sardar patel and V.P.Menon, while securing the accession. None of the programmes like MPLAD could ever beat the welfare measures taken by the Ex Maharajas.  It is forced time now for the Indian Citizens, to remember, only the post-privy- purse-Maharajas, called the Ministers  MPs and MLAs  etc.,.and their exemplary(?!?) works for looting  Indians ?!?

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References:   Many web pages of the internet;  "A life with wildlife"-Dr. M.K.Ranjit Sinhji.; "Thirty Seven years of big game shooting in Cooch Behar, the Duars and Assam"- Nripendra Narayana Bhupa, Maharaja of Cooch Behar;  "Nagendra Singh ( A Many Splendeoured Life)"    By KAMLA MANKEKAR; International Court of Justice notification;