Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Sir Yeshwant Rao II Holkar XIV Bahadur (6 September 1908 – 5 December 1961) was the

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, a ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

(

Holkar State Indore State, also known as Holkar State, was a kingdom in India. Its rulers belonged to the Holkar dynasty. After 1857, Indore became a 19-gun salute Maratha princely state (a rare high rank) under the British Raj. Indore state w ...

, now in present-day

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

) belonging to the

Holkar The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Mara ...

dynasty of the

Marathas The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...

Biography

He was educated at the Cheam School,

Charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey Londo ...

and Christ Church, Oxford. He succeeded his father Tukojirao Holkar III, who abdicated in his favour on 26 February 1926. He was installed on the throne on 11 March 1926 under a regency council. He was invested with full powers on 9 May 1930. On 1 January 1935 he was made a Knight of the Order of the Indian Empire. He established a legislative council for Indore state and created a cabinet with a prime minister and three ministers. K.S. Fitze, a British resident of Indore, remarked on the great amount of time Maharaja Yeshwant spent abroad. Christie's art director Amin Jaffer takes this to exemplify his turn to the West. On 11 August 1947 he signed the document of accession to India. Indore State was included in the Union of

Madhya Bharat Madhya Bharat, also known as Malwa Union, was an Indian state in west-central India, created on 28 May 1948 from twenty-five princely states which until 1947 had been part of the Central India Agency, with Jiwajirao Scindia as its Rajpramukh. ...

on 28 May 1948. He served as the second

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 inclu ...

of this new state until 31 October 1956. He then worked for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

. He died in a Mumbai hospital on 5 December 1961.

Manik Bagh

In 1930 he commissioned the construction of the

Manik Bagh Manik Bagh, also spelled Manig Bagh, is a palace of the Holkar Maharaja of Indore State in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The name means "Ruby Garden" or "Gem Garden". It was designed and built by the German architect Eckart Muthesius on behalf of Mah ...

("Jewel Garden") palace in Indore. The architect was

Eckart Muthesius Eckart Muthesius (17 May 1904 in Berlin – 9 August 1989) was a German architect and interior designer. His most famous commission was the Manik Bagh palace for Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II (1908–1961) for the use of himself and his wife ...

(1904–1989) from Germany. The Maharaja was at a young age at that time, as was Muthesius who was just a couple of years older. The work outside and inside was done in the late

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

and international style of

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris had an exhibition in 2019 called "Moderne Maharajah" dedicated to Yashwant Rao Holkar II and Manik Bagh, featuring some of the interior pieces such as the aluminium bed by Louis Sognot and Charlotte Alix. Manik Bagh later became a branch of the Indian Customs and Central Excise department.

Marriage

In the year 1924 he married

Sanyogita Bai Sahib Holkar of Indore Sanyogitabai Holkar of Indore (1914 - 1937), was an Indian socialite and queen, the wife of Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II of the princely state of Indore, British India. Biography She was born in 1914 in Tarasp, Switzerland, to Rajashri Dat ...

. Yeshwant Rao and his wife Maharani Sanyogita both studied in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Together they traveled Europe extensively and were photographed by

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to eac ...

in a series in 1927. Two sets of double portraits were painted by Bernard Boutet de Monvel in 1929 and 1934. Sanyogita passed away in 1937 at the age of 22 from complications after surgery in Switzerland. In 1938 he married Marguerite Lawler, of Fargo, North Dakota, and after their divorce, married in 1943 Euphemia "Fay" Watt, of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

(aka Lady Fay Holkar). He is survived by his two children: * with Maharani Sanyogita Devi: Maharani Usha Raje of Indore (she inherited the titles and rights) * with Lady Fay Holkar: Maharajkumar Shrimant Shivaji Rao "Richard" Holkar (who himself has two children: Sabrina Sanyogita Holkar Ellis and Yashwantrao "Randall" Holkar III).

Family Tradition Rigt's

The elder brother of Maharaja Tukojirao holkar II, Raja Srimant Sir Kashirao Dadasaheb Holkar's(KCSI,KIH). * Maharajkumar Bhushansinh Raje Holkar.

Honours

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(GCIE), ''1935'' * King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, ''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 t ...

, ''1937''

References

External links

Members.iinet.net.au
* https://madparis.fr/francais/musees/musee-des-arts-decoratifs/expositions/expositions-terminees/moderne-maharajah-un-mecene-des-annees-1930/ , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Holkar, Yeshwantrao, II 1908 births 1961 deaths Maharajas of Indore Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire People educated at Charterhouse School Indian knights