7 decades into Indian democracy, a royal family thrives
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(16 Sep 2017) LEADIN When
(16 Sep 2017) LEADIN
When India gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947, more than 500 princely states — the semi-sovereign principalities ruled by royal clans — opted to join the democratic republic.
Since then some of India's former Royals have reinvented themselves to remain connected to the people they once ruled.
Descendants of what was once the powerful Marwar-Rathore dynasty in Jodhpur continue to thrive , having successfully turned their ancestral properties into modern business enterprises.
STORYLINE
In the summer of 1944, hundreds of royals gathered for the opening of Umaid Bhawan Palace, a magnificent sandstone edifice that dominates the skyline in India's northwestern city of Jodhpur. It was the last of its kind.
Three years later, India was free from British colonial rule, and more than 500 princely states - the semi-sovereign principalities ruled by royal clans - faced an uncertain future.
Most have faded into obscurity, but the family that built this palace continues to thrive - in part by converting a section of it into a hotel.
India's royals may be long gone but the imposing yellow sand stone palace in Jodhpur remains home to the erstwhile Maharaja Gaj Singh, the head of the Rahore family of Marwar.
An immaculately preserved wooden lift with a golden panel bordering its ceilings, fitted with an old sofa and an antique fan opens into the elaborate central dome of the palace.
At the entrance is the coat of arms of the Rathore kings who founded Jodhpur city.
Gaj Singh, the grandson of Maharaja Umaid Singh and the current owner of Umaid Bhawan Palace, inherited the property in 1952 at the age of 4 after his father Hanwant Singh died in a plane crash.
He also inherited the ancestral fort of Mehrangarh.
Gaj Singh's daughter Shivranjani Rajye, manages the family's heritage hotels and trusts.
Rajye says her father "very much believes he is the king and it's because he leads."
"I have seen the way my parents have worked and how hard they have worked – and that for me is royalty," she says.
Inside the palace which is part home and part hotel, history and heritage has a place on every wall.
There is also a family museum with exhibits tracing the history of the Rathore clan and the rich legacy of Jodhpur's royal descendants.
Portraits of Gaj Singh and his wife and framed pictures of their two children - Shivranjani Rajye and Shivraj Singh – join those of visiting royals like Britain's Prince Charles.
Following India's independence from imperial rule in 1947, most princely states signed up to be part of the new democratic republic.
The Maharajas initially retained their titles and a degree of autonomy but lost it all, including royal privileges and most of their wealth, after a constitutional amendment in 1971.
Stripped of their annual allowances, the former royals had to find a way to survive in a parliamentary democracy that treated them as commoners.
Many royal families descended into chaos.
Some held onto property, only to lose it amid internal bickering over rival claims.
"The properties that they inherited were in a true sense white elephants," says Karni Singh Jasol, Director of Mehrangarh fort and museum.
"The royal families were high on assets, but low on liquidity. They didn't have large bank balances to turn their family properties into something grand or sustain it for the future," he says.
The Singhs of Jodhpur not only maintained their holdings, but managed over decades to grow.
When royal allowances were cancelled in 1971, the young Singh patriarch acted quickly.
The Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park bears testimony to this passion.
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When India gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947, more than 500 princely states — the semi-sovereign principalities ruled by royal clans — opted to join the democratic republic.
Since then some of India's former Royals have reinvented themselves to remain connected to the people they once ruled.
Descendants of what was once the powerful Marwar-Rathore dynasty in Jodhpur continue to thrive , having successfully turned their ancestral properties into modern business enterprises.
STORYLINE
In the summer of 1944, hundreds of royals gathered for the opening of Umaid Bhawan Palace, a magnificent sandstone edifice that dominates the skyline in India's northwestern city of Jodhpur. It was the last of its kind.
Three years later, India was free from British colonial rule, and more than 500 princely states - the semi-sovereign principalities ruled by royal clans - faced an uncertain future.
Most have faded into obscurity, but the family that built this palace continues to thrive - in part by converting a section of it into a hotel.
India's royals may be long gone but the imposing yellow sand stone palace in Jodhpur remains home to the erstwhile Maharaja Gaj Singh, the head of the Rahore family of Marwar.
An immaculately preserved wooden lift with a golden panel bordering its ceilings, fitted with an old sofa and an antique fan opens into the elaborate central dome of the palace.
At the entrance is the coat of arms of the Rathore kings who founded Jodhpur city.
Gaj Singh, the grandson of Maharaja Umaid Singh and the current owner of Umaid Bhawan Palace, inherited the property in 1952 at the age of 4 after his father Hanwant Singh died in a plane crash.
He also inherited the ancestral fort of Mehrangarh.
Gaj Singh's daughter Shivranjani Rajye, manages the family's heritage hotels and trusts.
Rajye says her father "very much believes he is the king and it's because he leads."
"I have seen the way my parents have worked and how hard they have worked – and that for me is royalty," she says.
Inside the palace which is part home and part hotel, history and heritage has a place on every wall.
There is also a family museum with exhibits tracing the history of the Rathore clan and the rich legacy of Jodhpur's royal descendants.
Portraits of Gaj Singh and his wife and framed pictures of their two children - Shivranjani Rajye and Shivraj Singh – join those of visiting royals like Britain's Prince Charles.
Following India's independence from imperial rule in 1947, most princely states signed up to be part of the new democratic republic.
The Maharajas initially retained their titles and a degree of autonomy but lost it all, including royal privileges and most of their wealth, after a constitutional amendment in 1971.
Stripped of their annual allowances, the former royals had to find a way to survive in a parliamentary democracy that treated them as commoners.
Many royal families descended into chaos.
Some held onto property, only to lose it amid internal bickering over rival claims.
"The properties that they inherited were in a true sense white elephants," says Karni Singh Jasol, Director of Mehrangarh fort and museum.
"The royal families were high on assets, but low on liquidity. They didn't have large bank balances to turn their family properties into something grand or sustain it for the future," he says.
The Singhs of Jodhpur not only maintained their holdings, but managed over decades to grow.
When royal allowances were cancelled in 1971, the young Singh patriarch acted quickly.
The Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park bears testimony to this passion.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: Twitter: AP_Archive
Facebook: Facebook: APArchives
Instagram: Instagram: APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
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