Daly College

The school

The Daly College, located in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, was founded by Sir Henry Daly of the British Indian Army during India's colonial British Raj. It was established in 1880 and opened for education in 1882, to educate the rulers of the Central Indian Princely States of the 'Marathas', Rajputs', 'Bundelas' and 'Mohammadens'. It is one of the oldest co-educational boarding schools in the world.^{[1] [3] [4] [5]}

The school is a co-educational, residential public school affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In 2007 the first International Round Square Conference was held at Daly College, attended as its president by former King Constantine II of Greece,^[2] and in December that year, a commemorative stamp on the college was released by India Post.^[6] The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group.

History

It was founded in 1882. In 1870 the Princes of Central India were motivated by Sir Henry Daly, agent to the viceroy for Central India (1871–1881), into establishing the Central India Princely School, to provide a British education to their princes. The school was visited by Lord Northbrook (1st Earl of Northbrook) Viceroy and Governor-General of India in 1875, thereafter it was renamed "Indore Residency College" in 1876. In 1882 the Chiefs named the school "The Daly College" to honour the contribution of Sir Henry Daly.

The foundation stone of the new building was laid on 14 November 1885 by Lord Dufferin (1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava) Viceroy and Governor-General of India, as a memorial in the honour of Sir Henry Daly.^[7] In 1891 the two Maratha Maharajas, Holkar of Indore and Scindia of Gwalior donated the two student houses. In 1898 the "Rajkumar School", which had opened at Nowgaon near Chhatarpur (Bundelkhand) in 1872, was amalgamated with the Daly College.^[8][9] Later Lt. Gen. H.H. Maharajadhiraja Sir Madho Rao Scindia II, Maharaja of Gwalior unveiled a bust in the honour of Sir Henry Daly in the main building of the school.

Daly College, Indore

In 1905, Sir Henry's son, Sir Hugh Dermont Daly, was appointed agent to the Governor-General for Central India at Indore, to the position previously occupied by his father. He took great interest in the Daly College and made it flourish it as a Chief's College. H.H. Maharajadhiraja Sir Tukojirao Holkar III, Maharaja of Indore then donated 118 acres (0.48 km²) of land east of the old campus and rulers contributed to build on the newly acquired land. Construction started in 1906 on two student houses, a temple, a mosque and the Principal's residence. The main building was constructed with marble from the Udaipur quarries and was designed in the Indo-Saracenic architecture by Col. Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.^[10]

The main building was officially inaugurated on 8 November 1912 by H.E. Lord Hardinge (1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst) Viceroy and Governor-General of India, after which the old campus was given up. For the next 28 years the college was open exclusively to the sons of the Princes and Chiefs of Central India as well as the rest in the Indian Empire. In 1940 the Board of Governors decided to prepare students for a modern and free India. The Daly College came together with a few other institutions and started the Indian Public Schools Conference. Its doors were thrown open to admissions on merit, regardless of caste or creed.

The school became coeducational residential in 1997, and in 2005 it became a member of the Round Square. It was proclaimed the second best school in India in 2013. The school won the prestigious Kasliwal Trophy for a record 20 times (1992-2012).

The College Coat of Arms

^[11]

Coat of Arms (Daly College)

Motto – The Sanskrit motto "Gyanamev Shakti" or "Knowledge is power".

Coat of arms – The arms represent the main section of the Central Indian Community Maratha, Rajput, Bundela and Mohammedan. The arms have been devised in great measure from those given to chiefs on the Delhi, banners of 1877.

1st Quarter – 'Tenne' is the nearest Heraldic colour to 'Bhagwa', the colour of Maratha standard and of Shaivite devotee: the wings and flame represent the Pawars, who derived descent from the Parmars, the world- wide Sovereignty of clan being proverbial (Wings), while they were also Aganikulas (Flame), the play of 6 argent and gules gives the well known Holkar banner, while the horse of Khandoba is their emblem, the chief azure is for Scindia, and the cobra is the mark of the house

2nd Quarter – A Barry of fives is the Pachranga of the Rajputs: the sun representing the Suryavanshis and the moon the Chandravanshis, the flame the Agnivanshis.

3rd Quarter – Green is the Mohammedan colour and the crescent their badge: the tower represents Bhopal and its fort of Fatehgarh, the spear and 'talwar' the Pindari element, and the fish, the Mani Martib- the sacred emblem.

4th Quarter – Purpure or murrey is given to all Bundela Arms, the Chevron 'gutty de sang' refers to the traditional origin from 'bund' a drop, the fort on a hill to the famous Ath-kot of Bundelkhand, and to the Vindhyas whence also (Vyandhyelkhand) they derive their name: Devi Vindhyvasini of Mirzapur is the Tutelary goddess of the clan.

The Daly arms are commemorative of General Sir Henry Daly, from whom the College derives its name. All these symbols of different states are brought together by a common motto 'Gyanameva Shakti'.

The Supporters – On the right a Maratha prince and on the left Rajput Prince. Below the barley refers to Bundelkhand and the poppy to Malwa, thus designating the east and the west of the Region.

Founder

The founder, Sir Henry D. Daly, showed a great interest in railways and education. He was instrumental in incorporation of B.B. & C.I. and took a leading part in the discussion, which resulted in the foundation of the Mayo College at Ajmer.

He then instituted the "Residency College" at Indore and paid close attention to its work and all round progress, it was his legacy to India in the form of a modern English school to educate the Princes of the then States of Central India. However it was set up in an inadequate building and it was felt that the provision of better accommodation would be a tribute to the memory of one who had been a pioneer of education. After his demise, the Chiefs of the Central Indian Princely States proposed to commemorate in some visible and substantial manner the services which he had rendered to the province. Subscriptions flowed in and with due course of time plans for erecting a beautiful building bearing the name "The Daly College" and containing a full suite of classrooms was approved about half a mile from the residency. Consequently, in 1906 a new building was constructed with 'white marble' by the Holkar State Public Works Department.

Patrons of the Institution

Honorary

• Colonel Lord Linlithgow, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, KG, KT, GMSI, GMIE, OBE, PC, TD, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1936–1943) .
• Field Marshal Lord Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, GMSI, GMIE, GCB, CMG, MC, PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1943–1947) .
• Admiral of the Fleet Lord Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GMSI, GMIE, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1947–1948) .

Hereditary

• Lieutenant General Maharajadhiraja Mukhtar-ul-Mulk, Azim-ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Umdat-ul-Umara, Hisam-us-Sultanat, Sir Jivaji Rao Scindia Alijah Bahadur, Shrinath-i-Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidwi-i-Hazrat-i-Malik-i-Muazzam, Rafi-ud-Darjat-i-Inglistan, Maharaja of Gwalior State .
• Major General Maharajadhiraja, Zubdat-ul-Umara , Farzand-i-Arjmand , Bahadur-ul-Mulk, Raj-Rajeshwar, Alijah Sawai, Sir Yeshwant Rao Holkar II Nusrat Jung Bahadur, Maharaja of Indore .
• Major General and Air Vice Marshal Nawab, Iftikhar-ul-Mulk, Sikander-i-Saulat, Haji-Hafiz, Sir Muhammad Hamidullah Khan Jung Bahadur, LL.D. (A.U.), BA (A.M.U.), Nawab of Bhopal .
• Major General Maharajadhiraj Samrajya-Bandhavesh, Sir Gulab Singh Baghel JuDev Bahadur, Raja-i-Baghelkhand, Maharaja of Rewa .

(Post-independence)

• Lt. Col. Maharajadhiraj Martand Singh Baghel, Maharaja of Rewa .
• Nawab-Begum Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal .
• Maharajadhiraja Madhav Rao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior State .
• Maharaniadirani Usha Devi Holkar, Maharani of Indore .
• Nawab-Begum Saleha Sultan, Begum of Bhopal .
• Maharajadhiraj Pushpraj Singh Baghel, Maharaja of Rewa .
• Maharajadhiraja Jyotiraditya Rao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior State .

Alive

• Raja Digvijay Singh Chauhan, Thakur of Raghogarh (Gwalior State) .
• Shri Mukesh Ambani .
• Shri Anil Ambani .

Presidents of the Board of Governors

British Raj

• Lord Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1910–1916) .
• Captain Lord Chelmsford, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1916–1921) .
• Lord Reading, 1st Marquess of Reading, PC, KC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1921–1925) .
• Sir Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton, PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India – {Acting} : (1925–1926) .
• Major Lord Irwin, 1st Earl of Halifax, PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1926–1929) .
• Sir Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen, PC, Viceroy and Governor-General of India – {Acting} : (1929–1931) .
• Major Lord Willingdon, 1st Marquess of Willingdon, PC, BA (Cantab.), Viceroy and Governor-General of India : (1931–1933) .
• Major General Maharajadhiraja, Zubdat-ul-Umara , Farzand-i-Arjmand , Bahadur-ul-Mulk, Raj-Rajeshwar, Alijah Sawai, Sir Yeshwant Rao Holkar II Nusrat Jung Bahadur, LL.D. (Cantab.), MA (Oxon.), Maharaja of Indore : (1933–1940) .
• Major General and Air Vice Marshal Nawab, Iftikhar-ul-Mulk, Sikander-i-Saulat, Haji-Hafiz, Sir Muhammad Hamidullah Khan Jung Bahadur, LL.D. (A.U.), BA (A.M.U.), Nawab of Bhopal : (1940–1942) .
• Maharaja Mahendra, Saramad-i-Raja-i-Bundelkhand, Sawai Sir Vir Singh Bundela II JuDev Bahadur, Maharaja of Orchha (Tikamgarh) : (1942–1946) .

Union of India

• Major Maharaja Sir Vikram Singh Rao Puar Bahadur, GCSI, Maharaja of Dewas State [Senior] : (1946–1948) .
• Lieutenant Colonel Maharaja Anand Rao Puar IV Bahadur, Maharaja of Dhar State : (1948–1949) .

Republic of India

• Maj. Gen. H.H. Maharajadhiraja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II, Maharaja of Indore : (1949–1955) .
• Raja Rao Bahadur Yashodhar Singh Chauhan, Raja of Khilchipur : (1955–1959) .
• Maj. Gen. Maharajadhiraj Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahji Rao Bhosle, Maharaja of Kolhapur State : (1959–1965) .
• Maharaja Krishnaji Rao Puar, Maharaja of Dewas State [Senior] : (1965–1968) .
• Maharaja Ajit Singh Rathore, Raja of Jhabua : (1968–1971) .
• Raja Dewan Bhanu Prakash Singh Parmar, Raja of Narsingarh : (1971–1980) .
• Maharaja Ajit Singh Rathore, Raja Jhabua : (1980–1983) .
• Maharana Surendra Singh Rathore, Raja of Alirajpur : (1983–1987) .
• Maharaja Krishnaji Rao Puar, Maharaja of Dewas State [Senior] : (1987–1991) .
• Rana Thakur Jayendra Singh Jadon, Chief of Kathiwada {Honorary} : (1991–1995) .
• Maharaja Krishnaji Rao Puar, Maharaja of Dewas State [Senior] : (1995–1997) .
• Thakur Narendra Singh Rathore, Thakur of Bidwal (Dhar State) {Honorary} : (1997–2004) .
• Maharaja Tukoji Rao Puar, Maharaja of Dewas State [Senior] : (2004–2007) .
• Maharaja Narendra Singh Rathore, Raja of Jhabua : From 2008 .

Further reading

• Foundations of Daly College, Indore [India], by David Michael Litster. Published by Institute of Civil Engineers, 1889.
• Memoirs of General Sir Henry Dermot Daly, G.C.B.C.I.E., Sometime Commander of Central India, by Hugh Daly. Published 1905.
• Report of the working of the Daly college, by Indore Daly college. Published 1916.
• A short history of the Daly College, by Daly College (Indore, India). Published by (s.n.), 1932.
• Colonial childhoods: the juvenile periphery of India, 1850–1945, by Satadru Sen. Anthem Press, 2005. ISBN 1-84331-177-1.
• The Daly Chronicle, Dermot Daly, The Irish Genealogist, volume II, part i, 2002, p. 3 of pp. 3–12.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daly College.

• Daly College website
• Daly College location

Coordinates: 22°42′04″N 75°53′36″E / 22.7012°N 75.8933°E / 22.7012; 75.8933