Her Highness Rajmata Shiv Kumari 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 ...

(1 March 1916 – 12 January 2012) was an Indian Hindu royal and the daughter of

Maharaja Ganga Singh General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh, (13 October 1880 – 2 February 1943), was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner (in present-day Rajasthan, India) from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present ...

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...

Early life

Born in 1916 (although other sources indicate 1913 and 1915) she was married to

Maharao Maharao is a variation on the Indian (mainly Hinduism, Hindu) royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'great king' in Hindi. It is composed of ''Maha-'' 'great' and the royal title ''Rao'', a variation on Raja. Ruler title in British India Salute state ...

Bhim Singh of Kotah in 1930. She was not, however, bound by the traditional restrictions of the

Purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

. Kumari’s father ensured that she received modern education along with her male siblings at home. The

Rathor The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India. Subclans Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage This article discusses the "Kanauj ...

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

princesses was skilled in shooting and killed more than forty tigers both before and after her marriage. As the Maharani of Kotah she became committed to the cause of education along with her contemporary and friend, Maharani

Gayatri Devi Gayatri Devi (born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for th ...

of Jaipur. Kumari is vice-president of the latter’s

Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School or MGD is located in Jaipur, India and was established by and named after Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. It was the first all-girls school to be established in the state of Rajasthan. History The school wa ...

in Jaipur.

Politics

While her husband was the ceremonial governor of

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 ...

, Kumari was also active in politics and was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly as an independent member from Khanpur (

Jhalawar Jhalawar () is a city, municipal council and headquarter in Jhalawar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the admin ...

District) from 1966-71. Along with her husband and family she traveled all around the world in the early decades of India’s independence. Kumari was active in the socio-economic uplift of the Rajput community and is the vice-president of the Rajput Sabha. Like her contemporaries in Indian royalty she remained interested in the preservation of wildlife and jungle habitat. She managed a small estate near Kota called ''Nawal Bagh'', which had been bequeathed to her by Maharao Bhim Singh.

Rajmata

Following the death of Maharao Bhim Singh in 1991, Kumari became the Rajmata (Queen Mother) while her son Brijraj Singh became the next Maharao. The royal residence of Umaid Bhawan was converted into a hotel but she continued to reside in the upper portions of the palace until her death in January 2012.

Death

Kumari died on the evening of 12 January 2012. She had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad Hospital in Kota on 9 January following a deterioration in the functioning of her kidneys. On the afternoon 12 January she was brought back by her family to her residence, the Ummed Bhawan Palace, without any improvement in her condition and the doctors declaring her death only a matter of time. Her last rites were performed on 13 January 2012.Rajmata Shiv Kumari of Kota dies at 96
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References

Rajmata Shiv Kumari of Kota dies at 96
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotah, Shiv Kumari of 1916 births 2012 deaths People from Kota, Rajasthan Hindu monarchs People from Bikaner Queen mothers Indian female royalty