HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur (1912-1970) and his third Maharani Gayatri Devi were two of the most glamorous international figures in 20th century society. A nine-goal hero on the polo field, the Maharaja was the last and one of the greatest rulers of Jaipur State. The Maharani’s legendary beauty was matched by a mind that saw her successfully stand for the Indian parliament post-Independence.
The Maharaja’s life was high risk with his derring-do on the polo field and his relentless flying. Weeks before his wedding to Gayatri Devi, a vulture flew into the propeller of Jai’s plane over Bombay. The crash killed the pilot instantly and the Maharaja narrowly escaped with his life. Gayatri Devi married the Maharaja in 1940 and lived something of a double life. Behind the Rambagh Palace walls and travelling internationally, she lived and dressed like a Western socialite. In the City Palace she was carried around, veiled, in a palanquin.
Maharani Gayatri Devi describes Jaipur’s adoration for the Maharaja in her memoir: ‘everyone in the city recognised his Bentley and knew that they could stop him on the street or the polo grounds, or at the gates of the palace – anywhere – if they had a complaint or wanted to bring some problem to his attention, or simply wished to ask after the welfare of his family and tell him about their life’.
Picture Credit : Google