Indira Devi, born as Indira Raje (19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968), was the Maharani 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, ...
of
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
.
She was the daughter of
Chimnabai II.
[ She broke her arranged engagement to marry ]Jitendra Narayan
Maharaja Shri Sir Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur (20 December 1886 – 20 December 1922) was the Maharaja of Cooch Behar State, Cooch-Behar, India, from September 1913 until his death in December 1922.
Early life
Jitendra Narayan was the sec ...
and became daughter-in-law to Suniti Devi
Sunity Devi CIE (30 September 1864 – 10 November 1932) was the Maharani of the princely state of Cooch Behar, British India.
Early life
She was a daughter of the renowned Brahmo Samaj reformist, Keshub Chandra Sen of Calcutta. She was m ...
. Previously her engagement had been fixed to Madho Rao Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior. Following the death of her husband she became regent of Cooch Behar during the minority of her elder son Jagaddipendra Narayan
Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, (15 December 1915 – 11 April 1970) was Maharaja of Cooch-Behar, in India. He served in British forces during World War II and ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India in 1949.
Early li ...
.[ Her second child was a daughter named, Gayatri Devi, who would later go on to become the Maharani of Jaipur.][
]
In Baroda
Indira was born the only daughter of Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal Gae ...
of Baroda
Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...
and his second wife Maharani Chimnabai (1872–1958). She grew up with her several brothers at the opulent Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Baroda, and was betrothed at a young age to Madho Rao Scindia, the then Maharaja of Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
. During the period of engagement, Indira attended the Delhi ''durbar'' of 1911, where she met the Jitendra, younger brother of the then Maharaja of Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...
. Within days, they were in love and had decided to marry.
"The Letter that broke the engagement"
Indira knew that her parents would be aghast; many issues were involved: the diplomatic repercussions of breaking a standing engagement with the Scindia ruler of Gwalior
Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...
, one of the premier 21-gun-salute princes of India; the scandal and universal opprobrium that would certainly ensue; also the fact that Jitendra was the younger son and thus unlikely ever to become king.
Indira circumvented her parents by taking the initiative in breaking her engagement herself, a daring act for an 18-year-old Indian maiden of that era. She wrote to her fiancé saying that she did not wish to marry him. In Baroda, Indira's father received a single-sentence telegram from the Maharaja of Gwalior: ''"What does the princess mean by her letter?"'' This was the first inkling her stunned parents had of Indira's intentions. The Maharaja behaved in exemplary fashion, writing an understanding letter to Indira's father which he signed off as "your son"; however, the disgrace was great and was felt keenly by Indira's parents.
Wedding
The breaking of the engagement was accomplished, but this defiance of her parents did not serve to reconcile them to her marrying Jitendra. Indira's parents apparently regarded Jitendra as a playboy from a feckless family; they even ventured to summon him and give him a personal warning to stay away. Nothing worked; Indira and Jitendra were equally adamant. Eventually, perhaps also in recognition of the fact that respectable alliances for Indira were now unlikely, her parents made a half-way compromise. They allowed Indira to leave their roof, proceed to London and wed Jitendra.
Indira and Jitendra were wed at a hotel in London with no member of Indira's family present. They were wed by the rites of the Brahmo Samaj, the sect to which Jitendra's mother, Suniti Devi
Sunity Devi CIE (30 September 1864 – 10 November 1932) was the Maharani of the princely state of Cooch Behar, British India.
Early life
She was a daughter of the renowned Brahmo Samaj reformist, Keshub Chandra Sen of Calcutta. She was m ...
, daughter of Keshub Chunder Sen, adhered.
In Cooch Behar
It happened that at the time of the wedding, Jitendra's elder brother, Rajendra Narayan
Raj Rajendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur (1882–1913), eldest son of Nripendra Narayan, was Maharaja of Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India.
Education
Raj Rajendra Narayan was born in a Kulin Kayastha Family at Woodsland Palace of Calcutta on 11 April 1882. ...
, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...
, was grievously ill. Within days of the wedding, he died of ailments arising from alcohol abuse, and Jitendra became maharaja of Cooch Behar. The couple lived a relatively happy life and rapidly became the parents of five children. However, alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
was endemic in Jitendra's family, and he died at a young age, within a decade of the wedding.
Indira was now not only a young widow and the mother of five, but also regent of Cooch Behar during the minority of her elder son.[ She faced her situation not merely with courage but indeed with verve. Her administrative skills were deemed by observers very mediocre, but Indira quickly gained a reputation for her highly-active social life, and spent prolonged periods of time in Europe and away from Cooch Behar.
]
Children
Indira was the mother of three daughters and two sons.
#Indira's eldest daughter, Ila, married the a Prince of Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...
Ramendra Kishore Dev Varma. Her son took for wife the actress Moon Moon Sen; they are the parents of Indian actors Raima and Riya Riya is an feminine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Riya, Japanese singer
* Riya Bamniyal, Indian actress
* Riya Deepsi, Indian actress and model
*Riya Sen (born 1981), Indian actress
*Riya Suman
Riya Suman is an Indian a ...
.
#Her elder son, Jagaddipendra Narayan
Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, (15 December 1915 – 11 April 1970) was Maharaja of Cooch-Behar, in India. He served in British forces during World War II and ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India in 1949.
Early li ...
, succeeded his father as Maharaja of Cooch Behar, and was the last ruling prince of his dynasty; Cooch Behar was merged with the Dominion of India
The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...
(later the Republic of India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
) during his reign. He had no legitimate children, and was succeeded by his nephew Virajendra.
#The second son, Indrajitendra, married a daughter of the Maharaja of Pithapuram estate
Pithapuram Zamindari was a Zamindari in the East Godavari district of Madras Presidency. In 1802, Pithapuram was overshadowed by the renowned Peddapuram estate. But, in 1843, all other villages of Peddapuram were lost except Kottam and they wer ...
in present-day Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. They were the parents of Virajendra and also of Uttara Devi, Maharani of Kotah
Kota (), previously known as ''Kotah'', is a city located in the southeast of northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about south of the state capital, Jaipur, situated on the banks of Chambal River. With a population of over 1.2 m ...
in Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
.
#Indira's second daughter, Gayatri, became the third wife of the Maharaja of Jaipur
Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...
, and was a noted celebrity in her own right.
#Indira's youngest daughter Menaka married the Maharaja of Dewas Jr in central India
Central India is a loosely defined geographical region of India. There is no clear official definition and various ones may be used. One common definition consists of the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are included in alm ...
.
Later life
Indira's elder son assumed full powers as ruler of Cooch Behar in 1936. Indira thereafter spent a major portion of her time in Europe. Indira Devi faced many tragedies in her lifetime. Indira Devi lost two of her children: Princess Ila Devi who died at a very young age and Prince Indrajit Narayan Bhup, who died in an accidental fire leaving behind his wife Princess Kamala of Pithapuram
Pithapuram, historically known as Pittapore, is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen ...
. Maharani Indira Devi spent the last years of her life in Mumbai and died there in September 1968.
Gallery
File:Indira Raje Gaikwad.jpg, Indira Raje Gaikwad
File:Philip Alexius de László - Maharani Indira Devi of Baroda and Cooch Behar.jpg, Devi by Philip Alexius de László
File:Manmohan Singh and Gipsy Moth Miss India with Maharanee of Cooch Behar 1930.jpg, Devi with Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
, London (1930)
File:Maharaja-Jagaddipendra-Narayan.jpg, Jagaddipendra Narayan
References
Bibliography
* Moore, Lucy (2004) ''Maharanis: the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses''. London: Viking
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi of Badora, Indira
1892 births
1968 deaths
Baroda State
Indian princesses
People from Vadodara
Indian queen consorts
19th-century Indian women
19th-century Indian people
20th-century Indian women
20th-century Indian people
Indian Hindus
20th-century women rulers