Rani Parvati Devi Deskit Wangmo (1 May 1934 – 5 November 2024) was an Indian royal and politician who was the Queen mother of Ladakh. She served as a member of the

6th Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The 6th Lok Sabha, which ran from 23 March 1977 to 22 August 1979 was elected in February and March 1977. 11 sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 6th ...

from 1977 to 1980.

Early life

Parvati was born on 1 May 1934 at the Khangsar Palace into the Royal House of Khangsar, the greatest royal house of Lahaul, presently part of

Lahaul and Spiti district The Lahaul and Spiti district is a high-altitude district in Himachal Pradesh, north India. This entirely mountainous district consists of two geographically distinct as well as formerly separate political-administrative units, called Lahaul ( ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

to Nyima Wangyal. She received education up to fifth standard.

Career

Parvati Devi was known for her social work in Ladakh. In 1958 she became the Convener of Welfare Extension Project, Leh's Implementing Committee. For the

1977 Indian general election General elections were held in India between 16 and 20 March 1977 to elect the members of the sixth Lok Sabha. The elections took place during the Emergency period, which expired on 21 March 1977, shortly before the final results were announc ...

, the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

(INC) made Devi its candidate for

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

constituency and its local coalition partner

Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by ...

supported her. Only an

independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...

stood against her and she defeated him by a margin of 2,877 votes (polling 23,130 against his 20,253) to become the first woman MP from Ladakh. Devi and

Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah (1916 – 11 July 2000) was an Indian politician. The wife of Abdullah Sheikh, three-time Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, she twice served as a Member of Indian Parliament. Akbar Jehan was the daughter of Michael ...

were the only Jammu & Kashmir women to win the 1977 election. The house couldn't complete its term of five years and in 1980 another election was held. This time National Conference fielded its candidate from Ladakh. She was the founder and president of Namgyal Institute of Research on Ladakhi Art and Culture (NIRLAC).

Personal life and death

Parvati married the titular king of Ladakh, Kunzang Namgyal on 10 July 1950, who turned out to be an alcoholic and died at the age of 48, leaving behind Devi and their four children (two sons and two daughters). As per local traditions she was supposed to marry the deceased king's brother. Instead she excluded her brother-in-law from the family and arranged a monthly allowance for him. He took the matter to the court and eventually, in an out-of-court settlement, gained possession of a part of the family property. She resided at the Stok Palace. During winters, she used to sojourn in Manali. Parvati died on 5 November 2024, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Parvati 1934 births 2024 deaths People from Lahaul and Spiti district India MPs 1977–1979 Women members of the Lok Sabha Ladakhi people Lok Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir People from Ladakh 20th-century Indian women politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Ladakh 20th-century Indian royalty Women members of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir