SCINDIA DYNASTY

SCINDIA DYNASTY 

The Scindia dynasty was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who was the son of Jankojirao Scindia, the Deshmukh of Kanherkhed, a village in Satara District, Maharashtra. Peshwa Baji Rao's career saw the strengthening of the Maratha Empire. Ranoji was in charge of the Maratha conquests in Malwa in 1726. Ranoji established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. His successors included Jayajirao, Jyotibarao, Dattajirao, Jankojirao, Mahadji Shinde and Daulatrao Scindia. The Scindhia state of Gwalior became a major regional power in the latter half of the 18th century and figured prominently in the three Anglo-Maratha Wars. They held sway over many of the Rajput states, and conquered north India.

After the defeat of the allied Maratha states by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War of 1818, Daulatrao Scindia was forced to accept local autonomy as a princely state within British India and to give up Ajmer to the British. After the death of Daulatrao, Maharani Baiza Bai ruled the empire, saving it from the British power, till the adopted child Jankoji Rao took over the charge. Jankoji died in 1843, and his widow Tarabai Raje scindia successfully maintained the position and adopted a child from close lineage named Jayajirao.

Baija Bao (1827-1833)

The Scindia family ruled Gwalior until India's independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, when the Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia acceded to the Government of India. Gwalior was merged with a number of other princely states to become the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat. George Jivajirao served as the state's rajpramukh, or appointed governor, from 28 May 1948 to 31 October 1956, when Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh

Shinde Maharajas of Ujjain and Gwalior

Mahadaji Scindia
Ranoji Rao Shinde (1731 – 19 July 1745). Died 19 July 1745.
Jayappa Rao Shinde (1745 – 25 July 1755). Born c 1720, died 25 July 1755.
Jankoji Rao Scindia I (25 July 1755 – 15 January 1761). Born 1745. died 15 January 1761.
Dattaji Rao Scindia (Regent 1755 – 10 January 1760). Died 10 January 1760.
Vacant 15 January 1761 – 25 November 1763
Kadarji Rao Scindia (25 November 1763 – 10 July 1764) Died ?.
Manaji Rao Scindia (10 July 1764 – 18 January 1768) Died ?.
Mahadaji Scindia (18 January 1768 – 12 February 1794). Born 3 December 1730, died 12 February 1794.
Daulat Rao Shinde (12 February 1794 – 21 March 1827). Born 1779, died 21 March 1827.
Jankoji Rao Scindia II (18 June 1827 – 7 February 1843). Born 1805, died 7 February 1843.
Jayaji Rao Scindia (7 February 1843 – 20 June 1886). Born 19 January 1835, died 20 June 1886.
Madho Rao Scindia (20 June 1886 – 5 June 1925). Born 20 October 1876, died 5 June 1925.
George Jivaji Rao Scindia (Maharaja 5 June 1925 – 15 August 1947, Rajpramukh 28 May 1948 – 31 October 1956, later Rajpramukh) Born 26 June 1916, died 16 July 1961.
Madhav Rao Scindia (Born 10 March 1945, died 30 September 2001)
Jyotiraditya Scindia (Born 1 January 1971-)

MADHO RAO SCINDIA 1886-1925

MADHO RAO SCINDIA 1886-1925

டைனிங் ஹாலில் அமர்ந்து, ஒரு பட்டனை தட்டுவார், குவாலியர் அரசர். உடனே, சமையலறையிலிருந்து அறுசுவை உணவு வகைகளை ஏற்றி, ஒரு மினி ரயில் வண்டி ஓடி வரும். இதற்காக, 250 அடி நீளத்துக்கு வெள்ளி தண்டவாளத்தை சமையலறையிலிருந்து டைனிங் டேபிள் வரை பொருத்தி இருந்தார், குவாலியர் அரசர். .

Madho Rao Scindia
Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior
"The Maharajah Scindia of Gwalior"
Reign	20 June 1886 — 5 June 1925
Predecessor	Jayajirao Scindia
Successor	George Jivaji Rao Scindia
Born	20 October 1876 Jai Vilas Palace, Laskhar
Died	5 June 1925 (aged 48) Paris, France
Burial	Père Lachaise Cemetery(cremated)
House	Scindia family
Father	Jayajirao Scindia
Mother	Sakhyabai Raje Sahib Scindia Bahadur

Madho Rao Scindia
Maharaja Sir Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior GCSI GCVO GBE (20 October 1876 – 5 June 1925), was the 5th Maharaja of Gwalior belonging to the Scindian dynasty of the Marathas

Biography[edit source]

Madho Rao acceded to the throne in 1886 and ruled to his death in 1925. He was noted by the British Government as a progressive ruler of a princely state. He was twice married, but had only issue by his second marriage in 1913, one son and one daughter, to whom King George V and Queen Mary stood sponsors. He was succeeded by his only son, Maharajdhiraja Maharaja Sir George Jivaji Rao Scindia, 6th Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior. His daughter married, but died without an issue, in 1934.
The Maharaja of Gwalior is also known as the rejected suitor of Gayatri Devi's mother, the glamorous Princess Indira of Baroda (Indira Devi), who broke off her engagement (contracted between her parents and her fiance) by letter. The Maharaja then married Gajararaje from the Rane family of Goa. Later on Gajararaje's sisters were married into the notable Sardar families of Gwalior which included the Angre, Shitole & the Mahadik Families.
The Maharaja received a number of honours and decorations from the United Kingdom and other Indian States. He was appointed Honorary Aide-de-camp to King Edward VII in 1901, in recognition of his support during the Boxer Rebellion in China.[1] In May the following year, he received the honorary degree LL.D. from the University of Cambridge.[2]

An interesting story is that Madho Rao the Maharajah of Gwailor helped to fund the completion of a set of mosaics in the Church of Ascension in Timoleague, County Cork, Ireland. The mosaics are of particular note, begun in 1894 by Mr. Robert Augustus Travers of Timoleague House in memory of family members, continued in 1918 by his son Robert in commemoration of his father and brother who were killed at Gallipoli. The last phase of the mosaics was at the expense of the Maharajah of Gwailor, installed as a memorial to his friend and physician, Lt. Col Crofts IMS from Councamore, (near Timoleague), who had saved the life of his son. The mosaic was completed by Italian workmen in 1925, ten years after the doctor's death. The mosaic, most likely designed by the Church of Ireland architect W.H. Hill, is a blend of the European and the Islamic. The series of stained glass windows include a Warrington over the altar (east window), glass by Lavers, Westlake and also Mayer elsewhere.The architect Jeremy Williams wrote in 'A Companion Guide to Architecture in Ireland 1837-1921' that "this building was a monument to a living friendship enshrined in a hidden masterpiece of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Ireland" and that it "transcended the sectarian divide between Irish Catholic and Protestant, The Indian Muslim and Hindu, personal friendship breaking up distinctions of caste and colour".[3]
Titles[edit source]

Maharaja of Gwalior in 1907
1876-1886: Yuvaraja Maharaj Shrimant Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur
1886-1895: His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior








1895-1898: His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI

1898-1900: Colonel His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI

1900-1902: Colonel His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI

1902-1910: Colonel His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI, GCVO

1910-1917: Major-General His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI, GCVO
1917-1918: Major-General His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI, GCVO, GBE
1918-1925: Lieutenant-General His Highness Ali Jah, Umdat ul-Umara, Hisam us-Sultanat, Mukhtar ul-Mulk, Azim ul-Iqtidar, Rafi-us-Shan, Wala Shikoh, Muhtasham-i-Dauran, Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Shrimant Sir Madho Rao Scindia Bahadur, Shrinath, Mansur-i-Zaman, Fidvi-i-Hazrat-i-Malika-i-Mua'zzama-i-Rafi-ud-Darja-i-Inglistan, Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior, GCSI, GCVO, GBE

INDRA DEVI ,MAHARANI OF COOCH BEHAR REFUSED TO MARRY GWALIOR MAHARAJA MADAV RAO SCINDIA

INDRA DEVI ,MAHARANI OF COOCH BEHAR 

REFUSED TO MARRY GWALIOR MAHARAJA

MADAV RAO SCINDIA

Indira Devi, born as Indira Raje (19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968), was the consort of Jitendra Narayan, Maharaja of Cooch Behar, and a princess of Baroda State in her own right. She also served as regent of Cooch Behar during the minority of her son.

In Baroda[edit]

Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch Behar

Indira was born the only daughter of Sayajirao Gaekwad III' of and his second wife Maharani Chimnabai (1872–1958). She grew up with her several brothers at the opulent Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Baroda, and was betrothed at a young age to Madho Rao Scindia, the then Maharaja of Gwalior.

 During the period of engagement, Indira attended the Delhi durbar of 1911, where she met the Jitendra, younger brother of the then Maharaja of Cooch Behar. Within days, they were in love and had decided to marry.








"What does the princess mean....?"[edit]

Indira knew that her parents would be aghast; many issues were involved: the diplomatic repercussions of breaking a standing engagement with the Scindia ruler of Gwalior, one of the premier 21-gun-salute princes of India; the scandal and universal opprobium that would certainly ensue; also the fact that Jitendra was the younger son (and thus unlikely ever to become king) of a family that ruled a remote and insignificant state in the eastern hills.

Indira circumvented her parents by taking the initiative in breaking her engagement herself, a daring act for an 18-year-old Indian maiden of that era. She wrote to her fiancé saying that she did not wish to marry him. In Baroda, Indira's father received a single-sentence telegram from the Maharaja of Gwalior: "What does the princess mean by her letter?" This was the first inkling her stunned parents had of Indira's intentions. The Maharaja behaved in exemplary fashion, writing an understanding letter to Indira's father which he signed off as "your son"; however, the disgrace was great and was felt keenly by Indira's parents.

Wedding[edit]

The breaking of the engagement was accomplished, but this defiance of her parents did not serve to reconcile them to her marrying Jitendra. Indira's parents apparently regarded Jitendra as a playboy from a feckless family; they even ventured to summon him and give him a personal warning to stay away. Nothing worked; Indira and Jitendra were equally adamant. Eventually, perhaps also in recognition of the fact that respectable alliances for Indira were now unlikely, her parents made a half-way compromise. They allowed Indira to leave their roof, proceed to London and wed Jitendra.

Indira and Jitendra were wed at a hotel in London with no member of Indira's family present. They were wed by the rites of the Brahmo Samaj, the sect to which Jitendra's mother, Suniti Devi, daughter of Keshub Chunder Sen, adhered.

In Cooch Behar[edit]

It happened that at the time of the wedding, Jitendra's elder brother, Rajendra Narayan, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, was grievously ill. Within days of the wedding, he died of ailments arising from alcohol abuse, and Jitendra became maharaja of Cooch Behar. 

The couple lived a relatively happy life and rapidly became the parents of five children. However, alcoholism was endemic in Jitendra's family, and he died at a young age, within a decade of the wedding.

Indira was now not only a young widow and the mother of five, but also regent of Cooch Behar during the minority of her elder son. She faced her situation not merely with courage but indeed with verve. Her administrative skills were deemed by observers very mediocre, but Indira quickly gained a reputation for her highly-active social life, and spent prolonged periods of time in Europe and away from Cooch Behar.






Children[edit]

Indira was the mother of three daughters and two sons.

Her elder son, Jagaddipendra Narayan, succeeded his father as Maharaja of Cooch Behar, and was the last ruling prince of his dynasty; Cooch Behar was merged with the Dominion of India (later the Union of India) during his reign. He had no legitimate children, and was succeeded by his nephew Virajendra.

The second son, Indrajitendra, married a daughter of the Maharaja of Pithapuram estate in present-day Andhra Pradesh. They were the parents of Virajendra and also of Uttara Devi, Maharani of Kotah in Rajasthan.

Indira's eldest daughter, Ila, married the Maharaja of Tripura. 
Her son took for wife the actress Moon Moon Sen;
 they are the parents of Bollywood starlets Raima and Riya.

Indira's second daughter, Gayatri, became the third wife of the Maharaja of Jaipur, and was a noted celebrity in her own right.

Indira's youngest daughter Menaka married the Maharaja of Dewas Jr in central India.

Later life[edit]

Indira's elder son assumed full powers as ruler of Cooch Behar in 1936. Indira thereafter spent a major portion of her time in Europe. Indira Devi faced many tragedies in her lifetime. 

Indira Devi lost two of her children:
 Princess Ila Devi who died at a very young age and Prince Indrajit Narayan Bhup, who died in an accidental fire leaving behind his wife Princess Kamala of Pithapuram.

 Maharani Indira Devi spent the last years of her life in Mumbai and died there in September 1968