Bhim Singh II of Kotah
Encyclopedia
Maharaja Bhim Singh II was the last ruling Maharaja
of the princely state
of Kotah from 1940 to 1947.
, Bhim Singhji II succeeded his father following his death in 1940. He immediately entered into service with the British Indian Army
as an officer, serving during the Second World War and being promoted to Major by 1948. Although he planned several education and modernisation programs for Kotah, they did not reach fruition before Indian independence. He was knighted with the KCSI in 1947, and signed the Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India
on the 15 August. The following year, on 25 March 1948, Sir Bhim Singhji merged Kotah into the Rajasthan Union of states and became its first Rajpramukh
, but was demoted to Uprajpramukh (Deputy Rajpramukh) when the Maharana of Udaipur
, who was of a higher rank than Sir Bhim Singhji, acceded to the Rajasthan Union. Sir Bhim Singhji continued in the office of Uprajpramukh until it, along with the office of Rajpramukh, was abolished by the Government of India
on 31 October 1956.
that year. Conversely, since 1959 he had been President of the Rajasthan Board for the Preservation of Wildlife.
and at the 1978 Asian Games
1. Maharajkumar Sri Brijraj Singhji Sahib Bahadur, who succeeded as Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Brijraj Singh Sahib Bahadur (21 February 1934-)
2. Maharajkumari Indira Kumari Sahiba (1937-), who in 1960 married Raja Rawat Sri Bikramaditya Singh Sahib Bahadur (18 December 1936-), the Raja of Rajgarh
, becoming the Rani Sahiba of Rajgarh.
3. Maharajkumari Bhuvaneshwari Kumari Sahiba (29 May 1945-), who married in the 1970s Thakore Sri Dev Singh of Malassar, and had twins in 1978.
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of the princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of Kotah from 1940 to 1947.
Early career
The only son and heir of Maharaja Sri Sir Umed Singhji IIUmed Singhji II
Umed Singh II was a ruling Maharaja of Kotah from 1889 to 1940. The great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Kishore Singh, a Raja of Kota, Sir Umed Singhji was adopted at a young age by Shatru Sal II, Kaiser-i-Hind, the then Maharaja of the state...
, Bhim Singhji II succeeded his father following his death in 1940. He immediately entered into service with the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
as an officer, serving during the Second World War and being promoted to Major by 1948. Although he planned several education and modernisation programs for Kotah, they did not reach fruition before Indian independence. He was knighted with the KCSI in 1947, and signed the Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India
Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, also known as the Union of India or the Indian Union , was a predecessor to modern-day India and an independent state that existed between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950...
on the 15 August. The following year, on 25 March 1948, Sir Bhim Singhji merged Kotah into the Rajasthan Union of states and became its first Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain of India's provinces and states....
, but was demoted to Uprajpramukh (Deputy Rajpramukh) when the Maharana of Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
, who was of a higher rank than Sir Bhim Singhji, acceded to the Rajasthan Union. Sir Bhim Singhji continued in the office of Uprajpramukh until it, along with the office of Rajpramukh, was abolished by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
on 31 October 1956.
Later Work
In 1956, Sir Bhim Singhji served as an Alternate Delegate to the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
that year. Conversely, since 1959 he had been President of the Rajasthan Board for the Preservation of Wildlife.
Sports shooter
An expert shooter, he was Captain of the Indian shooting team at the Singapore Shooting Championships in 1969, at the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
and at the 1978 Asian Games
1978 Asian Games
The 8th Asian Games were held from December 9, 1978 to December 20, 1978 in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. And then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan was decided to host the 8th Games...
Family
On 30 April 1930,Bhim Singhji II married Rathorji Maharani Shivkumari Sahiba (1 April 1916-), a younger daughter of General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh of Bikaner. The couple had one son and two daughters:1. Maharajkumar Sri Brijraj Singhji Sahib Bahadur, who succeeded as Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Brijraj Singh Sahib Bahadur (21 February 1934-)
2. Maharajkumari Indira Kumari Sahiba (1937-), who in 1960 married Raja Rawat Sri Bikramaditya Singh Sahib Bahadur (18 December 1936-), the Raja of Rajgarh
Rajgarh
-Places in India:* Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh* Rajgarh, Himachal Pradesh* Rajgarh, Alwar, a town in Rajasthan* Rajgarh, Churu, a town in Rajasthan* Rajgarh, Dhar - a town in Madhya Pradesh...
, becoming the Rani Sahiba of Rajgarh.
3. Maharajkumari Bhuvaneshwari Kumari Sahiba (29 May 1945-), who married in the 1970s Thakore Sri Dev Singh of Malassar, and had twins in 1978.
Later years and death
As part of the mass derecognisation of Indian rulers in 1971 under the Indira Gandhi regime, Sir Bhim Singhji was stripped of ruling powers and titles. He died two decades later on 20 July 1991, aged 81, after a reign of 51 years, and was succeeded by his only son, Brijraj Singh.Titles
- 1909-1940: Maharajkumar SriSriSri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
Bhim Singh SahibSahibSahib is an Urdu term which literally translates to "Owner" or "Proprietor". The primary Arabic meaning of Sahib is "associate, companion, comrade, friend" though it also includes "Sahib is an Urdu term which literally translates to "Owner" or "Proprietor". The primary Arabic meaning of Sahib...
BahadurRao BahadurRao Bahadur was a title of honour issued in British India to individuals who had performed great service to the nation.... - 1940-1943: His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, MaharaoMaharaoMaharao is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rao, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
RajaRajaRaja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
of Kotah - 1943-1944: Captain His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah
- 1944-1945: MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah - 1945-1946: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah
- 1946-1947: ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah - 1947-1948: Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri SirSirSir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSIOrder of the Star of IndiaThe Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion... - 1948-1991: BrigadierBrigadierBrigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Sir Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSI
Honours
- King George V Silver Jubilee MedalKing George V Silver Jubilee MedalThe King George V Silver Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of King George V.-Issue:...
-1935 - King George VI Coronation MedalKing George VI Coronation MedalThe King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...
-1937 - Ganga Singh Golden Jubilee Medal of Bikaner-1937
- 1939-1945 Star-1945
- Africa StarAfrica StarThe Africa Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in the Second World War.The Star was awarded for a minimum of one day service in an operational area of North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943...
-1945 - British War MedalBritish War MedalThe British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
-1945 - Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI)-1947
- Indian Independence Medal-1947
- Arjuna AwardArjuna awardThe Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
-1971