The King Without a Crown

The death of a king usually marks the end of his reign, but this was not the case with Tej Singh. He ceased to be the monarch decades before his death when India gained independence.

The last ruling Maharaja of Alwar- Tej Singh Prabhakar; Source: Public Domain

Set amidst the Aravali hills, the quaint city of Alwar boasts of rich history and cultural heritage. Various hill forts, lake palaces and a tiger sanctuary- all are the reminiscence of its royal family. The royal family itself has multiple well-known people like king Jai Singh who represented princely states at the round table conferences, queen Mahendra Kumari who was a national level shooting champion and prince Jitendra Singh who served as the minister of youth affairs between 2012-2014.

The member of this clan with the most ups and downs in his career was Maharaja Tej Singh Prabhakar, the last king to rule Alwar

He ascended the throne when his cousin, King Jai Singh was removed by the British on charges of misgovernance- the most common reason given to dispose off Indian rulers.

Tej Singh’s reign was short but very happening. He ruled from 1937 until Independence but was given the actual control of the Alwar state in 1944. During his reign, the royal family was known to be close to certain gurus and religious teachers. His association with the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha and Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha clearly reflected his support for Hindu Nationalism.

Things became particularly complicated when his role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was widely speculated. Some people even claimed that Tej Singh provided the conspirators with the gun that fired the bullet which took Gandhi’s life.

Eventually, he was acquitted but his involvement with these organisations remained a cause of suspicion throughout his life. His leanings towards Hindu nationalists created a tense situation on the ground.

Alwar has historically been a place populated by both Hindus and Muslims. Violence erupted during the partition and various accounts of attacks on Muslims came out. It is believed that the complacency and dismissal of his prime minister flamed the fire of violence.

Tej Singh was not only bestowed with the title of Sir by the British crown, but he was also awarded various gallantry medals for his service. These prestigious awards were the Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, the Italy Star, and the India Service Medal

In 1948, when the plan to draw up the Mataya Union consisting of the princely states of the Rajputana was being laid out, Tej Singh agreed to merge Alwar into it. This meant the dissolution of his power as the ruler of the state. It was in 1971, that his title of the Maharaja was officially revoked when it was agreed upon that the notion of an exclusive royalty should not be present in a democratic country.

After a significant amount of property and palaces of the royal family were seized by the government, Tej Singh shifted to Delhi instead of staying in Alwar. The last in the line of the Maharajas of the Alwar state spent the rest of his life in “Alwar house” in New Delhi.