Maharaja of Jaipur Bhawani Singh dead
The last titular Maharaja of Jaipur, Brigadier Bhawani Singh, 80, died at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday following a prolonged illness.
The last titular Maharaja of Jaipur, Brigadier Bhawani Singh, 80, died at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday following a prolonged illness.
Nicknamed ‘Bubbles’ by his friends, Singh was hospitalised on March 29 and breathed his last around 10.30 pm due to multiple organ failure, said his son-in-law Narendra Singh.
Singh is survived by his wife Padmini Devi and daughter Diya Kumari. In 2001, he had named his grandson Padamnabh Singh as his successor.
The funeral will be held on Monday with Army and state honours. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot has announced a two-day state mourning and a day’s holiday in Jaipur.
Born on October 22, 1931 in Jaipur, Singh studied at Doon School and the Harrow School in England.
He joined the Army in 1954 and was appointed as a presidential bodyguard to the then President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. The commanding officer of the 10th Parachute Regiment, he had led his troops into Sindh, destroying many Pakistani posts during the India-Pakistan war of 1971.
Later, he was awarded India's second highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra. He became a Brigadier in 1974 and between 1994 and 1997, served as the Indian high commissioner to Brunei.