Bhupinder Singh was born on 12 October 1891 in
Moti Bagh Palace,
Patiala.[4] Singh was born into the
JatSikhPhulkian dynasty. He was educated at
Aitchison College in
Lahore. Singh was sent to the
princely state of
Dholpur, supposedly because of threats to his life due to intrigues in the Patiala court.[5] He returned to Patiala in the beginning of 1900, only months before his father's death.[5]
At the age of 9, Singh succeeded as
Maharaja of
Patiala State upon the death of his father,
MaharajaRajinder Singh, on 9 November 1900. Rajinder Singh had died due to alcoholism; Singh's mother, Jasmer Kaur, had died some years before 1900 due to
tuberculosis.[6][7] A Council of
Regency ruled in his name until he took partial powers shortly before his 18th birthday on 1 October 1909, and was invested with full powers by the
Viceroy of India, the
4th Earl of Minto, on 3 November 1910.
Singh was well known for the construction of buildings with bold
architectural designs in Patiala, including the
Shri Kali Devi Temple. Other buildings he constructed include Chail View Palace in the summer retreat of
Kandaghat, Chail Palace and Oak Over and Cedar Lodge in
Shimla, which are now the residence of the
Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and the Punjab State Guest House, respectively.[8] He had a unique monorail system built in Patiala, known as
Patiala State Monorail Trainways.[9] Singh founded the
State Bank of Patiala in 1917. Although Patiala was a 17-gun
salute state, Singh himself received a personal 19-gun salute.[10]
He represented India at the
League of Nations, was Chancellor of the
Chamber of Princes for 10 years between 1926 and 1938, and was a representative at the
Round Table Conference.[11][12] During his tenure as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, Singh fought for the rights of princely states in various jurisdictional and administrative matters.[12] However, his proposals were rejected by the
British Raj and even the larger 21-gun-salute states did not join him in his efforts.[12]
Singh was noted both as a sportsman and a patron of sports. He was captain of the
Indian cricket team that visited England in 1911,[15] and played in 27
first-class cricket matches between 1915 and 1937.[16] For the season of 1926/27, he played as member of the
Marylebone Cricket Club.[17] He was selected as the captain of India on its first Test tour of England in 1932, but dropped out for reasons of health two weeks before departure and
Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji, the Maharaja of
Porbandar, took over.
Singh is largely noted and remembered for his extravagance. During his life, Singh developed a reputation for being a generous host, throwing lavish parties, and entertaining doctors, artists and people of repute from around the world.[7] He was noted for collecting various items, including cars, jewels, medals, paintings, watches, wines, and spending sprees in Europe.[7]
In 1925, he made the largest ever single order to
Cartier to date for jewelry worth ₹1,000 million (equivalent to ₹210 billion, US$2.6 billion or €2.6 billion in 2023).[20] One of his wives, Maharani Bakhtawar Kaur, presented
Queen Mary of the
United Kingdom with a necklace on behalf of the Ladies of India during the
Delhi Durbar of 1911.[21] He was also known for an exceptional collection of
medals, believed to be the world's largest at the time.[22] Singh also owned a fleet of 44
Rolls-Royce cars.[23] Singh was the first Indian to own a private plane and built an
airstrip in Patiala.[24]
Personal life
A group photograph of Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala (reg. 1900–1938) with the cricketer Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja, known as Ranji, and other guests and servants. Patiala, circa 1910
Singh married ten times and had numerous consorts.[25] From those unions, he sired 88 children, of which 52 survived to adulthood.[25] Singh's health began deteriorating, and he died on 23 March 1938 due to ill health.[26]
Yadavindra Singh (1914 – 1974). Yadvindra became the Maharaja on 23 March 1938. He was the last Maharaja of Patiala, agreeing to the incorporation of Patiala state into the newly
independent India on 5 May 1948. Yadvindra later became a
sports administrator and
diplomat.
Yadhuvansh Kumari (1922 – 2006). She married Govind Singh, the
Raja of
Maihar.[28][29]
Raghavendra Singh (1923 – unknown). He was married to Sumitra Raje
Holkar, the daughter of Maharaja
Tukojirao Holkar III of
Indore and a member of the House of Holkar.[30]
1900–1911:
His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara,
Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan,
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of
Patiala
1911–1914: His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala,
GCIE
1914–1918:
Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCIE
1918–1921:
Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCIE,
GBE
1921–1922: Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala,
GCSI, GCIE, GBE
1922–1931: Major-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE,
GCVO, GBE
1931–1935:
Lieutenant-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE
1935–1938: Lieutenant-General His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Sir Bhupinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Maharaja of Patiala, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE,
GCSG
^"Emerald and diamond choker". Royal Collection. Archived from
the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013. Although, he was married five times, his favorite wife was his third Wife, Maharani Vimal Kaur Sahiba of Ubbewal