Bhawani Singh of Jaipur
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Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur, styled HH The Maharaja of Jaipur is the current, titular Maharaja of Jaipur and head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs. He is an influential political, cultural, and religious icon in modern Rajasthan as well as a celebrated military official.
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[edit] Early life
Born in 1931 to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first wife, Marudhar Kanwar of Jodhpur, he was educated at The Doon School, Kashmir 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 widely celebrated event in Jaipur, where the fountains of the royal palaces flowed with champagne in his honor giving him the nickname Bubbles.
[edit] Military Career
As a young man he 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. In 1968 he 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, he led his troops deep inside Pakistani territory in the Sindh region of Pakistan, attacking and destroying many Pakistani posts. For this feat of bravery and leading from the front, 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.
[edit] Royal Life
He 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.
[edit] Other
In the same vein as his father, the first hotelier prince in India, Bhawani Singh continues to run many palaces as hotels, including the Rambagh Palace, Raj mahal palace or other former royal residences. He remains a cultural and religious icon in Jaipur, and conducts certain ceremonies and customs from the traditional seat of royal power, the sprawling City Palace. He is also influential in local politics, like his stepmother, Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar.
