| Lakshraj Prakash | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja | |
| Maharaja of Sirmur | |
| Reign | 15 May 2013Template:Sndashpresent |
| Coronation | 15 May 2013 |
| Predecessor | Rajendra Prakash |
| Born | Lakshraj Singh 24 March 2004 |
| House | Sirmur |
| Dynasty | |
| Father | Narendra Singh |
| Mother | Diya Kumari |
| Education | |
| 2= | |
Lakshraj Prakash (Hindi: लक्षराज प्रकाश; born 24 March 2004) has been the head of the Royal House of Sirmur since 2013.
Early life, education, and family[edit | edit source]
Lakshraj Prakash was born on 24 March 2004 as the younger child of Narendra Singh and his wife, Diya Kumari.[1][2] His mother is the only daughter of Bhawani Singh and Padmini Devi.[1][3] Lakshraj has an elder brother Padmanabh Singh and an elder sister Gauravi Kumari.[1] Lakshraj was educated at private schools, beginning at Mayo College in Ajmer and continuing at Millfield in Street, Somerset.[2] In 2023 Lakshraj enrolled at the Queen Mary University of London in England.[2]
In November 2022, he attended the Le Bal des débutantes in Paris with Leah Behn.[4][5]
Succession[edit | edit source]
Upon the death of Rajendra Prakash on 13 November 1964, the title, rank, and dignity of the Maharaja of Sirmur lapsed, as he left no male heir.[6] He was married to two consorts: Durga Devi and Indira Devi.[6] With Durga Devi, he had a daughter, Nalini Devi; with Indira Devi, he had another daughter, Padmini Devi.[6] Durga Devi adopted her maternal grandson, Udai Singh, as the successor to her late husband.[6] This adoption, and the succession it implied, was neither recognised by the Government of India nor accepted by the wider royal family or clan.[2]
Approximately forty-nine years after the death of Rajendra Prakash, members of the royal family of Sirmur, along with senior nobles of the former state, assembed in Jaipur on 17 March 2014.[2] There, they approached Padmini Devi and requested that her maternal grandson, Lakshraj Prakash, be sent to Sirmur to assume the throne, which had remained unoccupied since the death of her father.[2] With the consent of both Padmini Devi and the parents of Lakshraj Prakash, he was formally inducted into the Atri gotra of the royal house on 13 April 2013.[2][7]
He ascended the throne of Sirmur at the Palace in Nahan following his raj tilak (transl. Coronation) on 15 May 2013.[2][8] On this occasion, Ajay Bahadur Singh presented him with the sword of Guru Gobind Singh, which had originally been given by the Guru to the ancestors of the royal family.[8] As was a minor at the time, Ajay Bahadur Singh was appointed regent until he attained the age of majority.[2] His title holds no official status under Indian law, as the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of India abolished the formal recognition of royal titles, privileges, and associated entitlements previously granted to the rulers of princely states.[9]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Soszynski, Henry. "JAIPUR". members.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Archives, Royal (26 July 2025). "Sirmur (Princely State)". Royal Archives. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ Taknet, D. K.; IntegralDMS (7 July 2016). Jaipur: Gem of India. IntegralDMS. pp. 184–185. ISBN 978-1-942322-05-4.
- ↑ Sigvaldsen, Bent Are (6 December 2022). "På innsiden av elite-ballet". Se og Hør (in norsk bokmål). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "le Bal 2022". Le Bal | Le Bal des Debutantes Paris. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Soszynski, Henry. "SIRMUR". members.iinet.net.au. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ "Dimple Kapadia at the coronation ceremony of Maharaja of Sirmaur at the Nahan Palace in Himachal Pradesh". The Times of India. 10 January 2014. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "9-year-old Jaipur prince becomes Maharaja of Sirmaur". India Today. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ Parliament of India (1971). The Constitution of India (26th Amendment) Act 1971. pp. 813–814.