Hanwant Singh

Last ruling Maharaja of Jodhpur (1923–1952) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hanwant Singh

Hanwant Singh I of Marwar (16 June 1923 – 26 January 1952) was the last ruler of the third largest Indian Kingdom of Marwar. He succeeded his father as the Maharaja of Jodhpur of the Rathore dynasty of Marwar on 9 June 1947 and held the title till his death at a young age in a plane crash on 26 January 1952.[1]

Quick Facts Maharaja (King) of Marwar, Tenure ...
Hanwant Singh I
Maharaja of Marwar
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Maharaja (King) of Marwar
Tenure9 January 1947–1949
PredecessorUmaid Singh I
SuccessorGaj Singh, Crown Prince of Marwar
Born(1923-06-16)16 June 1923
Jodhpur, Kingdom of Marwar, Rajputana, Empire of India
Died26 January 1952(1952-01-26) (aged 28)
Sumerpur Godwar,Rajasthan India
SpousePrincess Krishna Kumari of Dhrangadhra
(m. 1943 - 1952; his death)
Zubeida Begum
(m. 1950 - 1952; their deaths)
IssueChandreshwari Kumari, Crown Princess of Lambagraon
Princess Shailesh Kumari
Gaj Singh, Crown Prince of Marwar
Prince Hukum Singh
HouseRathore
FatherUmaid Singh I of Marwar
MotherPrincess Badan Kanwar Osiyan
ReligionHinduism
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Family life

In 1943 he married Princess Krishna Kumari of Dhrangadhra, they had three children, the youngest child, a son Gaj Singh Rathore; who succeeded him, daughter Sailesh Kumari married in Banswara; and daughter, Chandresh Kumari Katoch of Kangra.[2] In 1948, he met 19-year-old Scottish nurse Sandra McBryde, with whom he had a tempestuous and brief affair. Later he married the Muslim actress Zubeida who converted to Hinduism as Vidya Rani, by whom he had a son named Hukum Singh Rathore (Tutu Bana). Soon after their marriage he received rebuke from the royal family and as a result he started to live in Mehrangarh. From her first marriage, Zubeida had a son, Khalid Mohammed, a film critic and director.[3]

After their death, their son Tutu was brought up by Rajmata Krishna Kumari, and later went to study at Mayo College in Ajmer. He married Rao Rani Rajeshwari Kumari Rathore, daughter of Rao Raja Daljit Singh of Alwar. The couple had one son, Parikshit Singh Rathore (b. 1974) and one daughter, Jainandini Kanwar (b. 1975). However, on 17 April 1981, he was beheaded and found on the streets of Jodhpur.[4]

Final years

After Indian independence and formation of Rajasthan as a state within India, he formed a new political party, Akhil Bhartiya Ramrajya Parishad in 1952. Campaigning in both the Indian general and state Assembly elections scheduled for February 1952, Hanwant Singh would have won a majority in his region. After only four hours of sleep he took off in a small aircraft with his wife, Zubeida on 26 January 1952. The plane crashed near Sumerpur, killing him at the age of 28. Zubeida also perished in the accident.[4][5]

In 2011, wreckage of the aircraft, Beechcraft Bonanza, a light six-seater aircraft, was discovered inside Jodhpur Central Jail.[5] Subsequently, in 2012, the Mehrangarh Fort Museum founded in 1972 by Maharaja Gaj Singh, formally asked the jail to transfer the wreckage to the museum.[6]

Titles and styles

Quick Facts Styles of King Hanwant Singh I, Reference style ...
Styles of
King Hanwant Singh I
Reference styleHis Majesty
Spoken styleYour Majesty
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  • 16 June 1923 - 09 January 1947: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Marwar
  • 09 January 1947 - 11 August 1947: His Majesty The King of Marwar
  • 11 August 1947 - 26 January 1952: His Majesty King Hanwant Singh I of Marwar

See also

References

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