General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE, KCB, GCStJ (13 October 1880 – 2 February 1943), was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner (in present-day Rajasthan, India) from 1888 to 1943. As a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, he was present in the Palace of Versailles during The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors. He is widely remembered as a modern reformist visionary.
Biography
Ganga Singh was born on the auspicious day of Vijay Dashmi on 13 October 1880 to Maharaj Shri Lal Singh Sahib and his wife Maji Shri Chandravatiji Sahiba.
He hailed from Royal Rajput family of Bikaner State. He was brother to Dungar Singh, whom he succeeded on 16 December 1888. He received his early education from Pandit Ram Chandra Dube. He was educated privately at Mayo College, Ajmer, where he studied for 5 years. Later on, he was tutored by Sir Brian Egerton, who also provided him administrative training. For military training, he was sent to Deoli in 1898 and attached to the 42nd Deoli Regiment, which had the reputation of being one of the finest regiments in India under the command of Lt. Col. Bell. He served in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1900). During the First World War, he commanded the Bikaner Camel Corps which served in France, Egypt and Palestine.
As a ruler, he established a Chief Court in Bikaner, presided over by a Chief Judge who was assisted by two judges. Bikaner was the first State in Rajasthan to take such a step. He announced the establishment of a Representative Assembly in 1913. He later established a High Court with a Chief Justice and two sub-judges by an edict in 1922. Maharaja Ganga Singhji was the first prince in Rajputana to grant full charter of powers to a high court. A life insurance and Endowment Assurance Scheme was introduced for the benefit of the employees. Also, facilities of a saving bank were made available to the people. He was one of the first rulers to introduce through legislation a Sharda Act by which child marriages were stopped.
He had a personal gun salute of 17-guns granted in 1918 and a permanent local gun salute of 19-guns granted in 1921. He was an Honorary ADC to the Prince of Wales when he visited the United Kingdom for the Coronation in 1902, later serving him when he became His Majesty King George V, the King-Emperor, in 1910. A Member of the Central Recruiting Board-India 1917, he represented India at the Imperial War Conference 1917, the Imperial War Cabinet and the Paris Peace Conference 1919 and was Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes from 1920–26. He also represented India as a delegate at the fifth session of the League of Nations in 1924.
As well, the Maharaja served as Patron of Benares Hindu University and Sri Bharat
Dharam Mahamandal, as Vice-President of East India Association and the Royal Colonial Institute, a Member of the Indian Gymkhana Club and of the Indian Army Temperance Association, the General Council of Mayo and Daly Colleges, the Indian Society of Oriental Art, the Indian Society-London, the Bombay Natural History Society, and was the first Member of the Indian Red Cross Society. Singh was a famous Indian freemason in his time. He was also the third Chairman of the Indian Public Schools Society (The Doon School) from 1929 to 1930.
Maharaja Ganga Singh married three times. In July 1897, he married Maharani Vallabh Kanwar (known in Bikaner as "Maharani Ranawatiji" in honour of her native clan), daughter of Maharawat Raghunath Singh Bahadur, ruler of Pratapgarh State; she bore three children and died in August 1906. In May 1899, Ganga Singh married the daughter of Thakur Sultan Singh of Sanwatsar (a feudal fief under Bikaner state itself). The lady, known in court as "Maharani Tanwarji" in honour of her native clan, died without progeny in 1922. In May 1908, Ganga Singh married Maharani Ajab Kanwar, daughter of Thakur Bahadur Singh of Bhikamkore under Jodhpur state. Known as "Maharani Sri Bhatianiji" in honour of her native clan, she bore three children and died in November 1945, surviving Ganga Singh by more than two years.
Construction of Lallgarh Palace
The palace was built between 1902 and 1926 in the Indo-Saracenic style. The building was commissioned by the British-controlled regency for Maharaja Ganga Singh (1881–1942) while he was still in his minority as they considered the existing Junagarh Fort unsuitable for a modern monarch. Ganga Singh decided that the palace should be named in memory of his father Maharaja Lall Singh. Ganga Singh was legendary for his shikaars (hunts) at his hunting preserve at Gajner, in particular, his Imperial Sand Grouse hunts at Christmas. As a result, the palace hosted many guests including Georges Clemenceau in 1920, Queen Mary, King George V, Lord Harding, and Lord Irwin. Lord Curzon was the palace's first notable guest. Stanley Reed, the official reporter of the 1905-06 India tour of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain) noted that "The Laxmi Niwas Palace is the most perfect modern building in the Indo-Saracenic style in India - an entirely graceful pile of carved red sandstone, nobly proportioned and harmonising entirely with its environment. Their Royal Highnesses have not been more splendidly housed since they landed in Bombay".
The complex was designed by the British architect Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob. After a ritual blessing ceremony construction commenced in 1896 on empty land 5 miles from the existing Junagarh Fort on what is now Dr. Karni Singhji Road. The palace was arranged around two courtyards with the first and most impressive wing, Laxmi Niwas completed in 1902.The remaining three wings were completed in stages with final completion of the complex accomplished in 1926. The palace was originally designed to cost 100,000 rupees due to the planned use of cheaper materials including the suggestion of using stucco instead of carved stone in the construction. Soon however all cost-cutting was abandoned and by time of the completion of the first wing the cost had increased to 1 million rupees due to the use of the finest materials including the widespread employment of finely carved stonework.
The three-storey complex is coated in red sandstone quarried from the Thar Desert. The complex contains the features considered essential for a late 19th-century palace: drawing rooms, smoking rooms, guest suites, several grand halls, lounges, cupolas, pavilions, including a dining room which could seat 400 diners. The complex features magnificent pillars, elaborate fireplaces, Italian colonnades and intricate latticework and filigree work. The Karni Niwas wing houses the darbar hall and an art deco indoor swimming pool.
Achivements
He constructed the Ganga Canal. He inspired people to come and settle in this new Command area. A large population settled there from the surrounding areas of Punjab. Among them the Sikh families mostly land owners, migrated to this region in the 1920s, when the canal was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh of the former Bikaner state bringing waters of the Satluj river from the adjoining Ferozepur District in Punjab. There were no permanent settlements in this area (except for a few towns under the old Bikaner state
He successfully dealt with the worst famine of the year 1899–1900 AD in the region. This famine inspired the young Maharaja to establish an irrigation system to get rid of the problem permanently.
He developed the city of Sri Ganganagar and its surrounding area as the most fertile grain bowl of Rajasthan
He also constructed the Lalgarh Palace at Bikaner (named in memory of his father Lall Singh) between 1902 and 1926.
He brought railways and an electricity network to the state.
He introduced prison reforms. Bikaner prisoners wove and crafted carpets of India that were sold in the international markets.
He established partial internal democracy such as election to the municipalities and appointed a council of ministers to aid and advice.
Some land reforms were also introduced.
He induced enterprising Industrialist and agriculturists from neighbouring state for starting new ventures in his state.
He built the existing temple above the Samadhi of Ramdev Pir at Ramdevra in year 1931.
Founder several schools and colleges, especially of women
He donated two ornately designed silver gates to be used as main doors of Karni Mata temple at Deshnok.
Death
He died 2 February 1943 in Bombay after a reign of 56 years, aged 62, and was succeeded by his son Sadul Singh.
Honours
British
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, 1st Class-1900
China War Medal (1900) – 1901 – which he received in person from the Prince of Wales on 2 July 1902, during a parade of Indian troops in London for the coronation festivities.
King Edward VII Coronation Medal-1902
Delhi Durbar Medal (gold)-1903
KCIE:Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire – 24 July 1901 – in recognition of services during the recent operations in China (Boxer Rebellion)
GCIE: Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire – 1907
King George V Coronation Medal-1911
Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1911 (KCSI-1904)
1914 Star-1914
Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John (GCStJ)-1914
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)-1918
British War Medal-1918
Victory Medal-1918
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)-1919
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) – New Year Honours 1921, for war service[7]
King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
Africa Star-1942
War Medal 1939–1945-1945 (posthumous)
1939-1945 Star-1945 (posthumous)
India Service Medal-1945 (posthumous)
Foreign honours
Grand Cross of the Order of Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse-1903
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile of Egypt-1918
Academic honours
Honorary LL.D (Cantab.)-1911
Honorary LL.D (Edinburgh)-1917
Honorary DCL (Oxon.)-1919
Honorary LL.D (Benares Hindu University)-1927
Honorary LL.D (Osmania University)-1927
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