Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Jodhpur
Encyclopedia
Gaj Singh (born 13 January 1948) is a former member
of the Indian parliament and a former High Commissioner
of India. He was the Maharaja of Jodhpur from 1952 until the royal powers, privileges and privy purse
s were abolished by an amendment to the Constitution of India
in 1971.
of Jodhpur by his wife, Maharani Krishna Kumari
of Dhrangadhra
. Singh belongs to the Suryavanshi (Origin from the Surya-Kula) family of Rajput
s. He succeeded to the titles and dignities of his father when only four years of age, in 1952, when his father died suddenly in a plane crash. He was enthroned shortly afterwards.
The infant and his siblings were raised by their mother, Rajmata Krishna Kumari. At the age of eight, Gaj Singh was sent first to Cothill House
, a prep school in Oxfordshire
, England
, and then to Eton College
and Christ Church, Oxford
, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Singh's full title as Maharaja was His Highness Raj
Rajeshwar Saramad-i-Raja-i-Hind Maharajadhiraja Maharaja
Shri GAJ SINGHJI II Sahib Bahadur
, Maharaja of Marwar
of Jodhpur and head of the Rathore clan. In 1973, he married Hemalata Rajye, daughter of the Raja
of Poonch
, a major feudatory state of Kashmir state
and his wife Princess Nalini Rajye Lakshmi Devi of Nepal
. They are the parents of two children, being:
s, the government annuities that had been guaranteed to them both in the constitution and in the covenants of accession whereby their states were merged with the Dominion of India
in the 1940s. The same amendment also deprived them of other privileges, such as diplomatic immunity.
to Trinidad and Tobago
. He also served a term in the Rajya Sabha
, the Upper House
of the Indian Parliament
.
In 2002, Gaj Singh celebrated the Golden Jubilee
of his accession.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of the Indian parliament and a former High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
of India. He was the Maharaja of Jodhpur from 1952 until the royal powers, privileges and privy purse
Privy Purse
The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's remaining private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £13.3 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2009. The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres held in trust for the Sovereign since 1399. It also has...
s were abolished by an amendment to the Constitution of India
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...
in 1971.
Early years and accession
Gaj Singh was born the only son of Maharaja Hanwant SinghHanwant Singh
H.H. Raj Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur Hanwart Singh was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Jodhpur from 1947 until 1952. He was a great player of Polo and is accredited as world polo champion, he was a fine magician as well...
of Jodhpur by his wife, Maharani Krishna Kumari
Krishna Kumari
Rajmata Krishna Kumari was the last reigning Maharani of Marwar-Jodhpur , a state of Rathores. After the death of her husband Maharaja Hanuwant Singh, she was Regent for son, Maharaja Gaj Singh II....
of Dhrangadhra
Dhrangadhra
Dhrangadhra is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. During the period of the British Raj, the city was the capital of Dhrangadhra state, one of the eight first-class princely states of the Kathiawar Agency in the Bombay Presidency.-History:Dhrangadhra...
. Singh belongs to the Suryavanshi (Origin from the Surya-Kula) family of Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s. He succeeded to the titles and dignities of his father when only four years of age, in 1952, when his father died suddenly in a plane crash. He was enthroned shortly afterwards.
The infant and his siblings were raised by their mother, Rajmata Krishna Kumari. At the age of eight, Gaj Singh was sent first to Cothill House
Cothill House
Cothill House is a boys' independent school for preparatory pupils in Cothill, Oxfordshire, which houses around 250 boys from the ages 7-13.-General information:...
, a prep school in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and then to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Singh's full title as Maharaja was His Highness Raj
Raj
Raj and Rajya mean "royalty" or "kingdom" in many Sanskrit and Hindu languages, and may refer to:- Indian history :*British Raj, the British Empire in India...
Rajeshwar Saramad-i-Raja-i-Hind Maharajadhiraja Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
Shri GAJ SINGHJI II Sahib Bahadur
Bahadur
Bahadur * Banda Singh Bahadur , a Sikh warrior and martyr* Coote Bahadur was a name given the Irish soldier Sir Eyre Coote by his troops* Bahadoor , a comedic actor in Malayalam-language films...
, Maharaja of Marwar
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
Family
In 1970, Gaj Singh returned to Jodhpur to take up his duties as MaharajaMaharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Jodhpur and head of the Rathore clan. In 1973, he married Hemalata Rajye, daughter of the Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
of Poonch
Poonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...
, a major feudatory state of Kashmir state
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
and his wife Princess Nalini Rajye Lakshmi Devi of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. They are the parents of two children, being:
- A daughter, Baiji lal Shivranjani Rajye (b. 1974), and
- A son, YuvrajYuvrajYuvraj, Yuvaraja, or Yuvaraj is an Indian title for "Crown Prince", i.e., heir apparent to the throne of an Indian Princely State or former Hindu kingdom ruling the India before Indian independence...
Shivraj SinghShivraj Singh of JodhpurYuvraj Shivraj Singh , is the son of erstwhile Maharaja Gaj Singh and erstwhile Maharani Hemlata Rajye, daughter of the late Raja Shivratan Deo Singh of Poonch and H.R.H. Princess Nalini Rajye Lakshmi of Nepal in Dehra Dun...
(b. 1975).
Derecognition
In 1971, the constitution of India was amended. The Maharaja and other princes were deprived of their Privy pursePrivy Purse
The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's remaining private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £13.3 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2009. The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres held in trust for the Sovereign since 1399. It also has...
s, the government annuities that had been guaranteed to them both in the constitution and in the covenants of accession whereby their states were merged with the Dominion of India
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, also known as the Union of India or the Indian Union , was a predecessor to modern-day India and an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950...
in the 1940s. The same amendment also deprived them of other privileges, such as diplomatic immunity.
Career
Later, Gaj Singh served as Indian High CommissionerHigh Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. He also served a term in the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
, the Upper House
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the Indian Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
.
In 2002, Gaj Singh celebrated the Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee
A Golden Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 50th anniversary.- In Thailand :King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, celebrated his Golden Jubilee on 9 June 1996.- In the Commonwealth Realms :...
of his accession.