Bhupinder Singh of Patiala

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE (Punjabi: ਭੁਪਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ; 12 October 1891, Patiala–23 March 1938, Patiala) was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala from 1900 to 1938.

Biography

He was born at the Moti Bagh Palace , Patiala , and educated at Aitchison College. At age 9, he succeeded as maharaja of Patiala state upon death of his father, Maharaja Rajinder Singh, on 9 November 1900. A Council of Regency ruled in his name until he took partial powers shortly before his 18th birthday on 1 October 1909, and was invested with full powers by the Viceroy of India, the 4th Earl of Minto, on 3 November 1910.



He served on the General Staff in France, Belgium, Italy and Palestine in the First World War as an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel, and was promoted Honorary Major-General in 1918 and Honorary Lieutenant-General in 1931. He represented India at the League of Nations in 1925, and was chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes for 10 years between 1926 and 1938, also being a representative at the Round Table Conference. He married 365 times, and had many children by his wives and concubines.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh was the first man in India to own an aircraft, which he bought from the United Kingdom in the first decade of the twentieth century. For his aircraft he had an airstrip at Patiala built.

He was well known for...
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