| Hari Singh | |
| Succession: | Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir |
| Reign: | 23 September 1925 — 17 November 1952 |
| Predecessor: | Pratap Singh |
| Coronation: | 29 March 1926[1] |
| Successor: | Monarchy abolished |
| Regent: | Karan Singh (1949–1952) |
| Issue: | Karan Singh |
| House: | Dogra |
| Father: | Amar Singh |
| Mother: | Bhotiali Chib |
| Birth Date: | 9 1895 df=y |
| Birth Place: | Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, British India |
| Death Place: | Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Religion: | Hinduism |
Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became the new Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. After Indian Independence in 1947, Singh wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain as an independent kingdom. He was required to accede to the Dominion of India to get the support of Indian troops against an invasion by tribal armed men and the Pakistan Army into his state. Singh remained the titular Maharaja of the state until 1952, when the monarchy was abolished by the Indian government. After spending his final days in Bombay, he died on 26 April 1961.
Singh was a controversial ruler. He faced an agitation in Kashmir in 1931 and successful rebellions in Poonch and Gilgit-Baltistan. He was complicit in 1947 Jammu massacres.
Hari Singh was born in September 1895 at the palace of Amar Mahal, Jammu. He was the only surviving son of Raja Amar Singh,[2] the brother of Maharaja Pratap Singh, then the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Since the Maharaja had no issue, Hari Singh was heir presumptive to the throne of Jammu and Kashmir.
In 1903, Hari Singh served as a page of honour to Lord Curzon at the grand Delhi Durbar. At the age of 13, he was sent to Mayo College in Ajmer. A year later, in 1909, his father died and the British took a keen interest in his education, appointing Major H. K. Brar as his guardian. After Mayo College, Hari Singh went to the British-run Imperial Cadet Corps at Dehradun for military training.[3]
He was appointed the commander-in-chief of the State Forces in 1915 by Maharaja Pratap Singh.[4]
Following the death of his uncle Pratap Singh on 23 September 1925, Hari Singh served as the second Prime Minister (1925–1926) of Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh ascended the throne of Jammu and Kashmir in February 1926 under British intervention, who overruled Pratap Singh's choice of an adopted son, Raja Jagat Dev Singh of Poonch.[5] [6]
Hari Singh's coronation from 22 to 28 February 1926 was divided into two separate ceremonies - the first few days for the religious ceremonies and official programme in the latter part was set aside for hosting the European attendees.[7] After becoming the ruler, Hari Singh conducted free elections and formed the Praja Sabha Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to rule with laws implemented under Ranbir Penal Code (R.P.C) which Praja Sabha decreed.[8] In April 1932, as per recommendations of the Glancy Commission, the Praja Sabha was established, made up of 75 members – 12 government officials, 16 state councillors, 14 nominated, and 33 elected (21 Muslims, 10 Hindus and 2 Sikhs). By September 1934 the elected members started making laws under the Praja Sabha which made Jammu and Kashmir a forerunner state for other Princely Indian States. On 7 September 1939 Maharaja Hari Singh and his law and Revenue Minister, Justice Sir Lal Gopal Mukherjee, a former judge of the Allahabad high court (1926–1934) who had served the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1935 to 1940, produced a written constitution for Jammu and Kashmir which was the "pioneer" in the annals of Asia's constitutional history; despite the fact that it was anything but a people-friendly "Magna Carta" for the state.[9] He made primary education compulsory in the state, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage, and opened places of worship to low caste subjects.[10]
In 1930, Hari Singh attended the First Round Table Conference in London. He suggested that the Indian Princely states should join an “All India Federation” and pleaded for equal status for Indians in the British Commonwealth of Nations. While replying to the inaugural address by King-Emperor George V, Hari Singh said:
In 1947, after India gained independence from British rule, Jammu and Kashmir had the option of joining one of the new dominions, India and Pakistan, or remaining independent. Hari Singh opted to remain independent for the immediate future since the dominions were beset with partition violence and he needed time to weigh the options in the context of his Muslim-majority population. In October 1947, he faced an armed uprising in Poonch instigated by the Muslim Conference party, followed by Pakistan-backed Pashtun tribal invasion.
Hari Singh appealed to India for help following the invasion.[11] India's British Governor-General, Lord Mountbatten, advised the Maharaja to accede to India before India could send its troops. The Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, joining the princely state to the Dominion of India.[12] [13] [14] India sent troops to repel the invaders, which soon evolved into the first Indo-Pakistan War.
Pressure from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel eventually compelled Singh to appoint his son and heir, Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh, as Prince Regent of Jammu and Kashmir in 1949, although he remained the titular Maharaja of the state until 1952 when the monarchy was abolished by Nehru's government. He was also forced to appoint the popular Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah as the prime minister of Kashmir. He had a contentious relationship with both Nehru and Abdullah.[15] Karan Singh was appointed 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' ('Head of State') in 1952 and Governor of the State in 1964.[15]
After signing the instrument of accession with India, Hari Singh was banished from Jammu and Kashmir. He spent the rest of his life in Bombay. He died on 26 April 1961, after fourteen years of banishment. As per his will, his ashes were brought to Jammu and spread all over Jammu and Kashmir, and immersed in the Tawi River at Jammu.[16]
In 1921, Singh paid £300,000 (approximately £ in today's value) to a prostitute who blackmailed him. The issue resulted in a court case in London in 1924 during which the India Office tried to keep his name out of proceedings by arranging for him to be referred to as Mr. A.[4] India Office in Britain decided to close the files for a hundred years rather than the usual thirty years as the case involved espionage.[26]
Hari Singh was known as a lavish spender of money. In the funeral of his uncle and former ruler, Pratap Singh, he is believed to have spent excessive gold and jewellery in the funeral pyre.[27]
Singh married four times as he faced disturbances in his private life. Two of his wives passed away childless and a third Rajasthani bride was sent back with honour, to her parents' house as the couple could not establish an emotional connection.[28] Also, Hari Singh faced political and domestic conspiracies at this time and thought it appropriate to send back the third wife to safety. With his last wife, Tara Devi Sahiba of Kangra, he had a son, Karan Singh.[27]
| No. | Name | Date of marriage | Fate of marriage | Issue and fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rani Sri Lal Kunverba Sahiba | 7 May 1913 | Ended with her death | Died during pregnancy in 1915. No issue. |
| 2 | Rani Sahiba Chamba | 8 November 1915 | Ended with her death | Died 31 January 1920. No issue. |
| 3 | Maharani Dhanvant Kunveri Baiji Sahiba | 30 April 1923 | Ended | Died young. No issue. |
| 4 | Maharani Tara Devi Sahiba of Kangra | 1928 | Separated | Separated in 1950. Died in 1967. Mother of Karan Singh |
As Maharaja, Hari Singh's full style was: