Maharaja Sarila was the neighbour and friend of Sri Nathji in Mussorie whose residence Sarila Estate
had a common boundary with Savitri Niwas on the East. Maharaja Sarila and his
entire family was greatly devoted to Shri Nathji. He had three distinctions as a
Devotee of Shri Nathji
1 He
was the only devotee of Shri Nathji who used to narrate his experiences of
life in great detail to Shri Nathji while he listened in amusement for hours.
2 He
was the only devotee of Shri Nathji who smoked berfore Shri Nathji. Shri
Nathji didn’t mind that and also arranged an ash tray for him when ever he used
to come over for a chat with Shri Nathji
3 He
was the only devotee of Shri Nathji from India who visited Shri Nathji in
England.
MMaharaja Sarila met Shri Nathji in 1969 at Lodhi hotel in Delhi were Shri Nathji was staying for 3 months with His sons's Pran Nathji and Priya Nathji.. He began to come for his darshan fairly regularly.
One of his eyes had been operated upon for cataract at Sitapur but something had gone wrong and he had lost the sight in that eye. The second eye had now developed cataract and he required another operation. He prayed to Shri Nathji to let the second operation be a success.
So afraid was Maharaja Sarila of losing his eyesight that he even caught hold of Shri Nathji's hand and placed it upon his eyes. Shri Nathji blessed the Maharaja. His operation was a big success.
The detailed account of Shri Nathji’s association with Maharaja Sarila
is given in the Mahagranth – God Incarnate on pages 663 – 671. A photograph of
Maharaja Sarila, Raja Mahipal Singh Ju Deo with Shri Nathji is printed in the Mahagranth.
Therefore his independent photograph is not posted in this article.
Sarila, an erstwhile
princely state of the Bundela Kingdom, is situated in Hamirpur District of
Madhya Pradesh. With an area of only 90
Sq. Km. And population of 7250 persons (in 1941), and ruling over 9 town and
villages, it was one of the smallest princely states of India. But become well
recognised due to shear charisma of it’s Maharaja and his successors who were
blessed by Shri Nathji.
Raja Mahipal Singh Ju
Deo, 7th Raja of Sarila was born posthumously 11th September 1898 and invested
with ruling powers on 5th November 1919. He educated at Daly College, Indore.
He represented small princely states at the First and Second Indian Round Table
Conferences in London 1931 and 1932; He was Secretary of the General Council
and Working Committee, Daly College. He
signed the Instrument of Accession of Sarila State to the Indian Union in 1947
and the merger Agreement of 1948, by which he gave up his powers, Sarila State
ceased to exist and later merged into Uttar Pradesh, he married 1919, Rani
Bhawani Kunwar, daughter of Panwar Diwan of Basela in Hamirpur district of
U.P., and had issue, five sons and three daughters. He died in January 1983.
Following are his children
-
Raja Narendra Singh Ju
Deo
HH Maharajadhiraj
Jayendra Singh Ju Deo
Maharaj Virendra Singh
Ju Deo
Maharaj Nripendra Singh
Ju Deo
Thakurani Sushil Kumari
Rajkumari Saral Kumari
Rani Rajendra Kumari
Rajkumar Devendra Singh
In this article we will discuss
only about the three children of Maharaja Sarila whose reference is there is there
in the Mahagranth – God Incarnante.
The second son of Maharaja
Sarila was adopted by the Princely state of Chakhari. He become HH Maharajadhiraj
Sipahdar-ul-Mulk Jayendra Singh Ju Deo, the 9th Maharaja of Charkhari in1942.
Charkhari also a Bundela state in Madhya Pradesh, with an area of 2,279 Sq. Km.
Containing 504, town and villages was much larger then Sarila. Maharaja
Jayendra Singh was born in 1929, he married HH Maharani Jayati Devi, daughter
of Maharaja Manikya Sir Bir Bikram Kishore Dev Varman Bahadur, Maharaja of
Tripura, and had issue. He died 7th January 1977.
In the following
photograph we can see HH Maharajadhiraj Jayendra Singh Ju Deo of Charkhari (L)
and and his younger brother Maharaj Virendra Singh Ju Deo of Sarila (R)
It is mentioned in Mahagranth
that Maharaja Jayendra Singh was very devoted to Shrinathji and always happy to
meet him in Mussoorie. He got his first son also delivered in Mussoorie, so
that he can have Shri Nathji’s blessings. Thus his son Jayant Singh Ju Deo, was
born on 23rd May 1952 in Mussoorie.
It is mentioned in the
Mahagranth about the marriage of the daughter of Maharaja Sarila at Mussorie
which was attended by Shri Nathji. The marriage as done in a shamiyana in the
open grounds of Sarila Estate. Maharaja Sarila was worried that the unexpected rain
of mussoorie may ruin the wedding ceremony. Thus he requested Shri Nathji to
order the clouds not to rain. A photograph of the marriage appeared in the
onlooker magazine of the time, were Shri Nathji is seen in the midst of the Rajas
and Maharajas, who looked pale in comparison to Shri Nathji’s beauty. She was perhaps
the eldest daughter of Maharaja Sarila, Thakurani Sushil Kumari [now Rajmata of
Kuthar], who was married to Raja Vikram Shah Ju Deo of Kuthar, and has issue,
two sons and one daughter - Raja Vijay Shah Ju Deo of Kutha, Rajkumari Pratibha
Kumari and Rajkumar Raghvendra Shah.
By the grace of Shri Nathji,
The eldest son of Maharaja Sarila and hair to the throne Narendra
Singh Sarila
because a very renowned personality. He was born in 1927 as heir to the
princely state of Sarila. , educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, Allahabad
University and Magdalene College, Cambridge; former officer of the Indian
Foreign Service 1948/1985, ADC in 1948 to Lord Mountbatten, Governor-General of
India, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Indian Delegation to the U.N. in
New York 1963/1965, Officer on Special Duty, Kashmir Affairs 1967/1968, Joint
Secretary dealing with Pakistan and then UN affairs in the External Affairs
Ministry 1968/1972, Special Delegate to the Indian Delegation to the UN during
the Bangladesh crisis and war in 1971, Ambassador to Spain 1972/1974;
Ambassador to Brazil 1974/1977; Ambassador to Libya, with concurrent
accreditation to Malta 1977/1981; Ambassador to Switzerland with concurrent
accreditation to the Vatican 1981/1982 and Ambassador to France 1982/1985, from
which post he retired from the Indian Foreign Service. Served as Chairman of
the Board of Nestle India Ltd. from 1994 to 2000 and is now Chairman (Emeritus)
of Nestle India Ltd. He has also been Adviser to the European Round Table (of
leading Industrialists) Brussels. He has contributed articles on political
affairs in the Internal Herald Tribune, The Times of India and other foreign
and Indian journals. He is the author of
the international bestseller, - The Shadow of the Great Game: The Untold Story
of India's Partition and another book - Once
a Prince of Sarila: Of Palaces and Tiger Hunts, Of Nehrus and Mountbattens.
He played in the Ranji
Trophy Cricket Tournament for Rajasthan in 1944/1945 and for Uttar Pradesh in
1945/1946, married 1stly, 1945 (sep.'d. February 1947, div.), Rani Rohini Devi
of Ali Raipur, married 2ndly, 17th May 1955 in Dhera Dun (div.1959),
Countess Rita von Oberndorff, born 29 October 1930 in 's-Gravenhage, married
3rdly, June 1972 in Madrid, Kumari Shefali Kunwar [Rani Shefali Kunwar of
Sarila], born 1950, daughter of the late Raja Dhian Singh of Sheikhupura
Estate, now in Pakistan, and had issue. Narendra Singh Sarila died 7th July 2011.
