Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur
Encyclopedia
Tej Singh Prabhakar KCSI
(17 March 1911 – 15 February 2009) was the last ruling Maharaja of Alwar. A remotely related cousin of the previous ruler, Sir Jai Singh, he was selected by the British to rule Alwar, as Sir Jai Singh had been deposed by them for gross misconduct and cruelty. Although Sir Tej (he had been knight
ed in 1943) proved to be a far more effective and popular ruler than had Sir Jai, he only ruled for a decade, from 1937-1947, before the coming of Indian independence in 1947. Loyal to the British administration, he strongly disliked the rise of the Congress Party
. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Delhi authorities arrested Sir Tej on the contentious charges of having been involved in the assassination plot. Alwar was taken over by government officials, and the palace was searched for signs of "hidden treasure," while Sir Tej himself was detained in Delhi.
In 1948, Alwar merged with other Eastern Rajputana
princely states to form the Matsya Union; the union merged into that of Greater Rajasthan
the following year. After 1948, Sir Tej retired to his Delhi residence, Alwar House, where he lived for the next six decades, visiting his former kingdom but rarely.
Sir Tej was stripped of his titles in 1971 as part of the mass derecognisation of the royal families. During the Indian Emergency, tax inspectors under the Indira Gandhi
regime forcibly searched the Alwar palaces. In one of those searches in 1976, Sir Tej's eldest son and heir was killed mysteriously.
Sir Tej died at Alwar House, New Delhi on 15 February 2009, a month shy of his 98th birthday, after a (titulary) reign of 72 years. He was cremated at Delhi. At his death, he was one of the last surviving princely rulers of the old Indian Empire and was the last living member of the Order of the Star of India
. He was succeeded as titular Maharaja of Alwar by his grandson, Jitendra Pratap Singh
.
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
(17 March 1911 – 15 February 2009) was the last ruling Maharaja of Alwar. A remotely related cousin of the previous ruler, Sir Jai Singh, he was selected by the British to rule Alwar, as Sir Jai Singh had been deposed by them for gross misconduct and cruelty. Although Sir Tej (he had been knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1943) proved to be a far more effective and popular ruler than had Sir Jai, he only ruled for a decade, from 1937-1947, before the coming of Indian independence in 1947. Loyal to the British administration, he strongly disliked the rise of the Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Delhi authorities arrested Sir Tej on the contentious charges of having been involved in the assassination plot. Alwar was taken over by government officials, and the palace was searched for signs of "hidden treasure," while Sir Tej himself was detained in Delhi.
In 1948, Alwar merged with other Eastern Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
princely states to form the Matsya Union; the union merged into that of Greater Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
the following year. After 1948, Sir Tej retired to his Delhi residence, Alwar House, where he lived for the next six decades, visiting his former kingdom but rarely.
Sir Tej was stripped of his titles in 1971 as part of the mass derecognisation of the royal families. During the Indian Emergency, tax inspectors under the Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
regime forcibly searched the Alwar palaces. In one of those searches in 1976, Sir Tej's eldest son and heir was killed mysteriously.
Sir Tej died at Alwar House, New Delhi on 15 February 2009, a month shy of his 98th birthday, after a (titulary) reign of 72 years. He was cremated at Delhi. At his death, he was one of the last surviving princely rulers of the old Indian Empire and was the last living member of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
. He was succeeded as titular Maharaja of Alwar by his grandson, Jitendra Pratap Singh
Jitendra Singh
Jitendra Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur is the Minister of State in the central government Indian Member of Parliament representing the Alwar constituency of Rajasthan.Jitendra Singh is the grandson of Sir Tej Singh Prabhakar, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Alwar...
.
Personal life
In 1931, Sir Tej Singh (then Tej Singh), married Her Highness Maharani Shri Chand Kanwarji Sahiba of Jodhpur (d. 1998). The couple had two sons and three daughters:- 1. 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...
Shri Pratap Singh (17 June 1938-27 March 1976). Killed under mysterious circumstances at Alwar during the Indian Emergency. Married on 26 April 1962 at Bundi Yuvrani Mahendra KumariMahendra KumariMahendra Kumari was a former member of Lok Sabha .She was elected to Lok Sabha from Alwar in Rajasthan as a candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party . She was born in Bundi in 1942 in a royal family and had her education at Scindia Girls College, Gwalior...
Sahiba, MPMember of ParliamentA 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,...
(6 February 1942-27 June 2002), and had one son and one daughter:- 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...
Shri Jitendra Pratap Singh Sahib (12 June 1971-), who succeeded as HH Raj Rishi Shri Sawai Maharaja Jitendra Pratap SinghJitendra SinghJitendra Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur is the Minister of State in the central government Indian Member of Parliament representing the Alwar constituency of Rajasthan.Jitendra Singh is the grandson of Sir Tej Singh Prabhakar, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Alwar...
Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar upon his grandfather's death on 15 February 2009 (see article) - Rajkumari Baiji Lal Minakshi Kumari Sahiba. Married a commoner.
- Yuvraj
- 2. Maharaj Shri Yashwant Singhji Sahib (19 September 1939-). Married Rani Brinda Kumari Sahiba (1942-), and has one son and two daughters:
- Rajkumar Shri Yogendra Singh Sahib (3 March 1959-)
- Padma ShriPadma ShriPadma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Rajkumari Baiji Lal Bhuwaneswari KumariBhuvneshwari KumariBhuvneshwari Kumari is a former woman squash champion of India. She was awarded Arjuna award in 1982 and Padma Shri in 2001 for her achievements. Bhuvneshwari Kumari also known as Princess Candy was born to the royal family of Alwar in Rajasthan on 1 September 1960 and is the granddaughter of Tej...
Sahiba (1960-) - Rajkumari Baiji Lal Sohini Kumari (5 January 1968-)
- 3. Maharaj Kumari Baiji Lal Pratap Kumari Sahiba (d. 2003)
- 4. Maharaj Kumari Baiji Lal Bhanu Kumari Sahiba
Titles
- 1911-1937: SriSriSri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Tej Singh - 1937-1941: His Highness Raj Rishi SriSriSri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Sawai Maharaja Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, MaharajaMaharajaMahārāja 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 Alwar - 1941-1943: LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
His Highness Raj Rishi Sri Sawai Maharaja Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar - 1943-1944: Lieutenant His Highness Raj Rishi Sri Sawai Maharaja SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar, KCSIOrder of the Star of IndiaThe Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion... - 1944-1945: Captain His Highness Raj Rishi Sri Sawai Maharaja Sir Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar, KCSI
- 1945-1946: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Raj Rishi Sri Sawai Maharaja Sir Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar, KCSI
- 1946-2009: ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
His Highness Raj Rishi Sri Sawai Maharaja Sir Tej Singh Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur, Maharaja of Alwar, KCSI
Honours
- King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
-1935 - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
-1937 - Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI)-1943
- War Medal 1939-1945-1945
- Africa StarAfrica StarThe Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in the Second World War.The Star was awarded for a minimum of one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943...
-1945 - Italy StarItaly StarThe Italy Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The medal was awarded for operational service in Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Pantelleria, the Aegean area and Dodecanese Islands, and Elba at any time between 11 June 1943 and 8 May 1945...
-1945 - 1939-1945 Star-1945
- Indian Independence Medal-1947