| Pratap Singh | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Maharaja of Orchha | |||||
| Reign | 15 March 1870 – 3 March 1930 | ||||
| Predecessor | Hamir Singh | ||||
| Successor | Vir Singh Ju Deo | ||||
| Born | 3 July 1854 | ||||
| Died | 3 March 1930 (aged 75) | ||||
| Issue |
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| House |  Orchha | ||||
| Dynasty | Bundela | ||||
Pratap Singh Ju Deo was the Maharaja of Orchha from 1874 until his death in 1930.
He was born on 3 July 1854. [1]
After the death of his brother, Hamir Singh, in March 1874, he became the Maharaja of Orchha. [2] On this occasion, the British government sent Major A. Mayne to temporarily oversee the administration of the state. [3] On 4 June 1874, Pratap took over the administration, and the British officer was withdrawn in May 1876. [2] [3]
He took a great interest in girls' education and established a girls' school in 1875, the first of its kind in Bundelkhand. [3] He established a series of schools throughout his dominions, where education was provided free of cost. [3] [4] Books were also distributed at no charge, and the state covered students' expenses when they appeared for university examinations. [3] [4] In 1876, he established regular courts of justice and organized the police force. [3] [4] He abolished all transit duties in Orchha in 1880. [2] In 1895, he established a postal system in Orchha. [4] During the Indian famine of 1896–1897, he worked tirelessly to provide famine relief. [4] The famine relief efforts cost a total of 1,300,000 rupees. [3] [4] The women who observed purdah were given suitable work. [4] Those who could not work received grains daily from the state granaries. [4] He combated the famine of 1905 with the same zeal. [4] He attended the Delhi durbars of 1877, 1903, and 1911. [5] At the Durbar of 1911, his grandsons, Vir Singh and Karan Singh, were selected to serve as pages to George V and Charles Hardinge, the Governor-General of India, respectively. [5] During his state entry into Delhi for the Delhi durbar of 1911, he was accompanied by his eldest son, Pritchard, the Political Agent in Bundelkhand, and the Madur-ul-Maham. [6] His procession included a cavalry escort, richly caparisoned state horses, spearmen, mace-bearers, chhata (transl. umbrella), suraj-mukhi (transl. sun-face), pankha (transl. fan) and bearers carrying Ganges water. [6] There was also a silver and gold palanquin, chanwars (transl. yak tail whiskers), morchals (transl. peacock feather whiskers), aftaba, pandan (transl. betel nut box), itardan (transl. bottle used to hold attar), and other paraphernalia. [6] His mounted personal attendants wore elaborate gold embroidery, and he was followed by the Raja of Dhar. [6] In 1924, he celebrated the golden jubilee of his reign by opening schools, remitting taxes, introducing the Gajshahi rupee, and constructing a Jubilee Hall in the palace. [7] He settled 217 villages, excavated 73 tanks, and dug 7,086 wells. [7] This significantly improved people's lives and increased agricultural productivity. [7] He constructed several buildings and architectural structures. [7]
He married and had three children: two sons and a daughter. [8] His eldest son, Bhagwant Singh, predeceased him in 1920. [8] His younger son, Sawant Singh, was adopted by Bhan Pratap Singh, the Maharaja of Bijawar, and succeeded his adoptive father in June 1900. [8] His daughter married Vishwanath Singh, the Maharaja of Chhatrapur, in 1884 and died in 1921. [8]
He died on 3 March 1930 and was succeeded by his grandson, Vir Singh. [9]
In 1882, the Government of India conferred upon him the title of Sawai and, in 1886, granted him the hereditary title of Saramad-i-Rajah-i-Bundelkhand. [2] [10] He also held the titles Bharat Dharma Ratnakar and Yog Vidya Vinod. [5] His titles were:
As the ruler of Orchha, he was entitled to a fifteen-gun salute. [2] [5] However, the Government of India later increased it to seventeen as a personal distinction. [2] [12]
He was appointed GCIE in 1898 and GCSI in 1906. [11] He was made KCB in 1901. [13] The University of Oxford conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law in 1911. [13]
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