Raja Kasmanda

Shri Nathji neighbor on the west side of Savitri Nawas were Raja Kasmanda. They stayed at the beautiful Kasmanda Palace. I have given photographs of the outside and inside of the building. One of the oldest buildings in the hill station of Mussoorie, the Kasmanda Palace was originally a part of the Christ Church complex, built in 1836 by Captain Rennie Tailour of the Bengal Engineers. This gleaming white stately mansion built in the Anglo-French style served as a sanatorium for the British armed forces and then as a school (one of the first in Mussoorie) before finally becoming the summer retreat of the Kasmanda Royal Family. While it has remained with this family, it is now being run as a Heritage Hotel. The grandeur and stateliness of this Palace is only matched by its spectacular setting. Situated 200 metres uphill from the Mall, it has a magnificent view both of the town of Mussoorie as well as the Doon Valley and is strategically placed in a sprawling estate of 3 acres of pine forest, terraced gardens and green lawns. It is now leased to the welcome Hotel Grup and is run by them as a 24 room heritage hotel. The Royal Family still comes and stay here from time to time.

Raja Dinesh Pratap Singh of Kasmada was the third decedent of the Kasmada family to be devoted to Shri Nathji. Every year he would come to Shri Nathji’s birthday at Mussorrie, and would sit in an inconspicuous place in the verandah. He would say to Shrinathji: “Please don’t call me Raja Sahib – call me Dinesh!”. The detailed account of Shri Nathji’s association with Kasmada family is given in the Mahagranth – God Incarnate on pages 671 – 674.

Raja Dinesh Pratap Singh was born in 1927. He become the Raja of Kasmanda in 1948. He married the daughter of Raja Birendra Bikram Singh of Payagpur, Bahraich District, Uttar Pradesh. He later becomes an M.P. He was very fond of hunting as can be seen in the photographs of his hunting expedition to Nepal in early 1950’s. He seems to have a liking for Nepal as he also got his eldest son married to the daughter of a Rana of Nepal. He is still alive and I have posted one of his recent photographs. He had three children –

Rajkumar Divyakar Pratap Singh, born 1950, married Rani Jaya Rajya Lakshmi, daughter of Lt.-Gen. Shri Bharat Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal, and has two daughtets.

Rajkumar Dinraj Pratap Singh, born 1952, married 1975, Rani Yadunandini, born 1956, daughter of HH Maharajadhiraj Maharawal Raghunath Singhji of Jaisalmer, and his wife, HH Maharani Mukut Rajya Lakshmi Devi, and has two sons.

Rajkumari Sukriti Prabha Singh, married Raja Bahadur Shailendra Narayan Singh Deo Mardaraj Jagadev of Hindol in Orissa, and has issue, two sons.