Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur and his wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi (Photo by Cecil Beaton in 1944); (right) Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur (21 August 1911 – 24 June 1970) was one of the most popular Maharajas. He was also considered one of the richest in the world. Along with his third wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi (23 May 1919 – 29 July 2009), they were considered amongst one of the most glamorous royal couples. He was called Jai by his friends and family.
Born Mor Mukut Singh, he was the second son of Thakur Sawai Singh of Isarda, a nobleman belonging to the Kachhwaha clan. At the age of 10, he was adopted by Sawai Madho Singh II to be his son and heir, and given the name Man Singh. He was just 11 when he was made the Maharaja after Madho Singh’s death in 1922. He was educated at Mayo College and resumed his full powers as the ruler of the Princely State of Jaipur only when he turned 21.
Indian Maharajas and Princes were known to have a passion for equestrian sports. Sawai Man Singh was a passionate polo player, and it was under his captaincy that India won the Polo World Cup in 1957.
The Rajput Maharaja had soldiering in his blood. According to the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, he “attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich to acquire up-to-date knowledge of modern military science, after which he modernised the Jaipur Armed Forces, establishing the Sawai Man Guards.”
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur (Photo: Facebook/Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust)
When the Second World War broke out, he was one of the first Indian rulers to offer his personal services and those of his forces. They attended the Victory Parade in London in 1946, and also won various medals and distinctions for their valour. The British Government conferred upon the Maharaja the honorary rank of Major General, and subsequently that of Lieutenant General. According to The New York Times, “For a time in World War II, he was at the British Military Staff College at Quetta.”
Princess Diya Kumari, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, and also the granddaughter of Sawai Man Singh II, wrote a tribute to him in 2018 on his 108th birth anniversary. She said, “He laid the foundations of some of the most prominent public buildings of Jaipur like the Jaipur Airport, Sawai Man Singh Hospital, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Sawai Mansingh Town Hall Museum etc. As a result of his nobility, and popularity among people, he was appointed the first Rajpramukh of Rajasthan in 1949 and was later elected to the Council of States, the Rajya Sabha of Indian Parliament. In 1965, the Indian Government appointed Sawai Man Singhji as Indian Ambassador to Spain.”
