Maharani Chimnabai (1872 – 23 August 1958), also known as Chimnabai II, was the second wife of Maharaja
Sayajirao Gaekwad
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 Ga ...
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
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 ...
, Gujarat,
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 is the author of the treatise ''
The position of Women in Indian Life'' (1911), and was the first president of the
All India Women's Conference
The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Delhi. It was founded in 1927 by Margaret Cousins in order to improve educational efforts for women and children and has expanded its scope to also tackle ...
(AIWC) in 1927.
Biography
Shrimant Lakshmibai Mohite became Chimnabai II upon marrying
Sayajirao Gaekwad
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 Ga ...
in 1885.
A progressive woman, she worked toward education for girls, abolishing the purdah system and child marriage, and became the first president of the AIWC in 1927.
She is the author of the treatise ''The position of Women in Indian Life'' (1911).
Her daughter
Indira Devi
Indira Devi, born as Indira Raje (19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968), was the Maharani of the princely state of Cooch Behar, British India. She was the daughter of Chimnabai II. She broke her arranged engagement to marry Jitendra Narayan ...
became the consort of
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 ...
, Maharajah 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 ...
.
Works
*
References
Further reading
*
Moore, Lucy (2004) ''Maharanis: the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses''. London: Viking
*{{cite book , last1=Weeden , first1=Edward St Clair , title=A year with the Gaekwar of Baroda , date=1911 , publisher=Boston : D. Estes & Co. , url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924024069811/page/n15/mode/2up?q=maharani
1872 births
1958 deaths
Baroda State
Indian female royalty
19th-century Indian women
19th-century Indian people
20th-century Indian women
20th-century Indian people