https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Gayatri_DeviGayatri Devi - Revision history2026-07-30T10:22:48ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Gayatri_Devi&diff=397678&oldid=prevWikiDwarfBOT at 07:28, 22 July 20232023-07-22T07:28:49Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div><!-- Devi is an honorific, not her name. Please refer to her as "Gayatri Devi" or "Gayatri", but not as "Devi") --><br />
{{short description|Maharani of Jaipur and Indian politician (1919–2009)}}<br />
{{for multi|the member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly|Gayatri Devi (Madhya Pradesh politician)|the member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly|Gayatri Devi (Bihar politician)}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}<br />
{{Infobox royalty<br />
| consort = yes<br />
| name = Gayatri Devi<br />
| image = Maharani Gayatri Devi (1919 &ndash; 2009).jpg<br />
| caption = Gayatri in her early years<br />
| succession = [[Maharani]] of [[Jaipur State|Jaipur]]<br />
| successor = [[Padmini Devi]]<br />
| reign = 9 May 1940 &ndash; 1948<br />
| reign-type2 = Titular tenure<br />
| reign2 = 1948 &ndash; 24 June 1970<br />
| coronation = <br />
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Man Singh II]]|1940|1970|end=his death}}<br />
| issue = Jagat Singh<br />
| house = [[Koch dynasty|Koch]]<br />
| father = [[Jitendra Narayan|Maharaja Jitendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar]]<br />
| mother = [[Indira Devi|Princess Indira Raje of Baroda]]<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1919|5|23|df=y}}<br />
| birth_place = [[London]], England<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|7|29|1919|5|23|df=y}}<br />
| death_place = [[Jaipur]], [[Rajasthan]], India<br />
| religion = [[Hinduism]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Gayatri Devi'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=General Election, 1962 (Vol I)|url=https://eci.gov.in/files/file/4113-general-election-1962-vol-i-ii/|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2021|website=Election Commission of India|page=82|language=en-IN}}</ref> (born Princess Gayatri Devi of [[Cooch Behar]]; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third [[Maharaja|Maharani consort]] of [[Jaipur]] from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja [[Sawai Man Singh II]].<ref name=k>{{cite news |title=Gayatri Devi: the last Maharani of Jaipur |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6733701.ece |work=The Times |date=31 July 2009 |location=London |first=Fariha |last=Karim}}</ref> Following her husband's signature for the [[Jaipur State]] to become part of the Union of India and her step-son's assumption of the title in 1970, she was known as Maharani Gayatri Devi, [[Rajmata]] of [[Jaipur State|Jaipur]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Kanwar|1y=2005|1pp=56-58|2a1=Moore|2y=2005|2pp=78-80}}<br />
<br />
She was born in the [[Hindu]] royal family of [[Cooch Behar]]. Her father was Maharaja [[Jitendra Narayan]] of Cooch Behar in [[West Bengal]], and her mother was [[Maratha]] Princess, [[Indira of Baroda|Indira Raje]] of [[Baroda]], the only daughter of [[Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III]], and she was sister to [[Jagaddipendra Narayan]], informally known as 'Bhaiya', who became the Maharajah of Cooch Behar.<ref name="indian express">{{cite news |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/books-and-literature/new-book-jaipur-royal-family-gayatri-devi-john-zubrzycki-6564419/ |title=New book says British did not want 'non-Aryan' Gayatri Devi to marry Raja of Jaipur|work=Indian Express|date=21 August 2020 | access-date=21 November 2020}}</ref><br />
<br />
Following India's independence and the abolition of the [[princely state]]s, she became a successful politician in the [[Swatantra Party]]. Gayatri was also celebrated for her [[classical beauty|beauty]] and became something of a fashion icon in her adulthood. She served 12 years in Swatantra Party, during which she was a prominent critic of [[Indira Gandhi]]'s government. After her departure from politics, she lived a quiet life in her large estate, spending time with her grandchildren and on hobbies and leisure.<br />
<br />
She died on 29 July 2009 in Jaipur, at the age of 90. She was suffering from [[Ileus#Paralytic ileus|paralytic ileus]] and a lung infection. She left an estate estimated at £250 million, which was passed on to her grandchildren.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-battle-of-wills-gayatri-devis-pound250m-legacy-1790048.html|title=A battle of wills: Gayatri Devi's £250m legacy|date=19 September 2009|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=3 May 2019}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
[[File:GayetriDeviniña.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Gayatri Devi as a child]]<br />
Born in a Hindu royal family, her father, Prince Jitendra Narayan of [[Cooch Behar]], presently in [[West Bengal]], was the younger brother of the [[Yuvaraja]] (Crown Prince). Her mother was Maratha Princess [[Indira of Baroda|Indira Raje]] of [[Baroda]], the only daughter of [[Maratha]] King, [[Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III]], an extremely beautiful princess and a legendary socialite. Early in her life, her uncle's death led to her father ascending the throne (gaddi). Gayatri studied at [[Glendower Preparatory School]] in London,<ref>{{citation | title=A princess remembers: the memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur | first=Gayatri | last=Devi | publisher = Rupa & Co. | year=1996 | isbn=978-81-7167-307-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CoWAQAAMAAJ&q=Glendower | page=87}}</ref> [[Patha Bhavana]] of [[Visva-Bharati University]], [[Shantiniketan]],<ref name=elec>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090802072657/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,938254,00.html Whistle-Stopping Maharani] ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 10 November 1961.</ref> and later in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]], where she travelled with her mother and siblings, then studied secretarial skills in London School of Secretaries; Brillantmont and Monkey Club London.<br />
<br />
She first met [[Sawai Man Singh II]] when she was 12 and he had come to Calcutta to play polo and stayed with their family.<ref>{{cite web |title='I Had Shot My First Panther Before I Turned Thirteen': Gayatri Devi turned 13 in 1932 |url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?238724 |date=20 October 2008|publisher=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] }}</ref> She married Sawai Man Singh II Bahadur on 9 May 1940.<ref name=k/><br />
<br />
Gayatri was a particularly avid [[Equestrianism|equestrienne]]. She was an excellent rider and an able Polo player. She was a good shot and enjoyed many days out on 'Shikars'. Gayatri was fond of cars and is credited with importing the first [[Mercedes-Benz W126]], a 500 SEL to India which was later shipped to Malaysia. She also owned several Rolls-Royces and an aircraft. Gayatri had one child, Prince Jagat Singh of Jaipur, late Raja of Isarda, born on 15 October 1949, who was granted his uncle's fief as a subsidiary title. Jagat Singh was the half-brother to [[Bhawani Singh]], who was the eldest son of his father born by his father's first wife.<ref name=k/> Gayatri was once included in ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women list.<ref name="sahwney2004">Sahwney, Anubha (2004) I've never felt beautiful: Gayatri Devi. ''[[The Times of India]]''. 25 April.</ref><br />
<br />
She started two schools in Jaipur, [[Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School]] established in 1943<ref>{{cite news |title=Rajmata Gayatri Devi |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/5934077/Rajmata-Gayatri-Devi.html |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=29 July 2009 |location=London}}</ref> and the other one being Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur which is a co-educational school opened in the memory of her husband Maharaja Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philosophy|url=http://www.msmsvidyalaya.in/philosophy|access-date=30 June 2021|website=www.msmsvidyalaya.in}}</ref> She revived and promoted the dying art of [[Blue Pottery of Jaipur|blue pottery]].<br />
<br />
==Political career==<br />
After partition and independence of India in 1947, Gayatri Devi ran for Parliament in 1962 and won the constituency in the [[Lok Sabha]] in the world's largest landslide, winning 192,909 votes out of 246,516 cast.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081215141039/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837092,00.html The Battle Royal - Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur...] ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 28 July 1967.</ref> She continued to hold this seat on 1967 and 1971 as a member of the [[Swatantra Party]] founded by [[C. Rajagopalachari]],<ref name="elec" /> running against the [[Indian National Congress]] party.<br />
<br />
In 1965, during a meeting with Prime Minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]], Gayatri was again asked to join Congress. This was the time when, despite the fact that her husband was being made ambassador to [[Spain]], she stuck to her principles and decided not to join the party. In 1967 the Swatantra party joined hands with Jan Sangh that was led by [[Bhairon Singh Shekhawat]]. The alliance won a large number of seats in the 1967 election. In the assembly election Gayatri lost to Damodar Lal Vyas, in [[Malpura]] constituency, but won the Lok Sabha election.<br />
<br />
The privy purses were abolished in 1971, terminating all royal privileges and titles. Gayatri was arrested during the [[The Emergency (India)|Emergency]] due to an alleged political vendetta on the false accusation of violating tax laws, and served 5 months in [[Tihar Jail]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Last Maharani of Gwalior: An Autobiography By Manohar Malgonkar|date=1987|pages=233, 242–244|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sbNaTBhe5nUC&q=Gayatri+Devi&pg=PA233|isbn=9780887066597|last1=Malgonkar|first1=Manohar}}</ref> She retired from politics and published her biography, ''A Princess Remembers'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=A PRINCESS REMEMBERS {{!}} Rupa Publications|url=https://rupapublications.co.in/books/a-princess-remembers/|access-date=22 September 2021|language=en-US}}</ref> written by Santha Rama Rau, in 1976<ref name="TOI">{{Cite news|date=30 July 2009|first=Rashmee Roshan| last=Lall|title=Gayatri Devi: A maharani and a beauty|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gayatri-Devi-A-maharani-and-a-beauty/articleshow/4834040.cms|access-date=19 January 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> (this biography also published in Marathi language as ''A Princess Remembers: Gayatri Devi'').<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Princess Remembers: Gayatri Devi - Marathi Book Buy Online|url=https://www.menakabooks.com/products/a-princess-remembers-gayatri-devi-1|access-date=22 September 2021|website=Menakabooks|language=en}}</ref> She was also the focus of the film ''Memoirs of a Hindu Princess'', directed by Françoise Levie.<br />
<br />
There were rumours that she might re-enter politics as late as 1999, when the Cooch Behar [[Trinamool Congress]] nominated her as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, but she did not respond to the offer.<ref>Gayatri Devi may contest polls from Cooch Behar, ''[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]'', 12 June 1999.</ref><br />
<br />
==Family==<br />
Gayatri Devi had one son, Prince Jagat Singh, Raja of [[Isarda]] (15 October 1949 – 5 February 1997), who was granted his paternal uncle's (father's elder brother) fief of Isarda as a subsidiary title. Jagat Singh was married on 10 May 1978 to [[Mom Rajawongse]] Priyanandana Rangsit (b. 1952), daughter of Prince Piyarangsit Rangsit and Princess [[Vibhavadi Rangsit]] (née Rajani) of Thailand. The married couple had two children:<br />
* Rajkumari Lalitya Kumari (b. 1979)<br />
* Maharaj Devraj Singh, Raja of Isarda (b. 1981)<br />
Today, they are her only surviving descendants, and as such, have claimed to be heirs of their paternal grandmother.<br />
Maharaj Jagat Singh was, thus, half-brother to [[Bhawani Singh of Jaipur]], the eldest son of the late Maharaja by his first wife, a Jodhpur princess.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 April 2011|last=Bhandari|first=Prakash|title=Bhawani Singh had seen many ups and downs in life|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Bhawani-Singh-had-seen-many-ups-and-downs-in-life/articleshow/8021872.cms|access-date=19 January 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref><br />
<br />
===Family relationships===<br />
[[File:Cecil Beaton Photographs- Political and Military Personalities IB698.jpg|thumb|200px|Gayatri Devi, photographed by [[Cecil Beaton]] in 1940.]]<br />
Gayatri Devi was related to several other erstwhile royal families in India. She was herself not from the Rajput community, but from a dynasty native to Cooch Behar in Bengal, and was daughter of [[Jitendra Narayan|Maharaja Jitendra Narayan]] and [[Indira Devi|Maharani Indira Raje]], who was daughter of [[Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III]] and [[Maharani Chimnabai]], belonging to the [[Gaekwad]] dynasty of the [[Marathas]]. Her grand-nephew, along with his wife, Poonam Singh Mewar, and 2 sons died in a car crash.<br />
<br />
Her paternal grandparents were [[Nripendra Narayan|Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur]] and [[Sunity Devi]] of Cooch Behar. Maharani Sunity Devi was the daughter of the [[Brahmo Samaj|Brahmo]] social reformer [[Keshab Chandra Sen]].<br />
<br />
She had two brothers, [[Jagaddipendra Narayan]] and Indrajitendra Narayan of whom Jagaddipendra Narayan became the Maharaja of Cooch Behar in his infancy after the death of their father in 1922.<br />
<br />
Thus, maternally, she was closely connected to [[Gaekwad dynasty|Gaekwads]] of [[Baroda State]]. Further, her sister Ila Devi was married into the [[Tripura (princely state)|Tripura]] royal family, and her younger sister, Maneka Devi, was married into the royal family of [[Dewas State]]. Thus, through various interconnections, she was related to the royal houses of [[Kota State|Kota]], [[Sawantwadi State|Sawantwadi]], [[Akkalkot State]], [[Jath State]], Dewas Jr., [[Jasdan State]], and [[Sandur (princely state)|Sandur]], [[Tehri-Garhwal]], [[Mayurbhanj]], [[Dhar State]], [[Kolhapur State|Kolhapur]], [[Lunawada State]], [[Baria State|Baria]] and Raja of [[Payagpur]], which was considered normal amongst the royalties of India.<br />
<br />
==Death==<br />
She was admitted at [[Santokba Durlabhji Memorial hospital]] (SDMH) on 17 July 2009. She died at the age of 90 on 29 July 2009, reportedly due to lung failure.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gayatri Devi, former Jaipur queen, is dead |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2009/jul/29/gayatri-devi-former-jaipur-queen-is-dead-72346.html |access-date=26 June 2023 |work=The New Indian Express |date=29 July 2009}}</ref><ref name="TOI"/><br />
<br />
== Filmography ==<br />
* [[Stephane Bern]]. ''Gayatra Devi, une princesse au pays des Maharajas.'' Documentary by Roland Portiche and Vanessa Pontet. 1h45'. 2013. First broadcast on 26 December 2013, FR2 (French TV).<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
== Additional sources ==<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
{{Rajasthanis}}<br />
* {{cite book|title=A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur|first= Gayatri |last= Devi | publisher =J.B. Lippincott |date= 1977|isbn=81-7167-307-4}}<br />
* {{cite book| title =Rajmata Gayatri Devi| first = Dharmendar |last=Kanwar| publisher = Roli Books |isbn=9-788-174-36294-0|year=2005|location=|pages=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzkqAAAACAAJ|orig-year=2004|author-link=Dharmendar Kanwar}}<br />
* {{cite book| title =Gourmet's Gateway: A Royal Collection|first= Gayatri |last=Devi | publisher = Dharmendar Kanwar |date=1999 |isbn= 81-901221-0-X}}<br />
* {{cite book|title=Maharanis | author-link=Lucy Moore (historian)|first=Lucy |last=Moore | publisher = [[Penguin Books]] |date= 2005 | isbn= 978-0-14-303704-0|location=|pages=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1D5YesAa9YC}}<br />
* {{Cite book|last=Kanwar|first=Dharmendar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tRxuAAAAMAAJ&q=books+on+gayatri+devi|title=Rajmata Gayatri Devi--: Enduring Grace|date=2004|publisher=Lustre Press, Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-295-7|location=|pages=|language=en|author-link=Dharmendar Kanwar}}<br />
* {{Cite book|last=Stern|first=Robert W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NK1MhWq-9VkC&q=books+on+gayatri+devi|title=The Cat and the Lion: Jaipur State in the British Raj|date=1988|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-08283-0|language=en}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/20060214031642/http://mgdgirlsschool.com/|Website of the MGD Girls School}}<br />
* {{url|https://web.archive.org/web/20090801103853/http://www.headlinesindia.com/diaspora/diaspora/gayatri-devi-former-jaipur-queen-is-dead-18240.html|The Maharani's Death}}<br />
* {{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/5934077/Rajmata-Gayatri-Devi.html|title=Rajmata Gayatri Devi - Daily Telegraph obituary}}<br />
* {{Cite news|url=http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/aug/01/remembering-gayatri-devi.htm|title=Rediff article - Memoir by her ghost-writer}}<br />
<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Gayatri}}<br />
[[Category:1919 births]]<br />
[[Category:2009 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Queen mothers]]<br />
[[Category:People from Jaipur]]<br />
[[Category:Women in Rajasthan politics]]<br />
[[Category:India MPs 1962–1967]]<br />
[[Category:India MPs 1967–1970]]<br />
[[Category:India MPs 1971–1977]]<br />
[[Category:Indian queen consorts]]<br />
[[Category:History of Jaipur]]<br />
[[Category:Visva-Bharati University alumni]]<br />
[[Category:People educated at Glendower Preparatory School]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali Hindus]]<br />
[[Category:People from West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Swatantra Party politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan]]<br />
[[Category:Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India)]]<br />
[[Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges]]<br />
[[Category:People from Cooch Behar district]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Indian princesses]]<br />
[[Category:Politicians from Jaipur]]<br />
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]<br />
[[Category:Women members of the Lok Sabha]]<br />
[[Category:Indian polo players]]</div>WikiDwarfBOT