Jaipur?s last Maharaja to be cremated today

Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur, the last titular Maharaja of Jaipur and head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, who died after prolonged illness on Saturday night, will be cremated on Monday, said family sources.

Singh, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurgaon in Haryana since March 29, died of multi-organ failure at the age of 80.

His body was brought to Jaipur on Sunday morning and kept at the City Palace for people to pay their last respect before being cremated.

Singh cremated with full state honours at Gaitore Ki Chatriya on Monday.

The Rajasthan government has already announced a two-day state mourning.

Born to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first wife, Marudhar Kanwar of Jodhpur, Singh was educated at The Doon School, Dehradun, and later Harrow School.

As the first male heir born to a reigning Maharaja of Jaipur for generations (all others, including his father, who was originally a minor noble, were adopted), his birth was a celebrated event in Jaipur, where the fountains of the royal palaces flowed with champagne in his honour giving him the nickname Bubbles.

In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Singh led his troops deep inside Pakistani territory in the Sindh region of Pakistan, attacking and destroying many Pakistani posts.

For this, he was awarded India’s second-highest gallantry award, the Mahavir Chakra.

He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier in 1974. In his retirement, he also served as Indian High Commissioner to Brunei from 1994-1997.

He married Princess Padmini Devi of Sirmur on 10 March 1966. The royal couple have one daughter, Princess Diya Kumari.