Lady Curzon became the king’s guest in Shimla without the approval of her husband, Viceroy Lord Curzon.
The style of the local kings was unique. Due to his wealth and generosity, he never shied away from lavishing anything on anyone he was kind to. Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala, Maharaja Jagjit Singh of Kapurthala and Maharaja Rana of Dholpur had such a spell on Lady Curzon that one evening she became the guest of these kings in Shimla without the approval of her husband Viceroy Lord Curzon. Wore saree on the request of the kings. Accepted the crown and all the gifts. When the pictures of this party were published in the London newspapers, Lord Curzon was so enraged that he issued orders for the approval of the Viceroy before the native kings went to Shimla. On the other hand, the Maharaja of Patiala was so unhappy with this condition that he built a magnificent new city named Chail on the Shimla-Kalka road. Read why Curzon was angry with the kings?
In summer, the cool valleys and pleasant atmosphere of Shimla were liked not only by the British but also by the local kings. With the onset of summer in the plains, the Maldar kings used to move towards Shimla with their entire army. Where the series of fun feasts and outings continued till the beginning of the rainy season. This opportunity was also helpful to the kings in getting the company of English officers and their open-minded wives and solving the issues related to the state through them. Viceroy Lord Curzon was especially kind to Maharaja Rajinder Singh of Patiala and Maharaja Jagjit Singh of Kapurthala. Lady Curzon was also quite friendly with both the Maharajas.
The king’s feast with the lady angered Curzon.
Lady Curzon’s closeness to the Maharaja of Patiala and Kapurthala grew so much that he invited Lady Curzon alone to an evening banquet in Shimla. Maharaja Rana of Dholpur was also present in this feast. Lady Curzon was so happy that at the request of the kings, she wore a sari in place of her traditional western attire before dinner. The kings adorned him with a jeweled crown. Along with precious garlands, the famous diamond named Eugene was also presented. The scenes of Lady Curzon’s hospitality and valuable gifts being presented to her were captured by photographers on cameras. Later these photos were published in English newspapers of London and India.
Lady Curzon. Photo: Getty Images
Lord Curzon was very angry after knowing all this and seeing the photographs in the newspapers. Whatever happened between his wife and husband regarding this did not come out outside the walls of the Viceroy’s House, but the rest of the kings also had to pay the price of Curzon’s anger on the Maharaja of Patiala and Kapurthala.
New city established in response to entry ban in Shimla
Angered by the closeness of the Maharajas to his wife, Lord Curzon banned the entry of the local Maharajas into Shimla. So much scope was kept that if the Viceroy wanted, the King should first apply for it and get approval. According to Jarmani Das, who spent fifty years of his life as the Diwan of many big princely states of the country, after this incident, it was not possible for any Maharaja to enter Shimla during the Curzon era. But Maharaja Patiala Rajinder Singh cut it off.
Viceroy Lord Curzon. Photo: Getty Images
He established a new city called Chail at a distance of nineteen miles from Kandaghat on the Shimla-Kalka road. The Maharaja made Chail the summer capital of his kingdom. Chail is at a distance of forty miles from Shimla via hilly road. Later the kings and maharajas started moving towards Chail instead of Shimla. A beautiful playground was built here by cutting the mountain at a height of seven thousand feet from the sea coast, where cricket matches of British, Australian and Indian teams were also held. Not only the Viceroy, but many British officers and their wives happily participated in the glittering parties and dance-song gatherings of the kings.
Maharaja Rana of Dholpur andMaharaja Jagjit Singh of Kapurthala. Photo- Wikipedia
Sukhadiya was angry with the preference given to Maharaja Man Singh from Elizabeth.
If the kings and emperors liked the company of senior British officers and their wives, then at the same time there was a lot of attraction towards these Maharajas among the British families also. Queen Elizabeth of England was so close to Maharaja Man Singh of Jaipur that he used to address the Queen by her pet name Lizzie. Elizabeth’s father George VI had appointed Maharaja Man Singh as the British Emperor’s staff officer.
After independence, the preference given to Maharaja Jaipur in Queen Elizabeth’s programs in Jaipur had become a reason for the displeasure of Rajasthan Chief Minister Mohan Lal Sukhadia and other ministers. In such programs the Maharaja was seated on the stage or in the front row while the ministers were seated in the back rows.
Then Nehru got angry
The then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Mohan Lal Sukhadia had sent this complaint to Prime Minister Jawahar Lal. Pandit Nehru took this issue very seriously. During the same visit of Queen Elizabeth to India, Pandit Nehru had mentioned the Maharajas as an endangered species in the Queen’s felicitation program held in the presence of lakhs of people at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.
Dewan Jarmani Das, who was present at the event, heard Nehru critical of the kings saying, “The days of Maharajas, sadhus and snakes are over in India. In the democratic structure of the country, former kings are now common citizens. As citizens, they too have the same rights as other citizens and should not expect any different treatment or status.”
Also read: Why are Pandit Nehru’s relations with the opposition remembered even today?
