Pratap Singh of Idar


Pratap Singh, was a career British Indian Army officer, Maharaja of the princely state of Idar and heir to Ahmednagar later renamed as Himmatnagar from 1902 to 1911, when he abdicated in favour of his adopted son.

Early life

Singh was born on 22 October 1845. He was the third son of Takht Singh of Jodhpur the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and his first wife, Gulab Kunwarji Maji. He was educated privately, and little is known of his early life. He received administrative training under Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur, whose brother Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur then invited him to his State.

Administrator and Regent

From 1878 to 1895, Singh served as Chief Minister for Jodhpur following his father's death in 1873 and his eldest brother's succession to the throne. After his brother's death in 1895, he served as regent for his fifteen-year-old nephew and heir to the Jodhpur throne until 1898, then again for his grandnephew from 1911 to 1918 and finally for his second grandnephew from 1918 until his own death in 1922. In total, Pratap Singh had served four rulers of Jodhpur for over four decades. Following the death of the ruler of Idar in 1901, Pratap Singh was Maharajah of that state from 1902 until he resigned in 1911 to return to Jodhpur. He travelled to Europe often and was close to Queen Victoria and her family, serving as aide-de-camp to Edward VII from 1887 to 1910. He was especially close towards his son, the future George V of the United Kingdom.

Soldier of the Empire

Commissioned in the Jodhpur Risalda in 1878, Singh served during the Second Afghan War and was mentioned in dispatches. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1887, served under General Ellis in 1897 and served in the Tirah Campaign in 1898 under General William Lockhart, during which he was wounded. Promoted to an Honorary Colonel the same year, he commanded the Jodhpur contingent during the Boxer Rebellion and was promoted to an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. In late 1901 he accepted the post of honorary commandant of the Imperial Cadet Corps under Lord Curzon, and was promoted to the honorary rank of Major-General on 9 August 1902. Even as an elderly man of 70, Sir Pratap commanded his regiments heroically during the First World War in France and Flanders from 1914-1915 and in the Palestine Mandate at Haifa and Aleppo. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1916.

Later years

In 1911, Pratap abdicated the gadi of Idar in favour of his adopted son and nephew, Daulat Singh. Following his wartime service and a final stint as Regent of Jodhpur, Singh died at Jodhpur on 4 September 1922.

Honours



Singh's honours included: