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{{short description|Maharana of Danta (1925–1948)}}
{{infobox royalty
| title = [[Maharana]]
| succession = [[Maharana]] of [[Danta State|Danta]]
| reign = 19 November 1925 – 30 January 1948
| predecessor = [[Hamirsinhji]]
| successor = Prithvirajsinhji
| birth_date = {{birth date|1899|09|13|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{circa|1961}}
| house = {{flagicon image|Danta-estat.PNG}} [[Danta State|Danta]]
| father = [[Hamirsinhji]]
| dynasty = [[Parmar (clan)|Parmar]]
| module = {{Infobox person | embed=yes
| education = {{ubl|[[Mayo College]]}}
}}
}}
'''Bhawanisinhji''' (13 September 1899 – 1961) was the [[Maharana]] of [[Danta State|Danta]] from 1925 until 1948.

==Early life, family and education==
He was born to [[Hamirsinhji]] on 13 September 1899, and was educated at [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last= |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35717 |title=Report Of The Administration Of The Danta State For The Years 1941-42 Amp 1942-43 |date=1943 |pages=6–7}}</ref> He married firstly, in 1914, Vijay Kanwar, a daughter of Mool Singh, the [[Rao (title)|Rao]] of Dattigaon, secondly a daughter of Bhagwant Raj Bahadur Singh, the [[Raja]] of [[Sohawal State|Sohawal]], and thirdly a daughter of Pratap Singh of [[Auwa]].<ref name=":0" /> He had three sons, namely Prithvirajsinhji, Madhu Sudan Singh, and Raghubir Singh, and seven daughters, including Jitendra Kumari and Krishna Kumari.<ref name=":0" />

While he was heir-apparent of [[Danta State|Danta]], he was associated with the administration of the State and inaugurated a number of useful reforms.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Solomon |first=R. V. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=47sfj8DUwNgC |title=Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey |last2=Bond |first2=J. W. |date=2006 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=978-81-206-1965-4 |pages=669–674 |language=en}}</ref> In 1921, when the [[Bhil|Bhils]] of [[Kingdom of Mewar|Udaipur]] and the nearby states broke into revolt, the Bhils of Danta joined them.<ref name=":2" /> Seeing this, his father sent him to negotiate peace between the Bhils of their state.<ref name=":2" /> Following his father’s orders, he went into the hills to meet the Bhils and reminded them of the friendly relations that existed between their ancestors.<ref name=":2" /> He assured them that his father was not associated or connected in any way with the oppression that their fellows had faced and promised to resolve their issues.<ref name=":2" /> He fulfilled his word, and the Bhils of Danta returned to peace.<ref name=":2" />

==Reign==
Upon the death of his father, on 19 November 1925, he succeeded him as the [[Maharana]] of Danta, but it was not until 10 March 1926 that he ascended the throne.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bombay_a_Review_of_the_Administration_of/zmvRo5hTUTEC |title=Bombay, a Review of the Administration of the Presidency |date=1927 |publisher=Printed at the Government Central Press |pages=xxvi |language=en}}</ref> He instituted three orders in 1935–36, namely the Order of the Rajya Ratna Mandal, the Order of the Rajyalankar Mandal, and the Order of the Gunadarsha Mandal.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/eesc_indian-princely-medals-by-tony-mc-clenagan-1996-new-delhi-lancer-publishers |title=Indian Princely Medals By Tony Mc Clenagan 1996 New Delhi Lancer Publishers |pages=115}}</ref> During the [[Second World War]], he offered his personal services and the entire resources of his state at the disposal of [[His Majesty's Government]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bureau Of Public Information Government Of India |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.208550 |title=Indian Information Series July- Dec Vol-iii |date=1938 |pages=146–147}}</ref> Upon the [[partition of India]], he acceded his state to the [[Dominion of India]] by signing the [[Instrument of Accession|instrument of accession]] on 14 August 1947.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Constituent_Assembly_of_India_Legisl/RbKWcuF8HqEC |title=The Constituent Assembly of India (Legislative) Debates: Official Report |date=1947 |publisher=Manager of Publications |pages=214 |language=en}}</ref> He used to treat his subjects equally, without distinction of religion, caste, or creed, and it was due to his efforts that there were no communal tensions in his state at the time of the partition of India.<ref name=":2" />

== Abdication ==
When all the states in [[Gujarat]] were merged with [[Bombay]], leaving only Danta, Bhawanisinhji, who did not wish to renounce kingship, which he felt was entrusted to him by the Ambaji, after much thought informed [[V. K. Krishna Menon]] that, because of his religious inclinations and reduced interest in worldly matters, he was renouncing his throne in favour of his eldest son, Prithvirajsinhji.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mankekar |first=D. R. |url=http://archive.org/details/accessiontoextin0000mank |title=Accession to extinction : the story of Indian princes |date=1974 |publisher=Delhi : Vikas Pub. House |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7069-0300-3 |pages=132}}</ref> On 30 January 1948, he [[abdicated]] in favour of Prithvirajsinhji, who accordingly succeeded him.<ref name=":0" /> Prithvirajsinhji, on 16 October 1948, merged [[Danta State|Danta]] into [[Bombay]], and the following month handed over the administration to the provincial government.<ref name=":2" />

== Personal interests ==

=== Religion ===
He was a deeply religious man.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_Today/ebtmAAAAMAAJ |title=History Today |date=1995 |publisher=History Today Limited |pages=41–45 |language=en}}</ref> When his father, his first two wives, and two brothers died one after another, he began, in his spare moments, to compose [[hymn]]s to Ambaji, the tutelary goddess of his family.<ref name=":2" /> For his religious devotion, the [[Varanasi]] based Great Council of the Hindu Faith named him Ornament of the Hindu Faith in 1934.<ref name=":2" /> Following his abdication, he devoted himself to worshipping Ambaji.<ref name=":2" />

=== Scholastic ===
He was elected as a member of the working committee of [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]], on 26 August 1937, and was to remain in this office for three years.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.115655 |title=Annual Report On The Working Of Mayo College 1937 |pages=1}}</ref> He was again elected to the office on 26 August 1943, for a further three years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wingate |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.115650 |title=Report On The Mayo College Ajmer, Rajputana |date=1941 |pages=1}}</ref>

== Death ==
He died in 1961.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Soszynski |first=Henry |title=DANTA |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/d/danta.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803184937/http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/d/danta.html |archive-date=2017-08-03 |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=members.iinet.net.au}}</ref>

== Honours ==

=== Orders and decorations ===
He was created a [[Knight Commander]] of the [[Order of the Star of India]] on 2 January 1939.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |publisher=Manager of Publications Delhi |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.275348 |title=Memoranda On The Indian States 1939 |pages=300–301}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!Country
!Year
!Honour
!Class/Grade
!Ribbon
!Post-nominal letters
|-
|{{flagu|United Kingdom|name=United Kingdom}}
|1939
|[[Order of the Star of India]]
|[[Knight Commander]]
|[[File:UK Order of the Star of India ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|KCSI
|-
|{{flagicon image|Danta-estat.PNG}} [[Danta State|Danta]]
|1935–36
|Order of the Rajya Ratna Mandal
|Sovereign
|
|
|-
|{{flagicon image|Danta-estat.PNG}} [[Danta State|Danta]]
|1935–36
|Order of the Rajyalankar Mandal
|Sovereign
|
|
|-
|{{flagicon image|Danta-estat.PNG}} [[Danta State|Danta]]
|1935–36
|Order of the Gunadarsha Mandal
|Sovereign
|
|
|}

==References==
<references />

[[Category:1899 births]]
[[Category:1961 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Mayo College alumni]]
[[Category:People from British India]]
[[Category:People from Gujarat]]

Bhawanisinhji - Revision history

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