Sir Bhupinder Singh (12 October 1891 – 23 March 1938) was the Maharaja of Patiala and a cricket player. Singh's reign as Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala, in British India, lasted from 1900 to 1938. He was a member of the Phulkian dynasty. During his reign, Singh was most noted for his extravagance, contributions to sports, and for being an ally to the British Raj.

Early life and background

Bhupinder Singh was born on 12 October 1891 in Moti Bagh Palace, Patiala. Singh was born into the Jat Sikh Phulkian dynasty and Sidhu clan. 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. He returned to Patiala in the beginning of 1900, only months before his father's death. At the age of 9, Singh succeeded as Maharaja of Patiala State upon the death of his father, Maharaja Rajinder 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. 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.

Reign

Administration and foreign policies

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. He had a unique monorail system built in Patiala, known as Patiala State Monorail Trainways. 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. Singh was a member of Freemasonry and in 1916, he consecrated a Masonic lodge in Patiala. 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. During his tenure as Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, Singh fought for the rights of princely states in various jurisdictional and administrative matters. However, his proposals were rejected by the British Raj and even the larger 21-gun-salute states did not join him in his efforts.

Military support

Singh served on the General Staff in France, Belgium, Italy and Palestine in the First World War as an honorary lieutenant-colonel, and was promoted honorary major general in 1918 and honorary lieutenant-general in 1931. During the First World War, Singh also served on the Imperial War Cabinet in 1918 and on the Imperial War Conference. He was awarded 43 medals during the First World War. Most of the buildings of the Chail Military School, in Himachal Pradesh, were donated by Singh to the Government of India.

Sports

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, and played in 27 first-class cricket matches between 1915 and 1937. For the season of 1926/27, he played as member of the Marylebone Cricket Club. 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 was a co-founder of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the national sports administration body for cricket in India, and the donated the Ranji Trophy in honour of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar. Singh's cricket and polo teams, Patiala XI and Patiala Tigers, were among the best in India.

Extravagance

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. He was noted for collecting various items, including cars, jewels, medals, paintings, watches, wines, and spending sprees in Europe. In 1925, he made the largest ever single order to Cartier to date for jewelry worth inr 1000000000. 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. He was also known for an exceptional collection of medals, believed to be the world's largest at the time. Singh also owned a fleet of 44 Rolls-Royce cars. Singh was the first Indian to own a private plane and built an airstrip in Patiala.

Personal life

Singh married ten times and had numerous consorts. From those unions, he sired 88 children, of which 52 survived to adulthood. Singh's health began deteriorating, and he died on 23 March 1938 due to ill health.

Wives and concubines

Singh's wives and concubines included:

Children

Singh's children included:

Notable descendants

Through his children, Singh has many notable descendants, including:

Titles

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today)

British

Foreign

Other