Maharana Sir Fateh Singh (16 December 1849 – 24 May 1930), ruled

Mewar Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch and Man ...

for 46 years from 1884 to 1930, with

Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...

as capital, and resided in the City Palace, Udaipur. Gupta, p. 256

Biography

He was born on 16 December 1849 at Shivrati, son of Maharaj Dal Singh of the Shivrati branch of

dynasty – A descendant of the fourth son, Arjun Singh, of the Rana

Sangram Singh II Sangram Singh II (24 March 1690 – 11 January 1734) was a ruler of Mewar, India. He reigned from 1710 to 1734. He was succeeded by his son Jagat Singh II. Maharana Sangram Singh II was a great ruler of his time. He ascended the throne at a c ...

(AD 1710–1734). First he was adopted by his elder brother, Gaj Singh who had no heir, subsequently Maharana

Sajjan Singh of Udaipur Colonel Maharaja Sir Sajjan Singh (18 July 1859 – 23 December 1884), was the Maharana of princely state of Udaipur (r. 1874 – 1884). He was a son of Shakti Singh of Bagore and was adopted by his first cousin Maharana Shambhu Singh, whom ...

, who too had no heir, adopted him, he eventually became the Maharaja of

in 1884. In 1887, he received G.C.S.I. Solomon, p. 128 In 1889, he built the "Connaught Dam" on Lake Dewali to mark the visit of

Duke of Connaught Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that was granted on 24 May 1874 by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to her third son, Prince Arthur. At the same time, he was also ...

, son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, this enlarged the lake, and it was later renamed,

Fateh Sagar Lake Fateh Sagar Lake is situated in the city of Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is an artificial lake named after Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur and Mewar, constructed north-west of Udaipur, to the north of Lake Pichola in the 1680s. ...

. He also built Fateh Prakash Palace in Chittorgarh fort, which is an edifice with a tower on each of its four corners crowned by domed

chhattri ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

s. This palace is a grand specimen of modern Indian architecture and at present houses a museum. The

Shiv Niwas Palace Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola. Guesthouse Located to the south side of and part of the City Palace, Udaipur, City Palace complex, work on this building was be ...

at Udaipur was also built by him. The palace was reserved exclusively by the House of Mewar for visiting dignitaries and guests during

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. It now has been turned into a luxury hotel. He was the only Maharaja to not attend the

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was ...

, both of 1903 and 1911. Then in 1921, when Edward, Prince of Wales, son of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and Queen Mary, visited Udaipur, he refused to receive him, citing illness and instead sent his son. The independent attitude adopted by Fateh Singh observed in his refusal to appoint a Dewan and his direct or indirect association with people of known anti-British sentiments such as Kesari Singh Barhath and Shyamaji Krishna Verma made him a problematic figure for the British Government. This left him at odds with the British, thereafter, under the garb of ignoring a social unrest in Mewar, on 28 July 1921, his powers were curtailed and he was formally deposed, he was however allowed to retain his title, the effective power was handed to his son and heir, Bhupal Singh.

Personal life

He was first married in 1867, to Rani Phool Kumari, daughter of the Thakur of Khod in

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tran ...

, who died in 1877. Subsequently, he was married in 1878, a daughter of Thakur Chanda Kol Singh of Varsoda, and had son, Bhupal Singh, and daughters, Ankaran Bai, married in 1904 to Madan Singh of

Kishangarh Kishangarh is a city and a Municipal Council in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. History Kishangarh State was founded by the Jodhpur prince Kishan Singh in 1609. Prior to the rule of Kishan Singh this area was ruled by Ra ...

, and Kishor Kunwar, married 1908 to Sardar Singh of

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 died on May 24, 1930 at Udaipur.

References

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External links

Udaipur genealogy
'' Queensland University''
History of Mewar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Fateh, Maharana Of Udaipur And Mewar Mewar dynasty Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order 1849 births 1930 deaths History of Udaipur

Biography

Personal life

Further reading

References

External links