Maharaj
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the homonymous Trinidad author, see Rabi Maharaj. For the spiritual teacher, see Nisargadatta Maharaj.
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Maharaj is an Indian noble and Hindu religious title. The term denotes separate noble and religious offices, although the fact that in Hindi the suffix 'a' in Maharaja is silent makes the two titles homonyms.
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[edit] Noble
Maharaj can designate a male prince of the blood of a ruling dynasty when the patriarch of that dynasty is styled Maharaja (i.e. "Great King" or "High King") or some variation thereof (e.g. Maharao). In this context, the noble title Maharaj does not vary with the patriarch's precise sovereign title, with which it should not be confused.
Maharaj can also occur in compound noble titles, where it may stand for the ruler, e.g. Maharajkumar.
In Jodhpur, Rajasthan, until the reign of Maharaja Umaid Singhji, the noble title Maharaj was inherited by all legitimate male desendents in the male line of the Maharaja, for three generations. This was then extended to seven generations, in conformity with Rajput marriage customs. The son of a noble Rajput Maharaj is styled Rajkumar during his father's lifetime, and Maharaj after his father's death. Descendants beyond the seventh generation inherit the lower title of Thakur through the eldest son, and the title of Kumar Shri through the younger sons.
[edit] Religious
Maharaj is a title of Hindu princes of the faith and other senior religious figures. In this context, the domain of a Maharaj is typically referred to as a Brahmanical See.
In cases where religious titles are passed dynastically or proto-dynastically, all legitimate descendants of the prince of the faith may hold the surname Maharaj, but only the patriarch himself is entitled to employ Maharaj as a title. In such cases, although the title is invariably passed through the male line within a house (extended family), it may not necessarily pass from father to son.
Maharaji it is also a respectful way of addressing religious scholars. [1]
