Why did the King of Udaipur wear the biggest honor of the British around the neck of his horse? - Newztezz Online

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Thursday, February 16, 2023

Why did the King of Udaipur wear the biggest honor of the British around the neck of his horse?

The British Resident went to present the Maharaja with a workman's patka and a star studded with jewels. The king said that peons tie such a belt at his place.

After the revolution of 1857, the British Raj had spread a web of temptations and tricks to keep the indigenous kings on their side. Titles and salutes were also part of that. There was a race to get them. Their number used to decide the status of the kings. In an attempt to prove himself superior or to humiliate others, these kings left no stone unturned to please the British Emperor, Viceroy and the rulers of the Political Department.

The greed of kings for titles and titles was taken advantage of by British bureaucrats to increase the number of saluting guns, to get seats next to them in Viceroy's banquets.

that gun salute

These cannons were fired when a king or emperor came to meet the Viceroy. The ruler of the princely states, there was a tradition of saluting on the occasion of the birthday or court of the crown prince. 31 for the Viceroy and 21, 19, 15, 11 and 9 gun salutes were given according to the preference of the kings. The king who received the salute of 21 guns was considered to have special rights. When the Viceroy used to visit such kings, the king used to welcome them by reaching the door of the palace meeting.

The king with a salute of 11 guns had to welcome the Viceroy on the porch of the palace or while getting down from the motor or cart. 9 Kings with gun salutes had to travel many miles to be welcomed, while the rulers of small princely states had to be present at the border of their kingdom to be welcomed. This preference of kings used to determine the order of their seating in courts, processions and feasts.

kings quarreling at the banquet table

This order of sitting of the kings used to become the cause of quarrels as well. On 18 April 1936, the Indian kings hosted Lord and Lady Billington on behalf of the Chamber of Princes. Dewan Jarmani Das, who was in charge of the seating arrangement, prepared its map by staying in the hotel for weeks in advance. Diwan preferred Patiala Naresh over Maharaja Bikaner for being chancellor and gave him a place near the Viceroy's chair.

According to Dastur, this order of sitting was presented for the approval of the Viceroy. Bikaner Naresh got upset with this. They reached the Viceroy with a complaint. Patiala Naresh and Diwan were called there. Both the kings kept arguing in front of the Viceroy. When the Viceroy saw that no one was ready to bow down, he decided that neither of these two would be given a place on the special table.

When Gwalior's dining train derailed!

Interesting scenes were sometimes presented in such feasts. Gwalior King's dining train running on 100 meter long silver track is very famous even today. The food items kept in the wagons of this train used to pass in front of the guests sitting at the table and they would take the items of their choice in their plates.

Unfortunately, the train derailed in front of the Emperor at a feast given by Maharaja Madhavrao in honor of Emperor George V and Queen Mary. All the food items kept on it spread completely on the royal dress of the emperor. This accident was unfortunate but it enraged the emperor and he considered it as an insult. Maharaja Gwalior had to face a lot of embarrassment. Eventually, he gained forgiveness by naming one of his sons and a daughter after the emperor and the queen.

King Suket's head clock with crest on turban

The titles received from the British Raj had a lot of attraction among the kings. They used to wear Bhusha symbols and ornaments studded in diamonds and jewels. Even those who do not get it, they themselves get it ready and wear it. Dewan Jarmani Das has written an interesting anecdote related to Raja Saheb of Suket.

Raja Suket did not get any dress symbol or title from the British Raj. Raja Saheb found a way to remove this deficiency. He made a small watch studded with diamonds, which he used to wear in a gold-edged turban with a crest on the front. Others may laugh seeing this, but Raja Saheb would have been very happy wearing it. The diwan would have been happy that when he came in front of Raja Saheb, the shining jeweled clock on his turban would have known the correct time.

….our peons wear it!

On the one hand, there was a line of kings seeking British titles and rewards, and on the contrary, there were kings like Udaipur Naresh Maharaj Fateh Singh, who were very conscious about their honor and self-respect. To please him, the biggest honor that an Indian king can get - GCSI was announced by the British Raj.

The British Resident went to present the Maharaja with a workman's patka and a star studded with jewels. The king said that peons tie such a belt at his place. The emperor should keep him in the category of peons, this is not a matter of happiness for him.

After the persuasion of his son Bhupal Singh, the Maharaja accepted this mark of honor at that time, but later he got this patka and star worn around the neck of one of his favorite horses.

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