Brigadier HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahim Mahendra Maharao Raja Sir Bhim Singh II Bahadur, KCSI (14 September 1909 – 20 July 1991) was the last ruling

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 ...

of the

Hada Hada may refer to: * Hada, or Khata, traditional ceremonial scarf used in Tibet and Mongolia * Hada (surname), a Japanese and Romanian surname * Hada (activist), Mongol activist advocating for the separation of Inner Mongolia from the People's Repu ...

Chauhan dynasty of the Princely State of

Kotah Kota (), previously known as ''Kotah'', is the third-largest city of the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about south of the state capital, Jaipur, on the banks of Chambal River. As of 2024, with a population of over 1.5 mill ...

from the year 1940 to 1947.

Early career

The only son and heir of HH Maharao Sir Umed Singhji II, Bhim Singhji II succeeded his father following his death in 1940. He immediately entered into service with the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

as an officer, serving during the Second World War and being promoted to Major by 1948. Although he planned several education and modernisation programs for Kotah, they did not reach fruition before Indian independence. He was knighted with the KCSI in 1947, and signed the Instrument of Accession to the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

on 15 August. The following year, on 25 March 1948, Sir Bhim Singhji merged Kotah into the Rajasthan Union of states and became its first ''

Rajpramukh Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain Indian provinces and states. Background The British Indian Empire, which incl ...

'', but was demoted to ''Uprajpramukh'' (Deputy Rajpramukh) when the Maharana of

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

, who was of a higher rank than Sir Bhim Singhji, acceded to the Rajasthan Union. Sir Bhim Singhji continued in the office of Uprajpramukh until it, along with the office of Rajpramukh, was abolished by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

on 31 October 1956.

Later work

In 1956, Sir Bhim Singhji served as an Alternate Delegate to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

that year. Conversely, since 1959 he had been President of the Rajasthan Board for the Preservation of Wildlife.

Sports shooter

Bhim II Bahadur Maharao of Kotah 1966-1988

An expert shooter, he was Captain of the Indian shooting team at the Singapore Shooting Championships in 1969, at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

and at the

1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games (), also known as Bangkok 1978 (), were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, ...

Family

On 30 April 1930, Bhim Singhji II married Rathorji

Maharani 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 ...

Shivkumari Sahiba (1 April 1916–), a younger daughter of General Maharaja Sir

Ganga Singh General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh (13 October 1880 – 2 February 1943) was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner (in present-day Rajasthan, India) from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present in the ...

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

. The couple had one son and two daughters: * Maharajkumar Sri Brijraj Singhji Sahib Bahadur, who succeeded as Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri

Brijraj Singh Brijraj Singh (21 February 1934 – 29 January 2022) was an Indian politician and a titular ruler as Maharao of Kotah from 1991 until his death. He was the member of parliament from Jhalawar (Lok Sabha constituency), Jhalawar for three terms ...

Sahib Bahadur (21 February 1934– 29 January 2022) * Maharajkumari Indira Kumari Sahiba (1937–), who in 1960 married Raja Rawat Sri Bikramaditya Singh Sahib Bahadur (18 December 1936–), the Raja of Rajgarh, becoming the Rani Sahiba of Rajgarh. * Maharajkumari Bhuvaneshwari Kumari Sahiba (29 May 1945–), who married in the 1970s Thakur Sri Devi Singh of Malasar, and had twin daughters Shaivya Rathore and Divya Rathore.

Later years and death

As part of the mass derecognisation of Indian rulers in 1971 under the Indira Gandhi regime, Sir Bhim Singhji was stripped of ruling powers and titles. He died two decades later on 20 July 1991, aged 81, after a reign of 51 years, and was succeeded by his only son,

Titles

*1909–1940:

Maharajkumar 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 ...

Sri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including In ...

Bhim Singh

Sahib Sahib or Saheb () is a term of address originating from Arabic (). As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several languages, including Persian, Kurdish, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, Turkmen, Tajik, Crimean Tatar, Urdu, Hi ...

Bahadur *1940–1943:

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly ...

Maharajadhiraj 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 ...

Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur,

Maharao {{Short description, Variation on Indian royal title Maharaja Maharao is a variation on the Indian (mainly Hindu) royal title Maharaja, also meaning ' great king' in Hindi. It is composed of ''Maha-'' 'great' and the royal title ''Rao'', a variation ...

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

*1943–1944:

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah *1944–1945:

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah *1945–1946: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah *1946–1947:

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah *1947–1948: Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSI *1948–1991:

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

His Highness Maharajadhiraj Maharaja Mahimahendra Maharao Raja Sri Sir Bhim Singh II Sahib Bahadur, Maharao Raja of Kotah, KCSI

Honours

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

-1935 *

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to th ...

-1937 *

Golden Jubilee Medal of

-1937 *

1939-1945 Star World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-1945 *

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

-1945 *

War Medal 1939-1945 War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...

-1945 *

Knight 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 ...

(KCSI)-1947 *

Indian Independence Medal The Indian Independence Medal was instituted by the Dominion of India and approved by King George VI by way of a Royal Warrant dated 21 July 1948. It was a commemorative medal for service with the Indian armed forces at the time of independence i ...

-1947 *

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

-1971

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhim Singh 02 Of Kotah Indian knights 20th-century Indian royalty Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India 1909 births 1991 deaths Indian male sport shooters Skeet shooters Rajasthani people Recipients of the Arjuna Award Sport shooters from Rajasthan Trap and double trap shooters Olympic shooters for India People from Kota, Rajasthan History of Kota, Rajasthan Kotah, Bhim Singh II Shooters at the 1978 Asian Games Rajpramukhs Asian Games competitors for India Shooters at the 1976 Summer Olympics Indian Army personnel British Indian Army personnel 20th-century Indian military personnel