Ajay Kumar at 19:42, 23 July 2023

2023-07-23T19:42:54Z

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{{Short description|Maharaja of Jaipur (1862–1922)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox royalty
| image = Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh.jpg
| succession = [[Maharaja of Jaipur]]
| reign = 1880–1922
| birth_date = {{birth date|1862|8|28}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1922|9|7|1862|8|28}}
| predecessor = [[Ram Singh II]]
| successor = [[Man Singh II]]
}}
'''[[Maharajadhiraja]] [[Sawai (title)|Sawai]] Madho Singh II''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|GCSI|GCIE|GCVO|GBE}} (28 August 1862 – 7 September 1922), was the [[Maharajadhiraja]] of [[Jaipur State|Jaipur]] from 1880 until 1922. He was the adopted son of [[Ram Singh II]], Raja of Jaipur.<ref name="times">{{cite news |title= Death of Maharaja of Jaipur |work=[[The Times]] |page=13 |date=12 September 1922 }}</ref>

==Biography==
[[File:Madho_Singh_II 1883.jpg|thumb|left|Photo c. 1883]]
He was born '''Kaim Singh''', the second son of the [[Thakur (Indian title)|Thakur]] of Isardha, a petty chieftain related to the ruling house of Jaipur. After the death of their father, a dispute with his elder brother over the succession left the teenaged Kaim exiled and living in poverty. He found work as a [[risaldar]] in the cavalry of the [[Nawab of Tonk]].<ref name="times"/>

His fate was altered by his encounters with the guru [[Brahmachari Giridhari Sharan]], whose disciple he became, and with the ruling [[Ram Singh II]]. When Ram died in 1880, he had no heir, and chose on his deathbed to adopt the 18-year-old Kaim, who was crowned under the name Madho.<ref name="times"/> Married a Jadaun lady, daughter of Rao Budhpal Singh of Ummargarh estate, Etah, U.P.

As ruler of the large and prosperous state of Jaipur, Madho Singh embraced modern ideas on education and sanitation. He built schools, colleges, hospitals and a museum. When famine struck in [[Indian famine of 1896–97|1896–1897]] and [[Indian famine of 1899–1900|1899–1900]], he used state funds to feed the population. He also appealed to the Viceroy, [[George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]], to start a permanent Famine Relief Fund, which Singh began with a gift of £133,000 ({{Inflation|UK|133000|1900|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}).<ref name="times"/>

Singh was exceptionally loyal to the British crown, and sent his troops and horses to assist the British side in fighting in [[Chitral]] in 1894–1895, the [[Tirah Campaign]] in 1897–1898 and in the [[Second Boer War|South African War]]. In the First World War, he again sent his men and machine guns to assist in the [[Mesopotamian campaign]] at his own expense.<ref name="times"/>

Singh was made an honorary Major-General, and was further rewarded with honours. He was made Knight Grand Commander of the [[Order of the Star of India]] and of the [[Order of the Indian Empire]], and a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] and of the [[Order of the British Empire]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30451 |date=1 January 1918 |page=84 |supp=y}}</ref>

In 1921, he adopted the second son of the Thakur of Isarda, whose wife was related to his Jadaun Maharani. He died in 1922 and was succeeded by his adopted son, the Maharaja [[Man Singh II|Man Singh]].<ref name="times"/>

== Honours ==
He was honored with GCSI in 1896, GCIE in 1901, and GCVO in 1903 AD.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Purushotam Vishram Mawjee|url=http://archive.org/details/DurbarAlbum1|title=(1911) Imperial durbar album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars, Vol. I.|date=1911}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=harnath|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.142774|title=Jaipur And Its Environs|date=1959}}</ref> He was given the honorary degree of LLD by the [[University of Edinburgh]] in 1908.<ref name=":1" /> He also received the Hon rank of Major General in 1911 AD. In 1919, he was honored with GBE.<ref name=":1" /> He also received:

*Member of the First Class of the [[Order of the Crown of Prussia]]: 1910<ref name=":0">Leading Officials, A. (2017). ''Leading Officials, Nobles, And Personages In The Native States Of Rajasthan : Not Available : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive''. [online] Internet Archive. Available at: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.34620/page/n27 [Accessed 8 May 2019].</ref>
*Donat of the [[Donat_of_the_Order_of_Saint_John_(chartered_1888)|Order of the Hospital of the St. John of Jerusalem]]: 1912<ref name=":0" />

== Salute ==
He was entitled to a salute of 21 guns.<ref name=":2" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Maharajas of Jaipur}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Madho, II}}
[[Category:Maharajas of Jaipur|Madho]]
[[Category:1862 births]]
[[Category:1922 deaths]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Indian Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from British India]]

Madho Singh II - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 19:42, 23 July 2023