Sita Devi of Baroda
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Maharani Sita Devi Sahib 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 ...
(born 12 May 1917,
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
- died 15 February 1989, Paris, France) was known as the "Indian
Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused ...
".Tribune India 13 August 2006
She was a colourful lady who led an extravagant life for over 40 years and was a member of the international
jet set In journalism, jet set is a term for an international social group of wealthy people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café society", came from the lifestyle of tra ...
.


Biography

Sita Devi was the daughter of 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, an ...
of
Pithapuram Pithapuram, historically known as Pittapore, is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen ...
– Sri Raja
Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau (1885–1964) was Maharajah of Pithapuram Estate, Pithapuram. He was called by Telugu people "Abhinava Krishnadevaraya". Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda was his daughter. Early life Surya Rau was born to Raja ...
Bahadur Garu and his wife, Sri Rani Chinnamamba Devi (of Kapileswarapuram,
Nuzvid Nuzvid is a city in Eluru district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Nuzvid mandal and Nuzvid revenue division. Geography Nuzvid is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demograp ...
Zamindari). Sita Devi first married
Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao shortly M. R. Appa Rao (21 March 1915 – 31 January 2003) was Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, Member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Minister in Government of Andhra Pradesh, Member of Rajya Sabha. He was t ...
Bahadur, Zamindar of
Vuyyuru Vuyyuru is a town in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Nagar panchayat and the headquarters of Vuyyuru Mandal. It is emerging as neighbourhood of Vijayawada, India situated 30 km away.List of Neighborhoods in Vijay ...
. They had a son, Rajah M. Viduth Kumar Apparao. She was a close friend of
Princess Niloufer Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...
, daughter-in-law of the 7th
Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...
of Hyderabad. She met her second husband,
Pratap Singh Gaekwar Shrimant Maharaja Sir Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad (29 June 1908 – 19 July 1968), belonging to the Gaekwad dynasty of the Marathas, was the ruling Maharaja of Baroda. He succeeded to the throne upon the death of his grandfather Sayajirao Gaek ...
of Baroda, at the
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
horse races in 1943. The Gaekwad was, at that time, considered the eighth richest man in the world. It was also reported he was the second richest Indian prince. The Gaekwad was mesmerised by Sita Devi. The lovers consulted with his legal team. The lawyers recommended that the Hindu Sita Devi convert to
Mohammedanism ''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muham ...
. That would dissolve her marriage to the Zamindar under Indian law. She embraced
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. The Gaekwad took her as his second wife in 1943, which caused consternation with the British authorities, as this violated the antibigamy laws that the previous Gaekwad of Baroda enacted. The British Viceroy in New Delhi summoned the Gaekwad to contest this marriage. The latter argued that the law applied to the subjects of Baroda, and that he being their monarch was exempt from this law. This was confirmed by the Viceroy's legal advisers. The British government accepted the marriage, but did not refer to the Maharani as "Her Highness" as was the protocol for the consorts of rulers of
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, ...
s. In 1946, the Gaekwad took his second wife on a tour of Europe. The reason for their visit was to find a suitable residence away from India. They found that the independent principality of
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
was a suitable place to set up their second home. They bought a mansion in
Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
and the Maharani took up permanent residence there. The Gaekwad visited often, bringing some of the great treasures of Baroda to Monaco. The Maharani became the custodian of these treasures.Tribune India 18 August 2002
/ref> The couple also made two trips to the United States after the war. They went on a spending spree, buying all types of luxurious items. It was widely reported they spent $10 million on one of those trips. Indian officials audited the principality's finances. They concluded the Gaekwad had taken several large interest-free loans from the Baroda treasury. They demanded that these be returned. The prince complied by making several payments from his $8 million-a-year income. The princely couple transferred a copious amount from the Baroda treasury, including some of its most famous jewellery, including four celebrated pearl carpets, a famed seven-strand necklace of priceless pearls (called the Baroda pearls), a three-strand diamond necklace with the famous Pink Brazilian
Star of the South The Star of the South, also known as 'Limar', is a diamond found in Brazil in July 1853. The diamond is cut into a cushion shape and weighs . The Star of the South is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a color grading of fancy light pinkish-br ...
diamond and the
English Dresden The English Dresden is a famous diamond found at the Bagagem mines in Minas Gerais in Brazil, in 1857 at about the same time as the equally celebrated Star of the South. It was a part separated by cleavage from a larger mass, and in the rough weighe ...
diamond. The princely couple also had custody of the
Empress Eugenie An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( e ...
diamond. When Baroda was integrated into the newly independent
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Indian officials were eventually able to recover some of the items, but some of the jewels had been transferred to the Maharani's ownership. In 1965, she purchased a painting in Paris from
Daniel Wildenstein Daniel Leopold Wildenstein (11 September 1917 – 23 October 2001) was a French art dealer, historian and owner-breeder of thoroughbred race horses. He was the third member of the family to preside over Wildenstein & Co., one of the most succes ...
, believing it to be ''La Poésie'' by
François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...
. When it was discovered to be a fake, she sued Wildenstein in an English court despite both her and him residing in France. The case, ''
Maharanee of Baroda v Wildenstein ''HRH the Maharanee of Baroda v Wildenstein'',''Maharanee of Baroda v Wildenstein'' 9722 QB 283, Court of Appeal (England and Wales). was a decision of the English Court of Appeal relating to the conflict of laws, and specifically whether the ...
'', established an important rule regarding the presence of a defendant in
conflict of laws Conflict of laws (also called private international law) is the set of rules or laws a jurisdiction applies to a case, transaction, or other occurrence that has connections to more than one jurisdiction. This body of law deals with three broad t ...
. Years after the Maharani's death some of the precious items were discovered. In 1994 the pearl carpet was found in a Geneva vault. It was sold to an Arab prince for $31 million. Currently this carpet is displayed at the
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is a museum on one end of the Corniche in Doha, Qatar. As per the architect I. M. Pei's specifications, the museum is built on an island off an artificial projecting peninsula near the traditional ''dhow'' harbor ...
, in Qatar, even though it was commissioned by an Indian Hindu Maharaja and not by an Islamic ruler. The Star of the South and other gems were located with jewellers in Amsterdam. After the Maharani's death, a part of her inheritance was transferred to her niece (daughter of Rani Manjula Devi of the Sidli family) Anangarekha Devi who currently lives in Assam with her family. Eventually, India, due to the discrepancies and possible fraud, deposed the Gaekwad in 1951 and his eldest son by his first wife succeeded him. Technically, the couple were not heads of state any longer, but they insisted on still being referred to by their former titles.''The Maharajahs''; by John Lord (1971) Random House; She bore Gaekwad one child, a son, Sayaji Rao
Gaekwad Gaekwad (also spelt Gaikwar and Gaikwad; mr, Gāyǎkǎvāḍǎ) is a surname native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The surname is found among the Marathas, Kolis and in Scheduled castes. It is also a common surname among Bharadis, Dhor, an ...
(8 March 1945 – 8 May 1985). Nicknamed "Princie", he was the apple of her eye. She attended exclusive events and partied with other international luminaries, such as
Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
. In 1953, she sold a pair of bejewelled anklets to
Harry Winston Harry Winston (March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchang ...
. They had several large emeralds and diamonds. The jeweller set these stones into a spectacular necklace that was bought by the Duchess of Windsor Wallace Simpson. The Duchess wore this to a 1957 New York ball also attended by Sita Devi. When other guests were admiring the necklace. The Maharani was heard to exclaim that those jewels looked just as nice on her feet. The embarrassed Duchess returned the necklace to Winston.Internetstones.com
/ref> The Maharani was a car enthusiast and was reportedly very fond of her Mercedes W126, which was custom made for her by Mercedes-Benz. At the 1969
Ascot Gold Cup The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles 3 furlongs and 210 yards (4,014 ...
she invited guests to touch the sapphire on her right hand for good luck. ''
Esquire Magazine ''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst Communications, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under t ...
'' included Sita Devi and Princie on its list of "fun couples" for 1969. Sita Devi divorced the Gaekwad in 1956. He promptly moved to London.Divorce of Sita Devi and the Gaekwad
''Time Magazine'', 26 March 1956.
After the dissolution of her second marriage, she clung to her exalted title. Her Rolls-Royce still sported the armorial insignia of Baroda. She would reminisce about the days when she was referred to as royalty and received 101-gun salutes.
Prince Rainier Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...
awarded citizenship of
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
to both Sita Devi and Princie.Monaco
Time Magazine, 20 January 1975.
She maintained a Paris apartment as well. She continued to live in grand style, drinking Baron de Rothschild's Bordeaux, rearranging her Louis XVI furniture and attending exclusive parties. When travelling she brought along a large wardrobe, reported to be a thousand saris, hundreds of pairs of shoes and of course her jewellery. But her finances were eventually reduced enough for her to secretly auction some of her beloved jewels in 1974. The Maharani suffered a tragedy in 1985, when Princie died at age committed suicide at age 40. His death was attributed to alcoholism and drug addiction. Sita Devi died four years later of natural causes.


Titles

*1917–1935 : Maharajkumari Sita Devi of
Pithapuram Pithapuram, historically known as Pittapore, is a town and a municipality in the Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town also forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. The town is home to one of the eighteen ...
*1935–1943 :
Her Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...
Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...
Sita Devi,
Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...
of Vuyyur *1943–1989 :
Her Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adject ...
Maharani Sita Devi Sahib
Gaekwad Gaekwad (also spelt Gaikwar and Gaikwad; mr, Gāyǎkǎvāḍǎ) is a surname native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The surname is found among the Marathas, Kolis and in Scheduled castes. It is also a common surname among Bharadis, Dhor, an ...
, Maharani 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 ...


References


External links


Baroda Pearl & Sita DeviBaroda Pearl AuctionImages of Pearl Carpet of BarodaMoon of Baroda on Diamond Divas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baroda, Sita Devi, Maharani of 1917 births 1989 deaths Baroda State History of Vadodara Indian socialites Indian princesses People from East Godavari district 20th-century Indian women 20th-century Indian people