Indian history for children: The small kingdom of Bharatpur and its fabulous kings

The maharajas of the British princely states, spread across the map of India, from east to west and north to south, were as different as chalk and cheese – different religions, different languages, different customs. Did they have anything in common at all?

Strangely, they did.

• Their ancestors came from small beginnings and laid the foundations for great kingdoms to be.

• They became British subsidiaries, for their own protection, but remained sovereign.

• They were groomed by English nannies and British tutors. i They went to study at the Mayo College in Ajmer or schools and universities in the UK.

• They were great sportsmen, expert marksmen and brave soldiers.

• They enjoyed immense wealth and loved to flaunt their jewellery.

• They were known for their hospitality and their love of hunting.

• They were Western in thought and deed but completely Indian or desi at heart.

• Most importantly, barring a few eccentric exceptions, the maharajas cared deeply for the welfare of their people.

And the royal house of Bharatpur was no different.

Tracing its ancestry to the 11th-century Jat chieftains, Bharatpur, named after Lord Rama’s younger brother, Bharat, was created out of the hamlets around Delhi, Agra and Mathura. It is said that much later, Gokula, a local chieftain of the Sinsinawar Jat clan, was...

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