Maharaja Sarila, Shri Nathji's Neighbour!

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.

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.