imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Indian philanthropists in subcat using Cat-a-lot

2021-07-11T17:30:03Z

Removing from Category:Indian philanthropists in subcat using Cat-a-lot

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = [[Maharajadhiraj]] [[Mirza]] [[Maharao]] [[Sri]] [[Sir]]<br>Vijayarajaji Khengarji
| title = [[Sawai (title)|Sawai]] [[Baghatur|Bahadur]], [[GBE (Order of the British Empire)|GBE]]
| titletext =
| more =
| type =
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| succession = [[Rao of Cutch|Maharaja of Kutch]]
| moretext =
| reign = 15 January 1942 – 26 January 1948
| reign-type =
| coronation =
| cor-type =
| predecessor = [[Khengarji III]]
| pre-type =
| successor = [[Madansinhji]]
| suc-type =
| regent =
| reg-type =

| succession3 =
| moretext3 =
| reign3 =
| reign-type3 =
| coronation3 =
| cor-type3 =
| predecessor3 =
| pre-type3 =
| successor3 =
| suc-type3 =
| regent3 =
| reg-type3 =

| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1885|9|2|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1948|02|26|1885|9|2|df=y}}
| death_place =
| burial_date =
| burial_place =
| spouse = Padmakunwar Ba
| spouse-type = Spouse
| consort =
| issue = [[Meghraji]]
| issue-link =
| issue-pipe =
| issue-type =
| full name =
| era name =
| era dates =
| regnal name =
| posthumous name =
| temple name =
| house = [[Jadeja]] [[Rajput]]
| house-type = Dynasty
| father = [[Khengarji III]]
| mother =
| religion =
| occupation =
| signature_type =
| signature =
}}

'''[[Maharajadhiraj]] [[Mirza]] [[Maharao]] [[Sri]] [[Sir]] Vijayarajaji Khengarji [[Sawai (title)|Sawai]] [[Baghatur|Bahadur]]''', [[GBE (Order of the British Empire)|GBE]] (2 September 1885 – 26 February 1948) was the ruling [[Rao of Cutch]] from 1942 to his death in 1948.<ref>[http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/misc/kutch_tree.html Jadeja Rulers of Kutch - Lineage] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613165408/http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/misc/kutch_tree.html |date=13 June 2011 }}</ref><ref name=B>[http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/k/kutch.html Kutch] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605032616/http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/k/kutch.html |date=5 June 2011 }}</ref>

As [[Yuvraj]], Sir Vijayrajaji worked closely with his father, [[Khengarji III]], and often was left to administer the state during his father's frequent journeys abroad.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

He was married on 6 March 1907 to HH Maharani Shri Padmakunwar Ba Sahiba, daughter of HH Maharao Kesari Singhji Bahadur of [[Sirohi]] and had several issues.<ref name=B/>

He built upon his father's reforms, instituting the Kutch High Court, elected village councils and greatly expanded irrigation works and agricultural development in the state during short span of six years of his rule. He took keen interest in irrigation projects and took advice of experts for the matter and it was during his reign the famous Vijaysagar reservoir was built with an irrigation capacity of almost 4047 hectors.<ref name=w>{{cite book|title=The Politics and Poetics of Water: The Naturalisation of Scarcity in Western ... By Lyla Mehta|year=2005|page=87,88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-wgujkjzZkC&pg=PA395&dq=vijayaraji&hl=en&sa=X&ei=N_vcUYf4OcXmrAeq44H4Dg&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=vijayaraji&f=false}}</ref> A total of 22 dams, mostly earthen, were constructed during his reign of six years, which even today stand to test of time.<ref name=w/> Also in his reign Cutch became the third princely state after [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]] and [[Travancore State|Travancore]] to start its own bus transport services beginning in year 1945.<ref>State Transport Undertakings: Structure, Growth and Performance by P. Jagdish Gandhi - 1998- Page 37</ref> Sir Vijayrajaji was a [[botanist]] and [[ornithologist]].<ref>Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, Volume 68, 1971, pp:42</ref> In years 1942–45, he funded and facilitated [[Salim Ali]]'s survey of the birds of Kutch.<ref name="Khachar, Lavkumar 2008">Khachar, Lavkumar (2008). "Obituary. [[Himmatsinhji M. K.|Himmatsinhji]] October 9, 1928 to February 22, 2008". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 105 (1): 86.</ref> He enjoyed cricket, football, tennis, sculling and loved going on [[Hunting#Shikar (India)|shikar]].{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
[[File:VIJAYA-VILAS palace.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Vijaya Vilas Palace]] at [[Mandvi]] named after Sri Vijayarajaji]]
He preferred to live in the [[Vijay Vilas Palace]] at [[Mandvi]], which was built during reign of his father [[Khengarji III|Maharaja Kehngarji]], for him in year 1929 and was named after him.

He was awarded [[Grand Cross|Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] by British in 1945.<ref>The India Office and Burma Office List -1945- Page 70</ref>

In year 1947, upon advice of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], {{convert|15000|acre|km2}} of land was donated by Shri Vijayrajji for re-settlement of refugee [[Hindu]] [[Sindhis|Sindhi]] community, who had migrated across the border into Kutch from [[Sindh]] area of [[Pakistan]] upon [[partition of India]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sindhology.org/sindhiyat.asp |title=Maharaja of Kutch on advice of Gandhi, gave 15000 acres of land to Bhai Pratab, who founded Sindhu Resettlement Corporation to rehabilitate Sindhi Hindus uprooted from their motherland. |access-date=2010-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107184623/http://www.sindhology.org/sindhiyat.asp |archive-date=2010-01-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The towns of [[Gandhidham]] and [[Adipur]] were developed on this land donated by him.{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}

He acceded the [[Princely State of Cutch]] to the [[Dominion of India]] on 16 August 1947, which thus became the first princely state to accede into India. As he was in London at the time India gained independence, he took a decision from there only and the [[Instrument of Accession]] of Kutch was signed on his behalf by his heir & son [[Meghraji]], on his behalf.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=20yC9Lp4JtIC&pg=PA78&dq=acceded+to+india,+kutch&hl=en&ei=s2iyTbbkI8vRrQfX45nIDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=acceded%20to%20india%2C%20kutch&f=false] International Law Report, 1950</ref> He died on 26 January 1948, aged 62 and was succeeded by his eldest son and [[Yuvraj]], Meghraji.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} His youngest son, [[Himmatsinhji M. K.|Himmatsinhji]], was also noted and earned a name as [[ornithologist]] and served as member of 3rd [[Lok Sabha]] for Kutch constituency.<ref name="Khachar, Lavkumar 2008"/>

The [[Chhatri]] of Vijayarajaji, his cenotaph, is located within campus of Vijaya Vilas Palace at Mandavi.

==Titles==
{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*1885-1942: [[Maharajkumar]] [[Shri]] Vijayrajsinhji Khengarji, [[Yuvraj]] [[Sahib]] of [[Cutch State|Cutch]]
*1942-1945: [[Colonel]] [[His Highness]] [[Maharajadhiraj]] [[Mirza]] [[Maharao]] Shri Vijayarajji Sawai Bahadur, [[Maharao]] of Cutch
*1945-1948: Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Shri [[Sir]] Vijayarajji Sawai Bahadur, Maharao of Cutch, [[Order of the British Empire|GBE]]

==Honours==
{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*[[Delhi Durbar Medal]] (Silver) - 1911
*[[King George V Silver Jubilee Medal]], 1935
*[[King George VI Coronation Medal]], 1937
*[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]] (GBE), 1945
*[[Indian Independence Medal]], 1947

==Political Office==
{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Jadeja|Jadeja Dynasty]]||2 September 1885||26 February 1948}}
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Khengarji III]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Cutch State|Maharaja of Kutch]]|years=1942-48}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Madansinhji]]}}
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:1885 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Maharajas of Kutch]]
[[Category:Hindu monarchs]]
[[Category:Indian royalty]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Indian ornithologists]]
[[Category:Indian naturalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian botanists]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian zoologists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian zoologists]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian botanists]]
[[Category:Scientists from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:20th-century naturalists]]

Vijayarajaji - Revision history

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: Removing from Category:Indian philanthropists in subcat using Cat-a-lot