HH Rai-e-Rayan Mahi Mahendra Maharajadhiraj Ravi Kula Bhushan Shri Shri 108 Maharawal Sir Lakshman Singh Bahadur

GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

, KCSI (7 March 1908 – 6 June 1989), was the last ruling

Ahar Ahar () is a city in the Central District of Ahar County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Ahar was the capital of Karadag Khanate in 18th and 19th centuries. History Ahar is one ...

Guhilot Guhila is a clan of Rajputs and claims to have descended from the Suryavanshi dynasty. They ruled a number of kingdoms and principalities including Mitaron, Mewar, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh, Shahpura, Bhavnagar, Palitana, Lathi and Val ...

Maharawal of the Princely State of

Dungarpur Dungarpur is a city in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, India. History Dungarpur is the seat of the elder branch of the Guhilot of Mewar family. The seat of the younger branch is that of the Maharana of Udaipur. The city was founded in ...

from the year 1918 to 1989, a former MP in the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

and speaker of the

Rajasthan Legislative Assembly The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, also known as the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha, is the unicameral legislature of the state of Rajasthan. It is a vital part of the state government, responsible for making and implementing laws. The assembly meets ...

from July 1977 to June 1979.

Early life

Maharawal Sir Lakshman Singh was born on 7 March 1908 at Udai Villas,

, the eldest son and heir apparent of Maharawal Sir Bijai Singh of the princely state of

. He was the elder brother of Nagendra Singh, later the President of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

. In November 1918, during the

influenza pandemic An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been five major influenza pandemics in the l ...

, both Lakshman Singh and his father contracted the disease; though Singh survived, his father developed double pneumonia and died. As a result, he succeeded to the throne at the age of 10, ruling under the

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the Dungarpur

political agent Political Agent or political agent may refer to: *Political Resident, a representative with consular duties and political contacts with local chiefs * Political officer (British Empire), an officer of the British imperial civil administration, also ...

until he came of age in 1928.

Political career

From 1931 to 1947, Lakshman Singh was a member of the standing committee of the

Chamber of Princes The Chamber of Princes (''Narendra Mandal'') was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of King-Emperor George V to provide a forum in which the rulers of the princely states of India could voice their needs and aspiration ...

, and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) in the 1935 King's Birthday and Silver Jubilee Honours. On 14 August 1947, he was appointed as the last Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE). Following

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, he established an interim legislature for Dungarpur, then with his fellow rulers formed the United State of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

on 25 March 1948. The following year, this became the Greater Rajasthan Union to which Dungarpur acceded on 30 March. From 1952 to 1958, Sir Lakshman served as an MP for Aspur in the

, then became President of the

Swatantra Party The Swatantra Party was an Indian classical liberal political party that existed from 1959 to 1974. It was founded by C. Rajagopalachari in reaction to what he felt was the Jawaharlal Nehru-dominated Indian National Congress's increasingly so ...

in Rajasthan from 1961 to 1969. From 1962 until his death, he also served as President of the All-India Kshatriya Mahasabha and as an MLA for

Chittor Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

in the

, serving as speaker from 1977 to 1979; he also served as the leader of the Opposition from 1962 to 1979. He also served as president of

Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, also known as All India Kshatriya Mahasabha, was founded in the year 1897. The organization was formed to promote, protect, and fight for rights and interests of the Rajput community of the Indian society. Ea ...

from 1960 till his death.

Personal life

On 8 February 1920 at

Benares Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges, Ganges river in North India, northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hinduism, Hindu world.* * * * The city ...

, Lakshman Singh married Biswanji Maharani Shri Brijraj Kunwari Ba Sahiba of Bhinga (1907–1982); the couple had two daughters. On 8 March 1928, he married Rathorji Maharani Shri Manhar Kunwar Ba Sahiba of

Kishangarh Kishangarh is a city and a Municipal Council located in the Ajmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the historic capital of the Kishangarh State, founded in 1611 AD by Kishan Singh of the Rathore clan of Rajputs. It is served ...

(1914–1975); the couple had three sons and two daughters. His youngest son

Raj Singh Dungarpur Raj Singh Dungarpur (19 December 1935 – 12 September 2009) was a president of Board of Control for Cricket in India. He played first class cricket for 16 years and was in and out of the Board of Control for more than 20 years. He was a se ...

was a president of Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Later life

Despite being officially deprived of his titles as a monarch by the

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

government in 1971, Sir Lakshman continued to serve in politics to the end of his days. He died while in office at his birthplace, Udai Villas at Dungarpur, on 6 June 1989 after a reign of 71 years, aged 81. At the time of his death he was also the second-to-last surviving Knight Grand Commander of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

( Chithira Thirunal of Travancore would die two years later). Lakshman Singh was succeeded as titular Maharawal of Dungarpur by his eldest son, Mahipal Singh.

Titles

*1908–1918:

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 ...

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 ...

Lakshman 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,

Yuvaraja Yuvaraja (), also rendered Yuvraj, is an Indian title for the crown prince, and the heir apparent to the throne of an Indian (notably Hindu) kingdom, empire or (notably in the Mughal Empire or Indian Empire) princely state. It is usually applie ...

*1918–1935:

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 ...

Rai-i-Rayan, Mahimahendra,

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 ...

Maharawal Shri Lakshman Singh Sahib Bahadur, Maharawal of Dungarpur *1935–1947: His Highness Rai-i-Rayan, Mahimahendra, Maharajadhiraj Maharawal Shri

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 ...

Lakshman Singh Sahib Bahadur, Maharawal of Dungarpur, KCSI *1947–1989: His Highness Rai-i-Rayan, Mahimahendra, Maharajadhiraj Maharawal Shri Sir Lakshman Singh Sahib Bahadur, Maharawal of Dungarpur,

, 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 *

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)-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 *

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 *

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

(GCIE)-1947

References

* ''Dungarpur Rajya ka Itihasa (History: Kingdom of Dungarpur)'', by Gaurishankar Hirachand Ojha, First published 1936. Publisher: Rajasthani Granthaghar, Jodhpur 2000. .

External links

Page including a photo of Laxman Singh

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Laxman Rajasthani people 20th-century Indian monarchs Indian cricketers Rajya Sabha members from Rajasthan Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India 1908 births 1989 deaths Speakers of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Maharajas of Rajasthan People from Dungarpur Rajasthan cricketers Rajasthan cricket captains Swatantra Party politicians Leaders of the opposition in Rajasthan Cricketers from Rajasthan Janata Party politicians