Rameshwar Singh Thakur (16 January 1860 – 3 July 1929) was the Maharaja of

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth-largest city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Bihar situated centrally in Mithila region. Darbhanga is the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. It was the seat of the erstw ...

in the

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepal ...

region from 1898 to his death. He became Maharaja on the death of his elder brother Maharaja Sir

Lakshmeshwar Singh Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh, Maharaja of Darbhanga (25 September 1858 – 16 November 1898) was the Zamindar and principal landowner of Darbhanga in the Mithila region, presently in the State of Bihar, India. His philanthropic works, admin ...

, who died without issue. He was appointed to the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

in 1878, serving as assistant magistrate successively at

Chhapra Chhapra is a city and headquarters of the Saran district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and the Ganges River. Chhapra grew in importance as a river-based market in the 18th century when th ...

, and

Bhagalpur Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Silk ...

. He was exempted from attendance at the Civil Courts and was appointed a Member of the

Bengal Legislative Council The Bengal Legislative Council ( was the legislative council of British Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). It was the legislature of the Bengal Presidency during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After reforms wer ...

in 1885. He was the first Indian appointed to the lieutenant governor's Executive Council. He was a Member of the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor ...

of the Governor General of India in 1899 and on 21 September 1904 was appointed a non-officiating member representing the Bengal Provinces, along with

Gopal Krishna Gokhale Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( �ɡoːpaːl ˈkrɪʂɳə ˈɡoːkʰleː9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian 'moderate' political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement. Gokhale was a senior leader of the India ...

from

Bombay Province The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

. He was president of the Bihar Landholder's Association, president of the All India Landholder's Association, president of Bharat Dharma Mahamandal, a member of the Council of State, a trustee of the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta, president of the Hindu University Society, M.E.C. of Bihar and Orissa and Member of the Indian Police Commission (1902–03). He was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1900. He was the only member of the India Police Commission who dissented with a report on requirements for police service, and suggested that the recruitment to the Indian Police Services should be through a single exam only to be conducted in India and Britain simultaneously. He also suggested the recruitment should not be based on colour or nationality. This suggestion was rejected by the India Police Commission. Maharaja Rameshwar Singh was a Tantric and was known as ''Buddhist Siddha''. He was considered a ''

Rajarshi Rajarishi () is a title in Hinduism and Hindu mythology, referring to a sage who hails from a royal background. Description A rajarishi may be described to be a king (raja) who adopted a path of devotion, thereby becoming a royal sage (rishi). A ...

'' (sage king) by his people. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) on 26 June 1902, was promoted to a Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) in the

1915 Birthday Honours The 1915 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

List and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Civil Division (KBE) in the 1918 Birthday Honours List.London Gazette, 4 June 1918
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Rameshwar 1860 births 1929 deaths History of Bihar Mithila People from Bihar Maharajas of Darbhanga Members of the Council of India Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Indian Civil Service (British India) officers Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal Members of the Council of State (India)