Gayatri Devi
Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur (born
May 23 1919 as
Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar), was the third
Maharani of
Jaipur from 1939 to 1970 through marriage to
Sawai Man Singh II, and is currently styled (unofficially) as the
Rajmata, or Queen Mother. Following India's independence and the subsequent abolition of the princely states, she became an extremely successful politician. Gayatri Devi was also celebrated for her classical beauty and became something of a fashion icon in her adulthood.
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Gayatri Devi with her grandson Devraj Singh in 2004 |
Her father, Prince Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar, was the younger brother of the Yuvraja (Crown Prince). Her mother was Princess Indira Raje of
Baroda, an extremely beautiful princess and a legendary socialite. Early in her life, her uncle's death led to her father ascending the
gaddi (throne). Gayatri Devi studied at
Shantiniketan, and later in Europe, where she travelled with her mother and siblings, then studied secretarial skills in London.
The Jaipur Royal Family lived a lavish life: hunting in their forests, spending summers in Europe, educating the royal children at elite schools in England, entertaining streams of famous visitors at their desert palaces, and generally living the typically flamboyant life which was normal for Indian royals. Maharani Gayatri Devi (as she was styled after marriage) was a particularly avid equestrienne. Gayatri Devi had one child,
Prince Jagat Singh of Jaipur, Raja of
Isarda, who was granted his grandfather's fief as a subsidiary title, and the Maharani later became the Rajmata, or Queen Mother. Jagat Singh was thus half-brother to the present Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai
Bhawani Singh of Jaipur.Gayatri Devi was once included in
Vogue magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women list.
[Sahwney, Anubha (2004) I've never felt beautiful: Gayatri Devi. The Times of India. April 25.]Gayatri Devi started schools for girls' education in Jaipur, most prominent of which is the
Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School. She also promoted the dying art of
blue pottery.
After
Partition and
Independence Day in
India in 1947, and later the abolition of Royal India in
1970, Gayatri Devi ran for Parliament in 1962 and won the constituency in the
Lok Sabha in the world's largest landslide, confirmed by the
Guinness Book of Records. She continued to hold this seat on 1967 and 1971, Swatantra Party, running against the Congress Party. This enraged Indira Gandhi, who retaliated in 1971 by abolishing the privy purses, and stopping all royal privileges, breaking the treaties agreed upon in 1947. Gayatri Devi was accused of breaking tax laws, and served 5 months in Tihar Jail. She retired from politics after that experience, and published her autobiography,
A Princess Remembers, written with Santha Rama Rau, in 1976. She was also the focus of the film
Memoirs of a Hindu Princess, directed by
Francois Levie.
There were rumors that she might re-enter politics as late as 1999, when the Cooch Behar
Trinamul Congress nominated her as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, but she did not respond to the offer.
[Gayatri Devi may contest polls from Cooch Behar, The Statesman, June 12 1999.]Gayatri Devi is related to a number of other royal families in India, and not only the Rajput royals. Her maternal grandparents were
Maharaja Sayajirao and
Maharani Chimnabai of
Baroda. Through marriage, she was related to Maharaja
Hanwant of
Jodhpur, the Maharaja of Dewas, the Maharaja of
Tripura, and the Maharaja of
Pithapuram in
South India. She had one son, Maharaj Jagat Singh of Jaipur (erstwhile Raja of Isarda), and two grand children, Rajkumari Lalitaya Kumari and Maharaj Devraj Singh, the current Raja of Isarda. She is also indirectly related to the Maharaja of Lunawada and the Maharaol of
Baria.
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Website of the MGD Girls School
