Bhawani Singh

Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur (born 1931) is the current titular Maharaja of Jaipur and head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs. The maharaja is considered a political, cultural, and religious icon in modern Rajasthan, as well as a military official. He is styled His Highness, The Maharaja of Jaipur

Early life

Born to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first wife, Marudhar Kanwar of Jodhpur, Sawai was educated at The Doon School, Dehradun, and later Harrow School. As the first male heir born to a reigning Maharaja of Jaipur for generations (all others, including his father, who was originally a minor noble, were adopted), his birth was a celebrated event in Jaipur, where the fountains of the royal palaces flowed with champagne in his honor giving him the nickname Bubbles. [http://www.hinduonnet.com/mag/2002/10/20/stories/2002102000230800.htm Royal vignettes: Jaipur: In touch with reality ] The Hindu - Oct 20, 2002 ]

Military career

As a young man, Sawai served in the Indian Army, and received numerous honors, including a promotion to the Presidential Bodyguard in 1954, and the post of Adjutant at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.Fact|date=November 2007 In 1968, Sawai was made second-in-command of the 10th Parachute Regiment (Commando), one of the 3 elite Special Forces battalions in India at the time, and became the Commanding Officer (CO) later in 1968.

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Sawai led his troops deep inside Pakistani territory in the Sindh region of Pakistan, attacking and destroying many Pakistani posts. For this, he was awarded India's second-highest gallantry award, the Mahavir Chakra. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier in 1974. In his retirement, he also served as Indian High Commissioner to Brunei from 1994-1998.Fact|date=November 2007

Royal life

Sawai ascended the throne of Jaipur in 1970 following the death of his father, and remained the official Maharaja until the abolition of princes by Indira Gandhi, although he remains generally honored like most other erstwhile rulers. He married Princess Padmini Devi of Sirmur, with whom he has a daughter, Princess Diya Kumari. Princess Diya married the son of the noble Thakur of Kotda in Tonk, Narendra Singh of Sawai Madhopur. As a major Indian ruler, he is closely related to numerous other princes, including most Rajput royals. He is especially close to the royal family of Jodhpur through his mother. The couple adopted their grandson, Kumar Padmanabh Singh, and made him the heir to the throne of Jaipur.

Other

In the same vein as his father, the first hotelier prince in India, Sawai continues to run many palaces as hotels, including the Rambagh Palace, Raj Mahal palace, or other former royal residences. Sawai still conducts certain ceremonies and customs from the traditional seat of royal power, the sprawling City Palace. He is also involved in local politics, like his stepmother, Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar.

References

###@@@KEY@@@###