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 ...

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 ...

Raol

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 ...

Krishna Kumarsinhji Gohil KCSI (19 May 1912 – 2 April 1965) was an Indian king and politician, the last ruling Maharaja of the

Gohil dynasty The Gohil dynasty or Gohil or Guhilas of Saurashtra ruled parts of Saurashtra region of present-day Gujarat state of India as subordinates or independents starting in the 12th century. They later moved to the east coast where they established the ...

, who ruled

Bhavnagar State Bhavnagar State was a princely state with 13 Gun Salutes during the British Raj. It was part of Kathiawar Agency in Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra. The State of Bhavnagar covered an area of 2,961 sq. miles and had a population of 618,429 i ...

from 1919 to 1948 and also served as the first Indian Governor of Madras from 1948 to 1952.

Early life

Krishna Kumarsinhji was born in

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city and the headquarters of Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Gohil. It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Dominion ...

on 19 May 1912, the eldest son and heir of Maharaja Bhavsinhji II of Bhavnagar (1875–1919, r. 1896–1919). Kumarsinhji succeeded his father upon his death in 1919; only seven years old, he ascended the

throne under a regency until 1931. He was educated at Rajkumar College, Rajkot like his father and grandfather, who was the first student in 1870.

Reign

Kumarsinhji continued the progressive reforms of his father and grandfather, reforming the method of tax-collection in his state, introducing village councils and Bhavnagar's first legislature, the ''Dharasabha''. Owing to his progressive reign, Kumarsinhji was knighted with the KCSI in 1938; however, he remained quietly committed to the cause of Indian independence. Therefore, upon Independence in 1947, Kumarsinhji became among the first of the Indian monarchs to accede to the Dominion of India in 1947. He merged Bhavnagar into the state of Kathiawad in 1948. Maharaja Shri Bhavsinhji Polytechnic Institute was established by him in commemoration of his father Late Sir Bhavsinhji II in 1932, which commenced functioning in 1949.

Personal life

In 1931, Kumarsinhji married Maharani Shri Vijayabakunverba Sahiba (19 June 1910 – 6 October 1990), the daughter of Maharaja Bhojirajsinhji of Gondal and granddaughter of Maharaja Bhagvatsinh of Gondal. The couple had two sons and three daughters: #Maharaja Shri Virbhadra Sinh Gohil (14 March 1932 – 26 July 1994) who succeeded as Maharaja of Bhavnagar. His son, Vijayrajsinhji Gohil, is the present Titular Maharaja of Bhavnagar #Maharajkumar Shivbhadra Sinh Gohel (23 December 1933 – 31 May 2024) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Hansa Kunverba Sahiba (b. 25 July 1941) (now the Titular Rajmata Sahiba of Ajaygarh) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Dilhar Kunverba Sahiba (b. 19 November 1942) (now the Titular Maharani Sahiba of Panna) #Maharajkumari Ba Shri Rohini Devi Sahiba (b. 8 October 1945) (now the Titular Maharani of Kutch)

Later years

In 1948, he worked as acting

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 ...

of United State of Kathiawar for a brief period. Later, in 1948, Kumarsinhji became the first Indian Governor of Madras state, which included the area then partitioned to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka serving until 1952. Also, in that year Kumarsinhji was made an honorary Commodore in the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British Raj, British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the British Indian Army, Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the ...

. From 1948 until 1952, Kumarsinhji also served as the President of the Shree Nandkunverba Kshatriya Kanya Vidhyalaya and as Vice-Patron of the United Service Institution of India. Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji died at Bhavnagar on 2 April 1965, aged 52 after a reign of 46 years . He was succeeded as Maharaja of Bhavnagar by his eldest son, Virbhadrasinhji Krishna Kumarsinhji.

Titles

*1912-1919: Maharajkumar

Shri 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 ...

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib Gohil, Yuvraj Sahib of

*1919-1937:

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 ...

Raol Shri Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib,

*1937-1938:

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar *1938-1943: Lieutenant His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri

Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1943-1945:

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 Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1945-1946: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1946-1948:

His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1948-1965: Commodore His Highness Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Sahib, Maharaja of Bhavnagar, KCSI *1948-1952: Commodore

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji Gohil, Governor of

Madras State Madras State was a state in the Indian Republic, which was in existence during the mid-20th century as a successor to the Madras Presidency of British India. The state came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India was ad ...

, KCSI

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today) 1000px ribbon bar of the Order of Maria Anna

Decorations and medals

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-1937 * Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI)-1938 * War Medal 1939-1945-1945 * Defence Medal-1945 * India Service Medal - 1945 * Indian Independence Medal-1947

Hon. military ranks

*Hon. Colonel, Indian Army - 18 January 1951 *Hon. Commodore, Indian Navy - 18 January 1951

University

Bhavnagar University is now known a
the Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Bhavnagar Marketing yard also given the name of Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji.

Political office

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna Kumarasingh, Bhavasingh Governors of Tamil Nadu Governors of Madras 1912 births 1965 deaths 20th-century Indian monarchs Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian knights Gujarati people Maharajas of Bhavnagar Founders of Indian schools and colleges Rajpramukhs Saurashtra (state) Indian Army personnel British Indian Army personnel 20th-century Indian military personnel