Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Raol

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

Shri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, ...

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji KCSI (19 May 1912 – 2 April 1965) was an Indian king and politician, the last ruling Maharaja of the

Gohil dynasty The Gohil dynasty or Gohil or Guhilas of Saurashtra ruled parts of Saurashtra region of present-day Gujarat state of India as subordinates or independents starting 12th century. Their origin is traced to Guhila dynasty of Gujarat and they had mig ...

, who ruled

Bhavnagar State Bhavnagar State was a princely state with 13 Gun Salutes during the British Raj. It was part of Kathiawar Agency in Saurashtra. The State of Bhavnagar covered an area of 2,961 sq. miles and had a population of 618,429 in 1941. Its ruler ...

from 1919 to 1948 and also served as the first Indian

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized be ...

from 1948 to 1952. After the handover of rule of the Bhavnagar State as part of the Indian Union, Bhavnagar became the first state which joined the Indian Union.

Early life

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji was born in

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

on 19 May 1912, the eldest son and heir of Maharaja

Bhavsinhji II Colonel Maharaja Raol Sir Shri Bhavsinhji II Takhtsinhji, KCSI (26 April 1875 – 16 July 1919) was a Maharaja from the Gohil dynasty, who ruled the Bhavnagar State in western India from 1896 until 1919.The Royal Coronation Number and Who ...

of Bhavnagar (1875–1919, r. 1896–1919). Kumarsinhji succeeded his father upon his death in 1919; only seven years old, he ascended the

throne under a regency until 1931. He was educated at

Rajkumar College, Rajkot The Rajkumar College (or RKC) in Rajkot, Gujarat is one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India. RKC has a 26-acre (105,000 m²) campus in Rajkot. History The foundation stone of Rajkumar College was laid in 1868. The institution was designe ...

like his father and grandfather, who was the first student in 1870.

Reign

Kumarsinhji continued the progressive reforms of his father and grandfather, reforming the method of tax-collection in his state, introducing village councils and Bhavnagar's first legislature, the ''Dharasabha''. Owing to his progressive reign, Kumarsinhji was knighted with the KCSI in 1938; however, he remained quietly committed to the cause of Indian independence. Therefore, upon Independence in 1947, Kumarsinhji became among the first of the Indian monarchs to accede to the Dominion of India in 1947. He merged Bhavnagar into the state of

Kathiawad Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is ...

in 1948. Maharaja Shri Bhavsinhji Polytechnic Institute was established by him in commemoration of his father Late Sir Bhavsinhji II in 1932, which commenced functioning in 1949.

Personal life

In 1931, Kumarsinhji married Maharani Shri Vijayabakunverba Sahiba (19 June 1910 – 6 October 1990), the daughter of Maharaja Bhojirajsinhji of Gondal and granddaughter of Maharaja Bhagvatsinh of Gondal. The couple had two sons and three daughters: #Maharaja Shri Virbhadra Sinh Gohil (14 March 1932 – 26 July 1994) who succeeded as Maharaja of Bhavnagar. His son, Vijayrajsinhji Gohil, is the present Maharaja of Bhavnagar #Maharajkumar Shivbhadra Sinh Gohel (b. 23 December 1933) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Hansa Kunverba Sahiba (b. 25 July 1941) (now the Rajmata Sahiba of

Ajaygarh Ajaigarh or Ajaygarh is a town and a nagar panchayat in the Panna District of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. Ajaigarh State was one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. The state was founded in 1785, an ...

) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Dilhar Kunverba Sahiba (b. 19 November 1942) (now the Maharani Sahiba of Panna) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Rohini Devi Sahiba (b. 8 October 1945) (now the Maharani of Kutch)

Later years

In 1948, he worked as acting

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 Indian provinces and states. Background The British Indian Empire, which includ ...

United State of Kathiawar Saurashtra, also known as United State of Kathiawar, was a State of India that existed between 1948 and 1956, on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital, History Formation as United State of Kathiawar Saurashtra ...

for a brief period. Later, in 1948, Kumarsinhji became the first Indian

, serving until 1952. Also, in that year Kumarsinhji was made an honorary

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

in the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India. Fr ...

. From 1948 until 1952, Kumarsinhji also served as the President of the Shree Nandkunverba Kshatriya Kanya Vidhyalaya and as Vice-Patron of the United Service Institution of India. Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji died at Bhavnagar on 2 April 1965, aged 52 after a reign of 46 years . He was succeeded as Maharaja of Bhavnagar by his eldest son, Virbhadrasinhji Krishna Kumarsinhji.

Titles

*1912-1919:

Maharajkumar Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib Gohil,

Yuvraj Yuv(a)raj(a) (Sanskrit: युवराज) is an Indian title for the crown prince, and the heir apparent to the throne of an Indian (notably Hindu) kingdom or (notably in the Mughal Empire or British Raj) princely state. It is usually applied t ...

Sahib Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims. As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...

*1919-1937:

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerl ...

Raol Shri Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib,

*1937-1938:

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar *1938-1943: Lieutenant His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1943-1945:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1945-1946:

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1946-1948:

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1948-1965:

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1948-1952: Commodore

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Gohil, Governor of

Madras State Madras State was a state of India during the mid-20th century. At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu (except Kanyakumari district), Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North and c ...

, KCSI

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today) 1000px ribbon bar of the Order of Maria Anna

Decorations and medals

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 *

Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India The 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 (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(KCSI)-1938 *

War Medal 1939-1945 War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

-1945 * Defence Medal-1945 *

India Service Medal The India Service Medal 1939–1945 was a campaign medal of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth. It was awarded to British Indian Army, Indian Forces for three years of non-operational service in India during the India in World War II, Seco ...

- 1945 *

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 ...

-1947

Hon. military ranks

*Hon. Colonel, Indian Army - 18 January 1951 *Hon. Commodore, Indian Navy - 18 January 1951

Political office

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna Kumarasingh, Bhavasingh Governors of Tamil Nadu Governors of Madras 1912 births 1965 deaths 20th-century Indian monarchs Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian knights Gujarati people Maharajas of Bhavnagar Founders of Indian schools and colleges Rajpramukhs Saurashtra (state)