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Adding the post basic info

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{{Short description|Regent of Bharatpur from 1900 to 1918}}
{{Orphan|date=October 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Giriraj Kaur
| title = Maaji Sahiba
| image = Maaji Sahiba with her son.png
| succession = Regent of [[Bharatpur State]]
| reign = 27 August 1900 – 28 November 1918
| reign-type =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_place =
| death_date = 24 August 1922
| death_place = [[Lohagarh Fort]], [[Bharatpur, Rajasthan]], [[British Raj]] (now [[India]])
| burial_place =
| consort = yes
| spouse = [[Ram Singh of Bharatpur|Ram Singh]]
| issue = [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]]
| house = [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]] (by marriage)
}}

'''Giriraj Kaur''' was a Maharani of [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]] as the wife of [[Ram Singh of Bharatpur|Ram Singh]]. After her husband's deposition in 1900, she was the regent of Bharatpur during the minority of her son [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]].

== Background ==
She was the daughter of the Zamindar of Deoli in Bharatpur and married [[Ram Singh of Bharatpur|Ram Singh]], the Maharaja of [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]], as his second wife.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayley |first=C. S. |url=https://archive.org/details/chiefsleadingfam00csba |title=Chiefs and leading families in Rajputana |date=2004 |publisher=New Delhi : Asian Educational Services |others=Public Resource |isbn=978-81-206-1066-8 |pages=92}}</ref> She had a son with her husband, [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]], who was born on 4 October 1899 at Moti Mahal, [[Bharatpur, Rajasthan|Bharatpur]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Purushotam Vishram Mawjee |url=https://archive.org/details/DurbarAlbum1/ |title=(1911) Imperial durbar album of the Indian princes, chiefs and zamindars, Vol. I. |date=1911 |pages=41}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfUvAQAAIAAJ |title=Encyclopaedia Indica: Princely states in colonial India-I |date=1996 |publisher=Anmol Publications |isbn=978-81-7041-859-7 |pages=144 |language=en}}</ref>

== Regent of Bharatpur ==
Her husband, [[Ram Singh of Bharatpur|Ram Singh]], visited [[Mount Abu]] in 1900, where he killed one of his private servants.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Ajmer-Merwara (India) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfo4AQAAMAAJ |title=Report on the Administration of Ajmer-Merwara |date=1902 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Department |first=India Foreign and Political |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7If217KeokC |title=A Collection of Treaties, Engagements and Sanads, Relating to India and Neighbouring Countries |date=1909 |publisher=Superintendent Government Printing, India |pages=262 |language=en}}</ref> As a consequence, he was deposed by the Government of India on 27 August 1900,<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=Kumara Padmanabha Sivasankara |url=https://archive.org/details/manyworlds0000unse/ |title=Many Worlds: An Autobiography |date=1965 |others=Internet Archive |publication-date=1965 |pages=160}}</ref> and his infant son, [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]], was installed on the same date on the throne of Bharatpur.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> During his minority, his mother, Giriraj Kaur, acted as regent from 27 August 1900 to 28 November 1918, until he came of age.<ref name=":0" /> She sent her son to [[Mayo College]], [[Ajmer]], and appointed special tutors to guide his studies.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.8408 |title=Speeches by lord Hardinge of Penshurst : viceroy and governor-general of India |date=1913 |publisher=Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta |pages=434}}</ref>

She was granted the [[Order of the Crown of India|Imperial Order of the Crown of India]] in the [[1918 New Year Honours]] list.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Committee |first=Indian National Congress British |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHI-AQAAMAAJ |title=India |date=1918 |publisher=Published for the Proprietors, Indian National Congress |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref> She took great interest in the art of her country, particularly in architecture and gardening, and was compared to Nawab [[Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal|Shahjahan]], Begum of [[Bhopal State|Bhopal]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ouFFAQAAMAAJ |title=Country Life |date=1915 |pages=831 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Visits to England ===
During her son [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]]'s minority, she, along with him, extended visits to [[England]] in 1908 and 1910 for the benefit of his health and were presented to [[George V]] and [[Mary of Teck]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/aclarch0000269a296/page/ |title=ACL-ARCH 00269 Indian Princes And The Crown |pages=92}}</ref>

=== After regency ===
On 28 November 1918, [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]] was invested with full ruling powers by [[Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford|Viscount Chelmsford]], thereby becoming the ''[[de facto]]'' ruler of [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chelmsford |first=Frederic John Napier Thesiger |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924073030821 |title=Speeches by Lord Chelmsford, viceroy and governor general of India |date=1919 |publisher=Simla : Printed at the Government Monotype Press |others=Cornell University Library |pages=115–121}}</ref> [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]] wasted so much money that he nearly bankrupted [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]].<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |date=1995-07-13 |title=OBITUARY:The Maharaja of Bharatpur |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-the-maharaja-of-bharatpur-1591345.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> In 1924 alone, he spent 7.8 million rupees, which was more than twice the State's income.<ref name=":8" /> His mother, during her lifetime, had striven her best to stop his excesses.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lothian |first=sir Arthur Cunningham |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.142939 |title=Kingdoms Of Yesterday |date=1951 |pages=97}}</ref>

== Delhi Durbars ==
{{Main|Delhi Durbar}}She attended the Delhi Durbars of 1903 and 1911.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VxQiAQAAMAAJ |title=The Historical Record of the Imperial Visit to India, 1911 |date=1914 |publisher=government of India |pages=127–128 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Durbar of 1903 ===
She, along with her son, [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]], then only three years, attended the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1903.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.7733 |title=History of the Delhi Coronation Durbar : held on the first of January 1903 to celebrate the Coronation of his Majesty King Edward vii Emperor of India |date=1904 |publisher=John Murray Albemarle, London |pages=107–108}}</ref>

=== Durbar of 1911 ===
She, along with her son, [[Kishan Singh of Bharatpur|Kishan Singh]], attended the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1911, and at a reception held on 13 December 1911 by [[Winifred Hardinge, Baroness Hardinge of Penshurst|Winifred Hardinge]], she was presented to [[Mary of Teck]].<ref name=":7" />

== Philanthropy ==

=== Lady Hardinge Medical College ===
{{Main|Lady Hardinge Medical College}}
She contributed a sum of Rs. 7,500 for the marble flooring of the entrance hall of [[Lady Hardinge Medical College]], which is named after [[Winifred Hardinge, Baroness Hardinge of Penshurst|Winifred Hardinge]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Penshurst |first=Charles Hardinge Baron Hardinge of |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DCc3AQAAMAAJ |title=Speeches |date=1916 |publisher=Superintendent, Government Print., India |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref>

== World War I ==
During [[World War I]], she placed all the resources of her State at the disposal of the Government of India,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OqjAAAAMAAJ |title=United Empire |date=1916 |pages=148 |language=en}}</ref> including two motor cars and a chauffeur, with all expenses covered, and contributed Rs. 2,000 to the Indian Relief Fund.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pati |first=Budheswar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASZvjTV1LdUC |title=India and the First World War |date=1996 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=978-81-7156-581-8 |pages=23 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Provinces (India) |first=Central |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNeZEAnpW_gC |title=The Central Provinces Gazette |date=1914 |pages=8 |language=en}}</ref>

== Moti Mahal Palace ==
In 1916, she built the Moti Mahal Palace in white sandstone.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Scott |first=Jack Denton |url=https://archive.org/details/forestsofnight00scot |title=Forests of the night |date=1959 |publisher=New York, Rinehart |others=Internet Archive |pages=181}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/BharatpurState |title=BharatpurState |pages=4}}</ref>

== Death ==
She died at [[Lohagarh Fort]], [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]] on 24 August 1922.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Meena |first=R. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RH--DwAAQBAJ |title=RPSC RAS Prelims: History of Rajasthan Complete Study Notes With MCQ |publisher=New Era Publication |language=en}}</ref>

== Honours ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Year
!Honour
!Class
!'''Ribbon'''
!Post-nominal letters
|-
|{{flagu|British Raj|name=British India}}
|1903
|[[Delhi Durbar Medal (1903)]]<ref name=":4" />
|Gold
|[[File:Delhi_Durbar_1903_ribbon.jpg|70x70px]]
|
|-
|{{flagu|British Raj|name=British India}}
|1911
|[[Delhi Durbar Medal (1911)]]<ref name=":7" />
|Gold
|[[File:UK_King_George_V_Coronation_Medal_ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|
|-
|{{flagu|British Raj|name=British India}}
|1918
|[[Order of the Crown of India|Imperial Order of the Crown of India]]<ref name=":6" />
|
|[[File:UK_Order_of_the_Crown_of_India_ribbon.svg|70x70px]]
|CI
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaur, Giriraj}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:1922 deaths]]

Giriraj Kaur - Revision history

Stormy43P6: Adding the post basic info