Maharajah Sir Jagatjit Singh Sahib Bahadur GCSI GCIE GBE (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] He was born in an Ahluwalia Sikh family. He received the title of Maharaja in 1911. He built palaces and gardens in the city of Kapurthala; his main palace, Jagatjit Palace there was modelled on the Palace of Versailles. He also built a gurdwara at Sultanpur Lodhi.

Jagatjit Singh
GCSI GCIE GBE
Maharaja of Kapurthala
Reign3 September 1877 – 15 August 1947
Coronation24 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
Issuefive sons and one daughter
Names
Sir Jagatjit Singh Sahib Bahadur
DynastyAhluwalia dynasty
FatherKharak Singh Sahib Bahadur
MotherAnand Kaur Sahiba
ReligionSikh
Portrait of the Maharaja of Kapurthala, Jagatjit Singh. Digitized by Panjab Digital Library.

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 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.

Honours edit

 
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh as a child

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Marriages edit

 
Rani Tara Devi Sahiba of Kapurthala
  • First marriage at Paprola, on 16 April 1886, to Maharani Harbans Kaur Sahiba, daughter of Mian Ranjit Singh Guleria of Paprola (died 17 October 1941 in Mussoorie from heart failure). They had two sons.
  • Second marriage at Katoch, 1891, to Rani Parvati Kaur Sahiba, daughter of a Sardar of Katoch (died 20 February 1944 in Kapurthala). They had a son.
    • Amarjit Singh Sahib Bahadur
  • Third marriage at Bashahr, 1892, to Rani Lakshmi Kaur Sahiba, a Princess of a Rajput family from Bashahr (died September 1959 in Kapurthala).
  • Fourth marriage at Jubbal, 1895, to Rani Kanari Sahiba, daughter of the Dewan of Jubbal (died circa 1910). They had a son and a daughter.
  • Fifth marriage at Paris, 28 January 1908 (later divorced), to Rani Prem Kaur Sahiba [née Anita Delgado], (born 1890 in Málaga, Spain, died 7 July 1962 in Madrid, Spain from heart failure). They had a son.
    • Ajit Singh Sahib Bahadur
  • Sixth marriage at Kapurthala, 1942, to Rani Tara Devi Sahiba [née Eugenia Marie Grossupovai]; she was an actress and the daughter of a Czech count.

In media edit

See also edit

Footnotes edit

  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.

External links edit

Jagatjit Singh
Born: 24 November 1872 Died: 19 June 1949
Regnal titles
Preceded by Raja of Kapurthala
1877–1911
Himself as
Maharaja
New title Maharaja of Kapurthala
1911–1947
Succeeded by
Monarchy abolished Accession to the Dominion of India