Gaj Singh

Maharaja Gaj Singh II
Maharaja Gaj Singh II
Titular Maharaja of Jodhpur
Head of the House of Rathore
Tenure	26 January 1952 – present
Predecessor	Hanwant Singh I
Heir apparent	Shivraj Singh
Titular Maharaja of Jodhpur
Tenure	26 January 1952 – 5 November 1971
Predecessor	Hanwant Singh I
Successor	Rajkumar Shivraj Singh
Personal Details
Born	13 January 1948 (age 73); Jodhpur, Jodhpur State, India
Spouse	Hemalata Rajye; (m. 1973)
Issue	Shivranjani Rajye ; Shivraj Singh
House	Rathore-Jodhpur
Father	Maharaja Hanwant Singh I of Jodhpur
Mother	Princess Krishna Kumari of Dhrangadhra
Religion	Hinduism

Last updated January 05, 2022

HH Maharaja Gaj Singh ji (born 13 January 1948) is an Indian politician who served as a member of the Indian parliament and High Commissioner of India. He was the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur from 1952 until the royal powers, privileges and privy purses were abolished by twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution of India (effective since 5 November 1971.)

Early years and accession

Gaj Singh is the son of Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur by his first wife, Maharani Krishna Kumari of Dhrangadhra. 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. And popularly known as 'Bapji' by general public of Marwar

Family

In 1970, Gaj Singh returned to Jodhpur to take up his duties as Maharaja of Jodhpur. In 1973, he married Hemalata Rajye, daughter of the Raja of Poonch, a major feudatory state of Kashmir State and his wife Nalini Rajya Lakshmi Devi, a daughter of King Tribhuvan of Nepal and Queen Ishwari Rajya Lakshmi Devi. They are the parents of two children, being:

A daughter, Shivranjani Rajye (born 22 August 1974), and
A son, Shivraj Singh (born 30 September 1975).

Derecognition

In 1971, the constitution of India was amended. On 5 November 1971, the Maharaja and other princes were deprived of their privy purses, 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, with the enactment of the amendment. The same amendment also deprived them of other privileges, such as diplomatic immunity.^[1] In the Constitution of India promulgated in 1971, the Government of India abolished all official symbols of princely India, including titles, privileges, and remuneration (privy purses).^[2]

Career

Later, Gaj Singh served as Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago.^{[ citation needed ]} He also served a term in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament.^{[ citation needed ]}

On 20 July 1992, he founded a day-cum-residential girls' school named Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls' Public School, named after his mother.^{[ citation needed ]}

Related Research Articles

Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain Indian provinces and states.

Madhavrao Jivajirao Scindia was an Indian politician and a minister in the union government of the Indian National Congress.

In India, a privy purse was a payment made to the ruling families of erstwhile princely states as part of their agreements to first integrate with India in 1947 after the independence of India, and later to merge their states in 1949, thereby ending their ruling rights.

Maj. Gen. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II GCSI GCIE was an Indian prince, government official, diplomat and sportsman.

Bhawani Singh Indian Army Officer, hotelier, and titular Maharaja of Jaipur state 1970-71

Lt. Col, Brig. (Hon.), Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh MVC was an Indian Army officer and a hotelier.

Fatehsinghrao Prataprao Gaekwad II was an Indian politician, cricketer, and titular Maharaja of Baroda from 1951 until 1988. In the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India promulgated in 1971, the Government of India abolished all official symbols of princely India, including titles, privileges, and remuneration.

Rajmata Krishna Kumari was an Indian politician. She was the Maharani of Marwar-Jodhpur as the spouse of Maharaja Hanuwant Singh, and the titular regent of Marwar-Jodhpur during the minority of Gaj Singh II in 1952-1970. She was a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, in 1971-1977.

Raj Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hanwant Singh Rathore of Jodhpur was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Jodhpur. He was an avid polo player. He succeeded his father as Maharaja of Jodhpur on 9 June 1947 and held the title till his death in a plane crash on 26 January 1952.

Vishvendra Singh is an Indian politician. He is currently Cabinet minister in Rajasthan Government ,Tourism and Civil Aviation Department. He belongs to the Indian National Congress. Before 2008, he has been associated with Bhartiya Janta Party and Janata Dal. Singh joined the congress in 2008 over conflict with his party colleague Digamber Singh. Vishvendra being a royal always had political advantages, however he lost to Digamber Singh in 2008, this victory gave Digamber a superior hand over Vishvendra. Digamber then was considered the leader of Jats in Rajasthan.

Karan Singh is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1952 to 1965 he was the Sadr-i-Riyasat (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Republic of India. For the 2022 Indian Presidential Election, he was reported as a potential candidate in Indian media, as recommended for nomination by Ankit Love.

Jaipur State was a princely state in India during East India Company rule and thereafter under the British Raj. It signed a treaty creating a subsidiary alliance with the Company in 1818. It acceded to independent India in 1947 and was integrated into India by 1949. Upon integration, the ruler was granted a pension, certain privileges, and the use of the title Maharaja of Jaipur by the Government of India. However, the pension, privileges, and the use of the title were ended in 1971 by the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of India.

Tukoji Rao IV Puar was an Indian politician belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mr. Pawar was member of the Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh.

Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad was an Indian politician.

Pataudi State was a small princely state in India, established in 1804 during the East India Company rule in India.

Rajmata is an Indian term used for the mother of the head of a princely family in India.

Rao Nara, . Rao Nara was of Rathore lineage and the crown Prince of Nadol, the then small kingdom in northwest India in the 15th century. Nadol had been ruled by the Chauhans in the 11th to 14th centuries, but was taken over by the Rathores. His father was Rao Samra, the Raja (King) of Nadol. Rao Nara is significant in the history of India, as he plays a crucial role in the founding of Jodhpur, India in 1459 with Rao Jodha.

Shri Maharana Bhupal Singh Bahadur KCIE, also spelt Bhopal Singh, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Udaipur from 1930 and also Rajpramukh of Rajasthan from 1948 until his death on 4 July 1955.

Narasingha Malla Deb Indian politician (1907–1976)

Narasingha Malla Deb was a member of the Parliament of India and the 16th ruler of Jhargram, which he led from 1916 until his royal powers were abolished by an amendment to the Constitution of India in 1954.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar is an adopted grandson of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the last ruler of Mysore State during the British Raj in India. He was adopted by the widow of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar's son, Srikantadatta Wadiyar fourteen months after the latter's death on 10 December 2013.

Bhagwat Singh Mewar was the titular ruler of the Indian princely state of Udaipur or Mewar from 1955 until the Indian government abolished all royal titles in 1971. Bhagwat Singh was born in 1927, three years after the accession of his father Bhupal Singh to the throne of Mewar and Udaipur as Maharana.

References

↑ "The Constitution (26 Amendment) Act, 1971", indiacode.nic.in, Government of India, 1971, retrieved 9 November 2011
↑ 1. Ramusack, Barbara N. (2004). The Indian princes and their states. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-521-26727-4., "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted." (p 278). 2. Naipaul, V. S. (2003), India: A Wounded Civilization, Random House Digital, Inc., p. 37, ISBN 978-1-4000-3075-0 Quote: "The princes of India – their number and variety reflecting to a large extent the chaos that had come to the country with the break up of the Mughal empire – had lost real power in the British time. Through generations of idle servitude they had grown to specialize only in style. A bogus, extinguishable glamour: in 1947, with Independence, they had lost their state, and Mrs. Gandhi in 1971 had, without much public outcry, abolished their privy purses and titles." (pp 37–38). 3.Schmidt, Karl J. (1995), An atlas and survey of South Asian history, M.E. Sharpe, p. 78, ISBN 978-1-56324-334-9 Quote: "Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses." (page 78). 4. Breckenridge, Carol Appadurai (1995), Consuming modernity: public culture in a South Asian world, U of Minnesota Press, p. 84, ISBN 978-0-8166-2306-8 Quote: "The third stage in the political evolution of the princes from rulers to citizens occurred in 1971, when the constitution ceased to recognize them as princes and their privy purses, titles, and special privileges were abolished." (page 84). 5. Guha, Ramachandra (2008), India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, HarperCollins, p. 441, ISBN 978-0-06-095858-9 Quote: "Her success at the polls emboldened Mrs. Gandhi to act decisively against the princes. Through 1971, the two sides tried and failed to find a settlement. The princes were willing to forgo their privy purses, but hoped at least to save their titles. But with her overwhelming majority in Parliament, the prime minister had no need to compromise. On 2 December she introduced a bill to amend the constitution and abolish all princely privileges. It was passed in the Lok Sabha by 381 votes to six, and in the Rajya Sabha by 167 votes to seven. In her own speech, the prime minister invited 'the princes to join the elite of the modern age, the elite which earns respect by its talent, energy and contribution to human progress, all of which can only be done when we work together as equals without regarding anybody as of special status.' " (page 441). 6.Cheesman, David (1997). Landlord power and rural indebtedness in colonial Sind, 1865–1901. London: Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7007-0470-5. Quote: "The Indian princes survived the British Raj by only a few years. The Indian republic stripped them of their powers and then their titles." (page 10). 7.Merriam-Webster, Inc (1997), Merriam-Webster's geographical dictionary, Merriam-Webster, p. 520, ISBN 978-0-87779-546-9 Quote: "Indian States: "Various (formerly) semi-independent areas in India ruled by native princes .... Under British rule ... administered by residents assisted by political agents. Titles and remaining privileges of princes abolished by Indian government 1971." (page 520). 8.Ward, Philip (September 1989), Northern India, Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi: a travel guide, Pelican Publishing, p. 91, ISBN 978-0-88289-753-0 Quote: "A monarchy is only as good as the reigning monarch: thus it is with the princely states. Once they seemed immutable, invincible. In 1971 they were "derecognized," their privileges, privy purses and titles all abolished at a stroke" (page 91)

External links

Maharaja of Jodhpur (Official website)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "The Constitution (26 Amendment) Act, 1971", indiacode.nic.in, Government of India, 1971, retrieved 9 November 2011

[2] 1. Ramusack, Barbara N. (2004). The Indian princes and their states. Cambridge University Press. p. 278. ISBN 978-0-521-26727-4., "Through a constitutional amendment passed in 1971, Indira Gandhi stripped the princes of the titles, privy purses and regal privileges which her father's government had granted." (p 278). 2. Naipaul, V. S. (2003), India: A Wounded Civilization, Random House Digital, Inc., p. 37, ISBN 978-1-4000-3075-0 Quote: "The princes of India – their number and variety reflecting to a large extent the chaos that had come to the country with the break up of the Mughal empire – had lost real power in the British time. Through generations of idle servitude they had grown to specialize only in style. A bogus, extinguishable glamour: in 1947, with Independence, they had lost their state, and Mrs. Gandhi in 1971 had, without much public outcry, abolished their privy purses and titles." (pp 37–38). 3.Schmidt, Karl J. (1995), An atlas and survey of South Asian history, M.E. Sharpe, p. 78, ISBN 978-1-56324-334-9 Quote: "Although the Indian states were alternately requested or forced into union with either India or Pakistan, the real death of princely India came when the Twenty-sixth Amendment Act (1971) abolished the princes' titles, privileges, and privy purses." (page 78). 4. Breckenridge, Carol Appadurai (1995), Consuming modernity: public culture in a South Asian world, U of Minnesota Press, p. 84, ISBN 978-0-8166-2306-8 Quote: "The third stage in the political evolution of the princes from rulers to citizens occurred in 1971, when the constitution ceased to recognize them as princes and their privy purses, titles, and special privileges were abolished." (page 84). 5. Guha, Ramachandra (2008), India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, HarperCollins, p. 441, ISBN 978-0-06-095858-9 Quote: "Her success at the polls emboldened Mrs. Gandhi to act decisively against the princes. Through 1971, the two sides tried and failed to find a settlement. The princes were willing to forgo their privy purses, but hoped at least to save their titles. But with her overwhelming majority in Parliament, the prime minister had no need to compromise. On 2 December she introduced a bill to amend the constitution and abolish all princely privileges. It was passed in the Lok Sabha by 381 votes to six, and in the Rajya Sabha by 167 votes to seven. In her own speech, the prime minister invited 'the princes to join the elite of the modern age, the elite which earns respect by its talent, energy and contribution to human progress, all of which can only be done when we work together as equals without regarding anybody as of special status.' " (page 441). 6.Cheesman, David (1997). Landlord power and rural indebtedness in colonial Sind, 1865–1901. London: Routledge. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7007-0470-5. Quote: "The Indian princes survived the British Raj by only a few years. The Indian republic stripped them of their powers and then their titles." (page 10). 7.Merriam-Webster, Inc (1997), Merriam-Webster's geographical dictionary, Merriam-Webster, p. 520, ISBN 978-0-87779-546-9 Quote: "Indian States: "Various (formerly) semi-independent areas in India ruled by native princes .... Under British rule ... administered by residents assisted by political agents. Titles and remaining privileges of princes abolished by Indian government 1971." (page 520). 8.Ward, Philip (September 1989), Northern India, Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi: a travel guide, Pelican Publishing, p. 91, ISBN 978-0-88289-753-0 Quote: "A monarchy is only as good as the reigning monarch: thus it is with the princely states. Once they seemed immutable, invincible. In 1971 they were "derecognized," their privileges, privy purses and titles all abolished at a stroke" (page 91)

[1]

[2]