23 Facts About Bhawani Singh

Brigadier Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh MVC was an officer in the Indian Army and an entrepreneur.

Bhawani Singh later served as an advisor to the Indian forces in Sri Lanka.

Bhawani Singh oversaw the management of Rambagh Palace which had been converted into a hotel.

Bhawani Singh married Princess Padmini Devi of Sirmur in 1966.

Bhawani Singh was commissioned into Indian Army in the 3rd Cavalry as a second Lieutenant holding a short-service commission in 1951 and was selected for the President's Bodyguards in 1954.

In 1967, Bhawani Singh was appointed second-in-command of the 10th battalion, Parachute Regiment, one of the two elite Special Forces battalions.

Bhawani Singh was appointed the Commanding Officer in 1968.

In 1970, Bhawani Singh helped train the Mukti Bahini before the commencement of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

The battalion, led by Bhawani Singh, was responsible for the capture of Chachro in Sindh, for which he was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra :.

Bhawani Singh's inspired leadership and personal courage led to the capture of large areas of the enemy territory and created panic and confusion among the enemy, forcing them to retreat leaving large number of prisoners and equipment.

Bhawani Singh was successful in this venture and, for this, the President bestowed upon him the honorary rank of Brigadier on 29 November 1991.

Bhawani Singh ascended the throne of Jaipur on 24 June 1970 following the death of his father, and held the title of Maharaja until the abolition of the princely order, his Privy Purse and other royal entitlements by Indira Gandhi in 1971, although he remained generally honoured like most other erstwhile rulers.

Bhawani Singh married Princess Padmini Devi of Sirmur on 10 March 1966 in a ceremony held at Delhi.

Bhawani Singh was the daughter of his father's polo-playing friend HH Maharaja Rajendra Prakash of Sirmur by his wife Maharani Indira Devi.

Bhawani Singh was the first Indian prince to turn his Rambagh Palace in to luxury hotel in 1958.

Bhawani Singh conducted certain ceremonies and customs from the traditional seat of royal power, the sprawling City Palace, Jaipur, part of which remains under the control of his family.

Bhawani Singh became one of the richest maharajas of post-independent India.

Bhawani Singh was involved in local politics, as was his late stepmother, Gayatri Devi, his father's third wife.

Sawai Bhawani Singh contested the Lok Sabha elections in the year 1989 for the Indian National Congress Party but lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Girdhari Lal Bhargava.

Bhawani Singh then retired from active politics and devoted his time to his family and the protection and continuation of Jaipur's traditional arts and heritage.

Bhawani Singh was admitted to a private hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana on 29 March and died on 17 April 2011 following multi-organ failure.

Bhawani Singh's body was flown to Jaipur and kept at the City Palace for people to pay their last respect before being cremated.

Bhawani Singh was cremated on 18 April 2011 at Gaitore Ki Chhatriya, the royal crematorium in Jaipur with full state honours.