Jagatjit Singh

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Jagatjit Singh
GCSI GCIE GBE
Photograph of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State, by Bourne and Shepherd, ca.1900's-1910's (detail).jpg
Photograph of Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State, by Bourne and Shepherd, ca.1900's–1910's
Maharaja of Kapurthala
Reign3 September 1877 – 15 August 1947
Coronation 24 November 1890
PredecessorKharak Singh (as Raja)
SuccessorMonarchy abolished
Paramjit Singh (titular ruler)
Born(1872-11-24)24 November 1872
Kapurthala, Kapurthala State, British India
Died19 June 1949(1949-06-19) (aged 76)
Bombay, Bombay State, India
Spousesix wives
Issue five sons and one daughter
Names
Sir Jagatjit Singh Sahib Bahadur
Dynasty Ahluwalia dynasty
FatherKharak Singh Sahib Bahadur
MotherAnand Kaur Sahiba
Religion Sikh

Colonel Maharajah Sir Jagatjit Singh Sahib Bahadur (24 November 1872 – 19 June 1949) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Kapurthala during the British Raj in India, from 1877 until his death, in 1949. He ascended to the throne of Kapurthala state on 16 October 1877 and assumed full ruling powers on 24 November 1890 as well indulging in traveling the world and being a Francophile. [1]

Contents

Early life and family

Photograph of the child-monarch Raja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State and suite, ca.1880 Photograph of the child-monarch Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State and suite, ca.1880.jpg
Photograph of the child-monarch Raja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala State and suite, ca.1880

Jagajit Singh received the title of Maharaja in 1911. He learned various languages like Punjabi, English, Hindi, French, Spanish, Italian etc. Like his contemporaries Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala and Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jind, Jagatjit Singh was also a philanthropist. When he was young he sang in front of the Viceroy with his friend, the next Maharaja of Dholpur, in French and Italian which outraged many of the visitors.[ citation needed ]

He was cousin of Sardar Bhagat Singh, one of the few Indian Justices of High Court during the British Raj. His grandson Sukhjit Singh served as a Brigadier in the Indian Army. Another grandson Arun Singh was a Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government who advised Indira Gandhi to declare Operation Blue Star.[ citation needed ]

Career

Early career

His dream was for Kapurthala to be a 'Paris of the East'. He built from the Jagatjit Palace in a French style modelled on the Palace of Versailles, the Moorish Mosque in the North African style “Maghrebi”, the Kapurthala War Memorial and other sites.

He also built a Gurdwara at Sultanpur Lodhi. An advocate of educational opportunities for girls, Maharaja Jagatjit Singh also supported numerous undertakings to ensure women received proper medical care under schemes first initiated under The Countess of Dufferin Fund which provided medical aid, helped build hospitals and medical facilities exclusively for women.

Late career

He served as the Indian Representative to the League of Nations General Assembly in Geneva in 1925, 1927, and 1929, [2] attended the Round Table Conference in 1931 and was Lt Governor of the PEPSU at the time of his death in 1949, aged 76.

He spent lots of his time travelling, he visited China, Indonesia, Japan, Morocco, Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, United States of America, Brazil, Argentina and other areas. He had a liking for Japan and France.

A group photograph of North Indian rulers, taken on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of HH the Maharajah of Kapurthala, 30 November - 4 December 1927 at Kapurthala, Punjab A group photograph of North Indian rulers, taken on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of HH the Maharajah of Kapurthala, 30 November - 4 December 1927 at Kapurthala, Punjab.jpg
A group photograph of North Indian rulers, taken on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of HH the Maharajah of Kapurthala, 30 November – 4 December 1927 at Kapurthala, Punjab

He was the first Sikh Maharaja to have cut his Kesh (uncut hair). The Shiromani Akali Dal took on this matter and pressured him. from 1946 he started becoming closer to his religious heritage and announced that his grandson (Sukhjit Singh) would be a Keshdhari Sikh.

During the Partition of India the 60 percent of Muslims in his state were pushed out by his Kapurthala State Forces to Pakistan, leaving only 1 percent left afterwards.

Death

Under his leadership, the Kapurthala State joined the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (P.E.P.S.U.) after the Partition of India. Maharaja Jagatjit Singh died in 1949.

Marriages

Honours

British and Indian

Foreign

In media

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Singh, Brig. Sukhjit; Frederick, Cynthia Meera (2019). Prince, Patron & Patriarch ;Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. New Delhi, India: Roli Books. ISBN   9788193860854.
  2. ↑ The League of Nations Photo Collections
  3. ↑ "No. 28559". The London Gazette . 8 December 1911. p. 9357.
  4. ↑ "No. 26947". The London Gazette . 14 March 1898. p. 1676.
  5. ↑ "No. 32178". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1921. p. 7.
  6. ↑ "No. 33333". The London Gazette . 29 November 1927. p. 7662.
  7. ↑ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 602.
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