Sita Devi of Baroda
Encyclopedia
Maharani Sita Devi Sahib of Baroda, born May 12, 1917 in Madras, India
, died February 15, 1989 in Paris
, France
. She was known as the “Indian Wallis Simpson. She was a colorful lady who led an extravagant life for over 40 years and was a member of the international jet set
. The Maharani was the daughter of the Zamindar
of Pithapuram
- Sri Raja Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau
Bahadur Garu and his wife Sri Rani Chinnamamba Devi of Mirzapuram.
Sita Devi first married Apparao Bahadur, Zamindar of Vayyur.
By him she had three children.
She met her second husband, Pratap Singh Gaekwar of Baroda, at the Madras horse races in 1943. The Gaekwar was, at that time, considered the eight richest man in world. It was also reported he was the second richest Indian prince. The Gaekwar was mesmerised by Sita Devi. The lovers consulted with his legal team. The lawyers recommended that the Hindu Sita Devi convert to Mohammedanism. That would dissolve her marriage to the Zamindar under Indian law. She embraced Islam
only to then adopt Hinduism
once again. The Gaekwar took her as his second wife, which caused consternation with the British authorities, as this violated the antibigamy laws that the previous Gaekwar of Baroda enacted. The British Viceroy in New Delhi summoned the Gaekwar to contest this marriage. The latter argued that the law applied to the subjects of Baroda, and that he being their monarch was exempt from this law. This was confirmed by the Viceroy's legal advice. The British government accepted the marriage, but didn't refer to the Maharani as "her highness" as was the protocol for the princely state
s.
In 1946, the Gaekwar took his second wife on a tour of Europe
. The reason for their visit was to find a suitable residence away from India, because they feared the integration of the princely states into the Union threaten their extravagant way of life. They found that the independent principality of Monaco
was a suitable place to set up their second home. They bought a mansion in Monte Carlo
and the Maharani took up permanent residence. The Gaekwar visited often, bringing some of the great treasures of Baroda to Monaco. The Maharani became the custodian of these treasures.
The couple also made two trips to the United States
after the war. They went on a spending spree, buying all types of luxurious items. It was widely reported they spent $10 million on one of those trips. This was much to the Indian government's chagrin. Indian officials audited the principality's finances. They concluded the Gaekwar had taken several large interest-free loans from the Baroda treasury. They demanded it be returned. The prince complied by making several payments from his $8 million-a-year income.
The princely couple transferred a copious amount from the Baroda treasury, including some of its most famous jewelry, including four celebrated pearl carpets, a famed seven-strand necklace of priceless pearls (called the Baroda pearls), a three-strand diamond necklace with the famous Pink Brazilian Star of the South
128.8 carats (25.8 g) diamond and the English Dresden 78.53 carats (15.7 g) diamond. The princely couple also had custody of the Empress Eugenie and the yellow Moon of Baroda
diamonds. When Baroda was integrated into the newly independent India
, the government was appalled to find the Baroda treasury had been looted. Indian officials were eventually able to recover some of the items, but some of the jewels had been transferred to the Maharani's ownership. She had some reset to make it more difficult for India to reclaim them.
Years after the Maharani's death some of the precious items were discovered. In 1994 the pearl carpet were found in a Geneva vault. It was sold to an Arab prince for $31 million. The Star of the South and other gems were located with jewellers in Amsterdam.
Eventually, India, due to the discrepancies and possible fraud, deposed the Gaekwar in 1951 and his eldest son by his first wife succeeded him. Technically, the couple were not heads of state any longer, but they insisted on still being referred by their former titles.
She gave the Gaekwar one son, born in 1945, his name was Sayaji Rao Gaekwar. Nicknamed "Princie", he was the apple of her eye.
She attended some of the most exclusive events on the globe and partied with other international luminaries, i.e. Aristotle Onassis
.
In 1953 the Maharani sold a pair of bejeweiled anklets to Harry Winston
. They had several large emeralds and diamonds. The jeweller set these stones into a spectacular necklace that was bought by the Duchess of Windsor. The Duchess wore this to a 1957 New York ball also attended by Sita Devi. When other guests were admiring the necklace. The Maharani was heard to exclaim that those jewels looked just as nice on her feet. The embarrassed Duchess returned the necklace to Winston. The Maharani was a car enthusiast and was reportedly very fond of her Mercedes W126, which was custom made for her by Mercedes-Benz. At the 1969 Ascot Gold Cup
she invited guests to touch the 30 carats (6 g) sapphire on her right hand for good luck. Esquire Magazine included Sita Devi and Princie on its list of "fun couples" for 1969.
Sita Devi divorced the Gaekwar in 1956. He promptly moved to London.
Even after the dissolution of her second marriage, she clung to her exalted title. Her Rolls-Royce still sported the armorial insignia of Baroda. She would reminisce about the days when she was referred to as royalty and received 101-gun salutes. This was, at best an embellishment of the truth; the British never gave these privileges to any of the Indian princes. Prince Rainier awarded citizenship of Monaco
to both Sita Devi and Princie. She maintained a Paris
apartment as well. She continued to live in grand style, drinking Baron de Rothschild’s Bordeaux, rearranging her Louis XVI furniture and attending exclusive parties. When travelling she brought along a large wardrobe, reported to be a thousand saris, hundreds of paris of shoes and of course her jewellery. But her finances were eventually exhausted enough for her to secretly auction some of her beloved jewels in 1974.
The Maharani suffered a tragedy in 1985, when Princie committed suicide one night when after his 40th birthday. His death was attributed to alcoholism, drug addiction and his voracious sexual appetite. Sita Devi died four years later of natural causes. Some speculated it was due to a broken heart.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, died February 15, 1989 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She was known as the “Indian Wallis Simpson. She was a colorful lady who led an extravagant life for over 40 years and was a member of the international jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
. The Maharani was the daughter of the Zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of Pithapuram
Pithapuram
For famous Playback singer see Pithapuram Nageswara RaoPithapuram is a town and a municipality in East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh....
- Sri Raja Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau
Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau
Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau , was Maharajah of Pithapuram. He was called by Telugu people "Abhinava Krishnadevaraya". Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda was his daughter.-Early life:...
Bahadur Garu and his wife Sri Rani Chinnamamba Devi of Mirzapuram.
Sita Devi first married Apparao Bahadur, Zamindar of Vayyur.
By him she had three children.
She met her second husband, Pratap Singh Gaekwar of Baroda, at the Madras horse races in 1943. The Gaekwar was, at that time, considered the eight richest man in world. It was also reported he was the second richest Indian prince. The Gaekwar was mesmerised by Sita Devi. The lovers consulted with his legal team. The lawyers recommended that the Hindu Sita Devi convert to Mohammedanism. That would dissolve her marriage to the Zamindar under Indian law. She embraced Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
only to then adopt Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
once again. The Gaekwar took her as his second wife, which caused consternation with the British authorities, as this violated the antibigamy laws that the previous Gaekwar of Baroda enacted. The British Viceroy in New Delhi summoned the Gaekwar to contest this marriage. The latter argued that the law applied to the subjects of Baroda, and that he being their monarch was exempt from this law. This was confirmed by the Viceroy's legal advice. The British government accepted the marriage, but didn't refer to the Maharani as "her highness" as was the protocol for 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 ...
s.
In 1946, the Gaekwar took his second wife on a tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The reason for their visit was to find a suitable residence away from India, because they feared the integration of the princely states into the Union threaten their extravagant way of life. They found that the independent principality of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
was a suitable place to set up their second home. They bought a mansion in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
and the Maharani took up permanent residence. The Gaekwar visited often, bringing some of the great treasures of Baroda to Monaco. The Maharani became the custodian of these treasures.
The couple also made two trips to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the war. They went on a spending spree, buying all types of luxurious items. It was widely reported they spent $10 million on one of those trips. This was much to the Indian government's chagrin. Indian officials audited the principality's finances. They concluded the Gaekwar had taken several large interest-free loans from the Baroda treasury. They demanded it be returned. The prince complied by making several payments from his $8 million-a-year income.
The princely couple transferred a copious amount from the Baroda treasury, including some of its most famous jewelry, including four celebrated pearl carpets, a famed seven-strand necklace of priceless pearls (called the Baroda pearls), a three-strand diamond necklace with the famous Pink Brazilian Star of the South
Star of the South
The Star of the South, also known as Estrela do Sul, is a diamond found in Brazil in 1853. The diamond is cut into a cushion shape and weighs . The Star of the South is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a colour grading of fancy light pinkish-brown and a clarity of VS2. At the time of discovery,...
128.8 carats (25.8 g) diamond and the English Dresden 78.53 carats (15.7 g) diamond. The princely couple also had custody of the Empress Eugenie and the yellow Moon of Baroda
Moon of Baroda
The Moon of Baroda is a cut diamond discovered in Vadodara , India. The diamond, canary yellow in colour, is cut in a pear shape. When found, the rough diamond weighed . The Moon of Baroda was originally owned by the Maharajas of Baroda. The royal family of Gaekwad Maharajas was in possession of...
diamonds. When Baroda was integrated into the newly independent India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the government was appalled to find the Baroda treasury had been looted. Indian officials were eventually able to recover some of the items, but some of the jewels had been transferred to the Maharani's ownership. She had some reset to make it more difficult for India to reclaim them.
Years after the Maharani's death some of the precious items were discovered. In 1994 the pearl carpet were found in a Geneva vault. It was sold to an Arab prince for $31 million. The Star of the South and other gems were located with jewellers in Amsterdam.
Eventually, India, due to the discrepancies and possible fraud, deposed the Gaekwar in 1951 and his eldest son by his first wife succeeded him. Technically, the couple were not heads of state any longer, but they insisted on still being referred by their former titles.
She gave the Gaekwar one son, born in 1945, his name was Sayaji Rao Gaekwar. Nicknamed "Princie", he was the apple of her eye.
She attended some of the most exclusive events on the globe and partied with other international luminaries, i.e. Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
.
In 1953 the Maharani sold a pair of bejeweiled anklets to Harry Winston
Harry Winston
Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.-History:...
. They had several large emeralds and diamonds. The jeweller set these stones into a spectacular necklace that was bought by the Duchess of Windsor. The Duchess wore this to a 1957 New York ball also attended by Sita Devi. When other guests were admiring the necklace. The Maharani was heard to exclaim that those jewels looked just as nice on her feet. The embarrassed Duchess returned the necklace to Winston. The Maharani was a car enthusiast and was reportedly very fond of her Mercedes W126, which was custom made for her by Mercedes-Benz. At the 1969 Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
she invited guests to touch the 30 carats (6 g) sapphire on her right hand for good luck. Esquire Magazine included Sita Devi and Princie on its list of "fun couples" for 1969.
Sita Devi divorced the Gaekwar in 1956. He promptly moved to London.
Even after the dissolution of her second marriage, she clung to her exalted title. Her Rolls-Royce still sported the armorial insignia of Baroda. She would reminisce about the days when she was referred to as royalty and received 101-gun salutes. This was, at best an embellishment of the truth; the British never gave these privileges to any of the Indian princes. Prince Rainier awarded citizenship of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
to both Sita Devi and Princie. She maintained a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
apartment as well. She continued to live in grand style, drinking Baron de Rothschild’s Bordeaux, rearranging her Louis XVI furniture and attending exclusive parties. When travelling she brought along a large wardrobe, reported to be a thousand saris, hundreds of paris of shoes and of course her jewellery. But her finances were eventually exhausted enough for her to secretly auction some of her beloved jewels in 1974.
The Maharani suffered a tragedy in 1985, when Princie committed suicide one night when after his 40th birthday. His death was attributed to alcoholism, drug addiction and his voracious sexual appetite. Sita Devi died four years later of natural causes. Some speculated it was due to a broken heart.