Bhagwant Singh (also spelled ''Bhagwat Singh'') (1823 – 7 February 1873) was the

Maharaj Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star Films * Rana (2012 film), an Indian Kannada-language action drama * Rana, a 1998 Telugu-language action film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy * R ...

Dholpur Dholpur is a city in the Dholpur district in Rajasthan state of India. It is situated on the left bank of the Chambal river. The city is the administrative headquarters of Dholpur district. Dholpur was established by King Dhaval Dev of the ...

from 1836 until his death in 1873.

Biography

The son of Kirat Singh, Singh succeeded his brother, Pohap Singh, as the Maharaj-Rana of Dholpur in 1836. During the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, he demonstrated loyal attachment to the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. He rendered assistance to the fugitives from

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, '' Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Ja ...

. For his valuable service, he received the insignia of KCSI and was later made

GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # K ...

in 1869. In 1860,

Scindia House of Scindia or earlier known as the Sendrak was a Hindu Maratha Royal House that ruled the erstwhile Gwalior State in central India. Ranoji Scindia rose as a prominent military commander under Peshwa Bajirao I. Ranoji and his descendants ...

consented to the construction of a bridge over the Chambal, facilitated by the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

, as part of the trunk road development on the river's right bank. Maharaj-Rana also agreed to this arrangement, with the understanding that the construction costs would be shared equally between the two states, they would equally benefit from the net profits, and in case of the bridge's failure, the ferry at Raj ghat would return to

, while Scindia would retain the ferry at Khantri. In 1862, he was guaranteed the right of adoption. He married Rajauria Maharani Sahiba, the daughter of the Rao of Rajaunia, a scion of the

Karauli Karauli (also formerly spelled Karoli or Karaulee) is a city located in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the Braj region and holds religious importance in Hinduism. The city is the administrative center of Karauli District, a ...

family and a leading figure in Dholpur. They had a son, Kulendra Singh, who passed away in 1873. He further married a Muslim dancer named Gajra at his Durbar, and with her, he had an issue: a son named Nawab Khwaja Muhammad Khan. Singh also married Basant Kaur, the daughter of

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Narinder Singh of

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

Gajra ka Maqbara

The significant project of his era was Gajra ka Maqbara, a mausoleum in Dholpur designed for his beloved Gajra a Muslim lady whom he married. It was modeled after the famous

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

. However, he did not live to see its completion.

Death

He died on 9 February 1873 and was succeeded by his grandson Nihal Singh as the Maharaj-Rana.

Honours

* 2 June 1869: Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

References

1823 births 1873 deaths Rulers of Dholpur state {{Improve categories, date=May 2024