Maharaja Himmat Singhji (2 September 1899 – 24 November 1960) was the last ruler of the

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

Idar State Idar State, also known as Edar, was a princely state located in present-day Gujarat state of India. During the British era, it was a part of the Mahi Kantha Agency, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. History Idar State was a ...

. He was Maharaja of Idar from 1931 to 1948.List of Ruling Princes, Chiefs and Leading Personages by Rajputana (Agency) - 1938 - Page 107.

Birth

He was the eldest son of Maharaja Daulat Singh was born on 2 September 1899 at

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

. He was educated at

Mayo College Mayo College (informally Mayo) is a boys-only independent boarding school in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. It was founded in 1875 by Richard Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, who was the Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872. This makes it one of the oldest Pub ...

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...

. He attended the Coronation of the King George V and Queen Mary, at Westminster Abbey, in London and served as Page-of-Honour to the King-Emperor at the Delhi Coronation Durbar in 1911.

Ascension

He succeeded on the death of his father on 14 April 1931 as Maharaja of Idar state and was installed on the ''gadi'' (throne) at

Himmatnagar Himatnagar or Himmatnagar is a municipality in Sabarkantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. The city is on the bank of the river Hathmati. History Himatnagar was founded in 1426 b ...

on 11 July 1931.The Royal Coronation Number and Who's who in India, Burma and Ceylon by Thomas Peter Sun Publishing House, 1937 pp:70-71 Upon the

independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, he merged his state in to the Union of India on 10 June 1948. He also held the title of Colonel-in-Chief of Idar Sir Pratap Infantry from 1931 to 1954. He was an outstanding all-round sportsman with varied interests of sports like - hunting, horse-racing, polo, tent-pegging and pig-sticking, cricket and football.

Death

He died on 24 November 1960. He had two sons Maharaja ''Daljit Singh'' (who succeeded him as Maharaja of Idar) and Maharaj Shri Amar Singhji.

Memorials

The town of

, which served as Capital of Idar State, was renamed after him from

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...

by his father Maharaja Sir Daulat Singhji in year 1912, who was then the heir-apparent to the throne of Idar.Gujarat State Gazetteers: Sabarkantha - 1974 - Page 714. The old and historic name of the town was changed from Ahmednagar to Himatnagar after the name of Maharaja Shri Himmatsinghji in 1912.

Honors

* Delhi Durbar Medal - silver (1911) *

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

- 1935, *

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to th ...

- 1937 *

Indian Independence Medal The Indian Independence Medal was instituted by the Dominion of India and approved by King George VI by way of a Royal Warrant dated 21 July 1948. It was a commemorative medal for service with the Indian armed forces at the time of independence i ...

- 1948, * Halvad-Dhrangadhra State Rajyabhisek Medal 1st class - 1942 * Halvad-Dhrangadhra Accession to India Medal -25 March 1948

References

{{authority control 1899 births 1960 deaths Maharajas of Idar Indian royalty Mayo College alumni