Sir Bhupinder Singh (12 October 1891 – 23 March 1938) was theMaharaja of Patiala and acricket player. Singh's reign asMaharaja of theprincely state ofPatiala, inBritish India, lasted from 1900 to 1938.[1] He was a member of thePhulkian dynasty. During his reign, Singh was most noted for his extravagance, contributions tosports, and for being an ally to theBritish Raj.[2] Many of Singh's children married notable individuals and through his children, Singh has many notable descendants.[3][4][5]
Photograph of an adolescent Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala State and suite, Bourne & Shepherd, 1903
At the age of 9, Singh succeeded asMaharaja ofPatiala State upon the death of his father,MaharajaRajinder Singh, on 9 November 1900. Rajinder Singh had died due to alcoholism; Singh's mother, Jasmer Kaur, had died some years earlier oftuberculosis.[8][9] A Council ofRegents ruled in his name until he took partial power shortly before his 18th birthday on 1 October 1909, and was invested with full powers by theViceroy of India, the4th Earl of Minto, on 3 November 1910.
He represented India at theLeague of Nations, was Chancellor of theChamber of Princes for 10 years between 1926 and 1938, and was a representative at theRound Table Conference.[14][15] During his tenure as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, Singh fought for the rights of princely states in various jurisdictional and administrative matters.[15] However, his proposals were rejected by theBritish Raj and even the larger 21-gun-salute states did not join him in his efforts.[15] In one of the elections for the chancellorship, Singh's cousinUdai Bhan Singh, the Maharaj-Rana of Dholpur, challenged him and was defeated.[16] Prior to the election, Singh wrote to Udai Bhan, stating that Udai Bhan would cause a family feud if he continued to challenge Singh, his cousin, in the elections.[16] Despite Udai Bhan having the support of the British Raj's political departments, including that of theBritish Residents in Indian States, Singh managed to win the election by using his wealth to secure votes and even provided his election canvassing committee with the use of his private plane to court support from other rulers.[16]
Singh was noted both as a sportsman and a patron of sports. He was captain of theIndian cricket team that visited England in 1911,[19] and played in 27first-class cricket matches between 1915 and 1937.[20] For the season of 1926/27, he played as member of theMarylebone Cricket Club.[21] He was selected as the captain of India on its first Test tour of England in 1932, but dropped out for reasons of health two weeks before departure andNatwarsinhji Bhavsinhji, the Maharaja ofPorbandar, took over.
Singh is largely noted and remembered for his extravagance. During his life, Singh developed a reputation for being a generous host, throwing lavish parties, and entertaining doctors, artists and people of repute from around the world.[9] He was noted for collecting various items, including cars, jewels, medals, paintings, watches, wines, and spending sprees in Europe.[9]
A group photograph of Singh (seated right) with the cricketer, MaharajaRanjitsinhji ofNawanagar, known as Ranji, (seated near left) and other guests and servants. Patiala, circa 1910
In 1925, Singh placed the largest single order toCartier to date: thePatiala Necklace, worth₹1,000 million (equivalent to₹210 billion, US$2.5 billion or €2.2 billion in 2023).[25] One of his wives, Maharani Bakhtawar Kaur, presentedQueen Mary of theUnited Kingdom with a necklace on behalf of the Ladies of India during theDelhi Durbar of 1911.[26] He was also known for an exceptional collection ofmedals, believed to be the world's largest at the time.[27] Singh also owned a fleet of 44Rolls-Royce cars.[28] He was the first Indian to own a private plane and built anairstrip in Patiala.[29] He also owned properties inMumbai andJuhu.[30]
Singh married ten times and had a harem of 350 concubines.[5] He fathered 88 children, 52 of whom survived to adulthood.[5] Singh's health began deteriorating, and he died on 23 March 1938 due to ill health.[3]
Yadavindra Singh, Singh's eldest son and successor as the Maharaja of Patiala, circa 1930sManjula Devi ofDarkoti, one of Singh's wives, and their daughter, Naginder Kumari Khanna, circa 1950s. Naginder marriedVipin Khanna.
Naginder Kumari Khanna (1937 – 2012). She marriedVipin Khanna, a businessman and financier who was noted for his business interests in thearms industry.[4][46]
Amrit Kumari Khanna. She married Ravi Khanna, a formerIndian Armyofficer and Vipin Khanna's brother.[47]
Singh's younger brother was Birendra Singh.[58] Birendra Singh's daughter and Singh's niece, Naresh Inder Kumari, married Hardev Singh Chhina, anIndian Administrative Service officer who served as theChief Secretary ofPunjab.[59][58] The son of Naresh Inder Kumari and Hardev Singh Chhina, Paramdev Singh Chhina, served as the AdditionalAdvocate General of Punjab.[59] Singh's cousin was Udai Bhan Singh, the Maharaj-Rana of Dholpur.[16] His cousin from the Patiala family, Mahesh Inder Singh, was a Member of thePunjab Legislative Assembly and a Freemason who served as theWorshipful Master of the Masonic lodge in Patiala.[60][61]
1900–1911:His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara,Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan,Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja ofPatiala
1911–1914: His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala,GCIE
1914–1918:Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCIE
1918–1921:Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCIE,GBE
1921–1922: Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala,GCSI, GCIE, GBE
1922–1931: Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE,GCVO, GBE
1931–1935:Lieutenant-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE
1935–1938: Lieutenant-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE,GCSG
^abcdeDass, Jarmani (26 August 2020) [1970].Maharaja. New Delhi: Penguin Random House India.ISBN978-93-5349-783-5.Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved23 June 2024.
^"Emerald and diamond choker". Royal Collection. Archived fromthe original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved15 February 2013. Although he was married five times, his favourite wife was his third wife, Maharani Vimal Kaur Sahiba of Ubbewal.
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