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{{Short description|Princely state of India}}
#REDIRECT [[Bikaner]]
{{About|the princely state during the British Raj |the natural and historical region|History of Bikaner}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2015}}

{{Infobox former country
|today=[[Rajasthan]], [[India]]
|religion=[[Hinduism]] {{small|([[state religion]])}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2171/1/20346_1931_BIK.pdf|title=Kingdom of Bikaner, Part I, Vol-I, Rajasthan – Linguistic Survey Of India|website=LSOI|access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref>
|event_end=[[Independence of India]]
|population_estimate_year=1931
|population_estimate=936,218
|year_end=1947
|year_start=1465
|s1=India
|flag_s1 = Flag of India.svg
|official_languages=[[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]] and [[Hindi]]
|image_coat=Bikaner coat of arms.jpg
|national_motto=''"Jai Jungaldhar Badshah"''<br/>{{small|Victory to the king of deserts}}
|demonym=Bikaner
|native_name=बीकानेर रियासत
|conventional_long_name=State of Bikaner
|area_km2=60391
|image_map=Map of Bikaner.jpg
|image_flag=Flag of Bikaner.svg
|map_caption=Bikaner State with [[Rajputana]], in the [[Imperial Gazetteer of India]] (1909).
}}

[[File:Laxmi Niwas Palace Bikaner.JPG|thumb|275px|Bikaner Laxmi Niwas Palace]]
[[File:Elephant Hunt of Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|275px|Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner hunting elephants]]
[[File:Le fort Junagarh (Bikaner) (8441306001).jpg|thumb|Honorific insignia in gold offered to the Maharaja of Bikaner by the [[Mughal Emperor]].]]
[[File:Raja Karan Singh of Bikaner, Auranzeb's ally and enemy.jpg|thumb|Raja Karan Singh of Bikaner, [[Aurangzeb]]'s ally and enemy.]]
[[File:Ganga Singh of Bikaner 1914.jpg|thumb|[[Maharaja]] [[Ganga Singh]] of Bikaner with his son [[Sadul Singh]] in 1914.]]
[[File:Bikaner Camel Corps.jpg|thumb|Bikaner Camel Corps]]
[[File:Bîkâner-Junagarh Fort-41-Darbar Hall-20131008.jpg|thumb|Board of combat daggers at the Darbar Hall]]

'''Bikaner State''' was the [[princely state|Princely State]] in the north-western most part of the [[History of Bikaner|Rajputana]] province of imperial [[British India]] from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state [[Rao Bika]] was a younger son of [[Rao Jodha]] ruler of and founder of the city of [[Jodhpur State|Jodhpur]] in [[Marwar]]. Rao Bika chose to establish his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father's. Bika defeated the Jat clans of [[Jangladesh]] which today refers to the north and north-western [[Rajasthan]] along with his uncle Rao Kandhal and his adviser Vikramji Rajpurohit and founded his own kingdom. Its capital was the city of [[Bikaner]].

The state was noted for the [[Bikaner style of painting|Bikaner style of Miniature Painting]].<ref>Harle, J. C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'', 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press. ([[Pelican History of Art]]). {{ISBN|0300062176}}.</ref>

Covering a vast area of {{convert|60391|km2|sqmi|abbr= on}}Bikaner State was the second largest state under the [[Rajputana Agency]] after [[Jodhpur State]] with a revenue of Rs.26,00,000 in the year 1901.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V08_220.gif|title = Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 8, page 214 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library}}</ref> Heeding the 1947 call of [[Vallabhbhai Patel|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]] to integrate the princely states into the new independent India, Bikaner's last ruler, [[Sadul Singh of Bikaner|Maharaja Sadul Singh]], advised by his ''[[dewan]]'' [[K. M. Panikkar]] a respected historian was one of the first rulers of a princely state to display willingness to join the [[Dominion of India|Indian Union]]. By issuing a public appeal in April 1947 to his fellow princes to join the [[Constituent Assembly of India]] the Maharaja of Bikaner set an example for other heads of the native states to follow.<ref>
[[Ramachandra Guha]], ''[[India after Gandhi]]: The History of the World's Largest Democracy.'' HarperCollins, 2007.
</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Bikaner}}
The state of Bikaner was founded in 1465. It became a [[British protectorate]] on 9 March 1818. They were accorded a 17 [[gun salute]] by the British authorities. Around the time of Indian Independence and the [[partition of India]], the territory of the state of Bikaner came to share a border with [[Pakistan]]. The [[Instrument of Accession|accession]] to the Indian Union was signed by the Maharaja on 7 August 1947.<ref>William Barton, ''The princes of India''. Delhi 1983</ref>

==Rulers==
The rulers belong to the [[Rathore (Rajput clan)|Rathore]] [[Rajputs]] of the [[Suryavansh|Suryavanshi]] lineage or of Solar descent representing a third junior branch of the parent ruling family of [[Jodhpur]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V08_210.gif|title = Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 8, page 204 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library}}</ref> the second being [[Idar State|Idar]] yet Bikaner was placed second on the basis of area, wealth and power by the colonial [[British India]].

===Rao/Raja's===
<!-- Do NOT use title Maharaja etc after privy purse was withdrawn, they are ordinary citizens. Such lofty titles not supported by legal basis and official notifications of govt of India will be reverted. -->
*1465 – 1504: Rao [[Rao Bika|Bika]]
*1504 – 1505: Rao Nar Singh (Naro)
*1505 – 1526: Rao [[Lunkaran]]
*1526 – 1542: Rao Jait Singh
*1542 – 1571: Rao Kalyan Mal (acknowledged the suzerainty of Emperor [[Akbar]])
*1571 – 1612: Rao / [[Raja Rai Singh]] (Important General in the Mughal army. Given title of "Raja". From 1585 to 1594 he was employed in the Deccan by Emperor [[Akbar]] where he was [[Subedar]] of [[Burhanpur]])
*1612 – 1613: Raja Dalpat (Sur Singh revolted against his elder brother Dalpat and killed him along with his guards with the consent of Emperor [[Jahangir]])
*1613 – 1631: Raja Sur Singh
*1631 – 1667: Raja Karan Singh(deposed by [[Aurangzeb]] and exiled to Karanapura in the [[Deccan]])
*1667 – 1669: Interregnum

===Maharajas===
*1669 – 1698 Maharaja [[Anup Singh of Bikaner|Anup Singh]] (First to be granted title of "Maharaja" by Emperor [[Aurangzeb]])
*19 Jun 1698 – 15 December 1700: Maharaja Swarup Singh (b. 1689 – d. 1700)
*15 Dec 1700 – 16 December 1735: Maharaja Sujan Singh (b. 1690 – d. 1735)
*16 Dec 1735 – 15 May 1746: Maharaja [[Zorawar Singh of Bikaner|Zorawar Singh]] (b. 1713 – d. 1746)
*15 May 1746 – 25 March 1787: Maharaja [[Gaj Singh of Bikaner|Gaj Singh]] (b. 1723 – d. 1787)
*25 Mar 1787 – 25 April 1787: Maharaja Raj Singh (b. 1744 – d. 1787)
*25 Apr 1787 – 9 October 1787: Maharaja Pratap Singh (b. 1781 – d. 1787)
*25 Apr 1787 – 25 March 1828: Maharaja [[Surat Singh of Bikaner|Surat Singh]] (Regent to 9 October 1787) (b. 1766 – d. 1828)
*25 Mar 1828 – 7 August 1851: Maharajadhiraj Shri Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Ratan Singh (b. 1790 – d. 1851)
* 7 August 1851 – 16 May 1872: Maharajadhiraj Shri Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sardar Singh (b. 1818 – d. 1872)
*16 May 1872 – 19 August 1887: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir [[Dungar Singh of Bikaner|Dungar Singh]] (b. 1854 – d. 1887)
*19 Aug 1887 – 2 February 1943: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir [[Ganga Singh]] Bahadur (b. 1880 – d. 1943) (from 24 July 1901, Sir Ganga Singh)
*19 Aug 1887 – 16 December 1898: the British [[Political officer (British Empire)|Political Agent]]s-[[Regent]]
* 2 February 1943 – 15 August 1950: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir [[Sadul Singh of Bikaner|Sadul Singh]] (b. 1902 – d. 1950) (since 1 January 1946, he was addressed as Sir Sadul Singh)

===Titular Rulers===
*1950 – 1971: Maharaja [[Karni Singh]] ([[Privy Purse in India|Privy purses]] were withdrawn in 1971 and post & titles were also withdrawn)
*1988 – 2003: Maharaja Narendra Singh Bahadur
*2003 – 2022: Maharaja Raviraj Singh Bahadur
*2022 – present: Vacant

====Dewans====
The Dewans and Chief Ministers of the state were:
* 1460–1465: Bothra Bachhraj (Mantri-Dewan / Jodhpur) / Rao Jodha
* 1465–1505: Bothra Bachhraj (Founding Dewan / Bikaner) / Rao Bika
* 1504–1526: Karam Singh Bothra Bachhawat (Descendants of Bachhraj were known as Bachhawats) / Rao Nar Singh and Rao Lunkaran
* 1526–1535: Var Singh Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Jait Singh
* 1535–1542: Nagraj Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Jait Singh and Rao Kalyan Mal
* 1542–1571: Sangram Singh Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Kalyan Mal
* 1571–1591: Mehta [[Karam Chand bothra Bachhawat]] (Title of Mehta granted by Emperor [[Akbar]]) / Rao Kalyan Mal and Raja Rai Singh
* 1619–1620: Mehta Bhag Chand Bothra Bachhawat / Raja Sur Singh
* 1619–1620: Mehta Lakshmi Chand Bothra Bachhawat / Raja Sur Singh
*17.. – 26 February 1733: Anand Ram Khawas (d. 1733)
*1735 – Feb 1751: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (1st time) (b. 1707 – d. 1779)
*Feb 1751 – 1752: Amar Singh Chaturbhujani
*1752 – 1756: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (2nd time) (s.a.)
*1756 – Dec 1757: Mohata Prithvi Singh
*1757 – 1762: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (3rd time) (s.a.)
*1762 – Sep 1765: Shah Mool Chand Bardiya
*Sep 1765 – 1779: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (4th time) (s.a.)
*1779 – 178.: Mohata Swaroop Singh
*178. – 1787: Mohata Thakursi
*1787 – 1791: Mohata Madho Rai
*1791 – 1794: Pratap Mal Baid
*1794 – 1805: Mohata Rao Sahib Singh Gun Roop
*Apr 1805 – Apr 1815: Amar Chand Surana
*Apr 1815 – Feb 1816: Mohata Bhom ji
*Feb 1816 – 1828: Abhai Singh Mohta
*1828 – 184.: Hindu Mal Baid
*c. 1841: Sri Narayan Singh Bhati
*1844 – 1852?: Sarana Shri Lakshmichand
*1852 – 1853: Guman Singh Baid (1st time)
*1853 – 1853: Leeladhar Mohata + Jalam Chand Kochar
*1853 – 1854: Lachhi Ram Rakhecha
*1854 – 1856: Guman Singh Baid (2nd time)
*1856: Pandit Dojainant
*1856 – 1863: Ram Lal Dwarkani (1st time)
*1864 – 1865: Guman Singh Baid (3rd time)
*1865 – 1866: Ram Lal Dwarkani (2nd time)
*1866: Man Mal Rakhecha
*1866 (3 months): Sheo Lal Nahata
*1867 (15 days): Fateh Chand Surana
*1867: Ganga Ram Purohit
*1867: Shah Mal Kochar
*1868: Man Mal Rakhecha
*1868: Sheo Lal Mohata
*1868: Lakshmi Chand Nahata
*Jun 1868 – Aug 1869: Visayat Hussain
*Aug 1869 – 13 December 1873: Pandit Manphool
*Dec 1873 – 188.: Maharaj Lal Singh
*188. – 1884?: Maharao Hari Singh Baid
*1884 – 11 October 1888: Amin Muhammad
*12 Dec 1888 – 1896: Sodhi Hukam Singh
*1896 – 1898: Raghubar Singh Chauhan
*1898 – 1903: Hamidu Zafar Khan
*1903 – 1916: Post abolished

====Chief ministers====
* 1916 – 19..: Shri Bhairon Singh
* 7 September 1920 – Jan 1925: Prince Kunwar Sardul Singh (s.a.)

====Dewans====
The post of Dewan was reinstated in 1927.
* 1927 – 1934: Manubhai Nandshankar Mehta (b. 1868 – d. 1946)
* 3 October 1932 – 31 October 1934: Ram Prasad Dube (acting)
* 1 November 1934 – Jan 1936: Maharaj Shri Bhairun Singh
* Jan 1936 – Dec 1936: Thakur Sadul Singh
* Dec 1936 – 1938?: V.N. Mehta
* Dec 1938 – Jul 1939: Kailash Narain Haksar (b. 1878 – d. 1954)
* Jul 1939 – 1944?: Sire Mal Bapna (b. 1882 – d. 1964)
* 1944 – 13 March 1948: Kavalam Madhava Panikkar (b. 1895 – d. 1963)
* 14 March 1948 – Oct 1948: Kanwar Jaswant Singh
* Oct 1948 – 30 March 1949: [[C. S. Venkatachar]] (b. 1899 – d. 1999)

===Family tree of the rulers of Bikaner===
{{Tree list}}
*[[File:Simple gold crown.svg|15px]] '''I. Rao Bikaji, of Bikaner''' (1438–1504; Rai: 1488; r. 1465–1504)
**[[File:Simple gold crown.svg|15px]] '''II.Rao Naroji, of Bikaner''' (1468–1505; r. 1504–1505)
**{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple gold crown.svg|15px]] '''III.Rao Lunkaraji, of Bikaner''' (1470–1526; r. 1505–1526)
***{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple gold crown.svg|15px]] '''IV. Rao Jetaji, of Bikaner''' (1489–1542; r. 1526–1542)
****{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''V.Rao Kalyan Mal, of Bikaner''' (1519–1574; r. 1542–1574)
*****{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''VI. Rai Singh I, Raja of Bikaner''' (1541–1612; r. 1574–1612)
******[[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''VII. Dalpat Singh, Rai of Bikaner''' (1565–1613; r. 1612–1613)
******{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''VIII. Sur Singh, Raja of Bikaner''' (1594–1631; r. 1613–1631)
*******{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''IX. Karan Singh, Raja of Bikaner''' (1616–1669; r. 1631–1667)
********{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''X. Anup Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1638–1698; r. 1667–1698; Rao: 1667; Maharaja: 1675)
*********[[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XI. Sarup Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1689–1700; r. 1698–1700)
*********[[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XII. Sujjan Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1690–1735; r. 1700–1735)
**********{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XIII. Zorawar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1713–1746; r. 1735–1746)
*********{{Tree list/final branch}} Anand Singh
**********{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XIV. Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1723–1787; r. 1746–1787)
***********[[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XV. Raj Singh II, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1744–1787; r. 1787)
************{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XVI. Pratap Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1781–1787; r. 1787)
***********{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XVII. Surat Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1765–1828; r. 1787–1828)
************{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XVIII. Ratan Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1790–1851; r. 1828–1851)
*************{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XIX. Sardar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1818–1872; r. 1851–1872)
***********Chhatar Singh (1762–1779)
************{{Tree list/final branch}} Dalel Singh
*************{{Tree list/final branch}} Sagat Singh
**************{{Tree list/final branch}} Lall Singh (1831–1887)
***************[[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XX. Dungar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1854–1887; r. 1872–1887)
***************{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XXI. Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]], [[Royal Victorian Order|GCVO]], [[Order of the British Empire|GBE]], [[Order of the Bath|KCB]] (1880–1943; r. 1887–1943)
****************{{Tree list/final branch}} [[File:Simple silver crown.svg|15px]] '''XXII. Sadul Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' [[Order of the Star of India|GCSI]], [[Order of the Indian Empire|GCIE]], [[Royal Victorian Order|CVO]] (1902–1950; r. 1943–1949; titular ruler: 1949–1950)
**********************************
Maharaj Bijay Singh Ji, younger son of Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji.
*****************'''XXIII. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1924–1988; titular Maharaja: 1950–1971; family head: 1971–1988)
******************{{Tree list/final branch}} '''XXIV. Narendra Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1946–2003; family head: 1988–2003)
*****************{{Tree list/final branch}} Amar Singh (1925–2007)
******************{{Tree list/final branch}} Chandra Shekhar Singh (b. 1948)
*******************{{Tree list/final branch}} '''XXV. Ravi Raj Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner''' (1977–2022; family head: 2003–2022)
{{Tree list/end}}

{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-04-12 |title=Raviraj Singh Bhati's Health Deteriorated In Jaipur In The Morning, Breathed His Last In SMS Hospital, Last Rites In Bikaner Tomorrow |work=Dainik Bhaskar |url=https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/bikaner/news/raviraj-singh-bhatis-health-deteriorated-in-jaipur-in-the-morning-breathed-his-last-in-sms-hospital-last-rites-in-bikaner-tomorrow-129650580.html |access-date=2022-05-13}}</ref>

==Orders of chivalry==
The Royal House of Bikaner awards two dynastic orders, the Order of the Star of Honour and the Order of Vikram Star. [[Ganga Singh|Maharaja Ganga Singh]] established the Order of the Star of Honour in six grades in order to "mark his golden jubilee on the throne".<ref name="Haynes2014"/> The [[:nl:Orde van de Ster van Vikram|Order of the Vikram Star]] was established in 1944 by [[Sadul Singh of Bikaner|Maharaja Sadul Singh of Bikaner]] in five grades "to recognize services to the state." The first grade (Grand Commander) includes a cordon with jewel, along with a breast star.<ref name="Haynes2014">{{cite journal |last1=Haynes |first1=Ed |title=The Awards of the Indian Pincely States: A Survey in a Broad Historical Context |journal=JOSMA |date=2014 |volume=65 |issue=5 |pages=29–30}}</ref> The breast star features "Twelve alternate petals of gold and silver overlapping and radiating from a central motif showing the Goddess Karni blessing Rao Bikaji who is standing with lance in hand next to his horse."<ref name="McClenaghan1996">{{cite book |last1=McClenaghan |first1=Tony |title=Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States |date=1996 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-1-897829-19-6 |page=81 |language=en}}</ref> A red enamelled diamond in the center of the breast star, which is surrounded by a wreath, contains the inscription in the [[Devanagari]] script ''Shri Karni Aasisadi Bikatothirraj'' (Blessing by Karni Mati for his Perpetual Rule).<ref name="McClenaghan1996"/>

==See also==
{{Rajputana 1525 CE|right|Bikaner within [[Rajputana]], and main South Asian polities circa 1525 CE, on the eve of the establishment of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |pages=39, 147|isbn=0226742210 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=076}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00maplinks/mughal/joppenset/joppenset.html Historical Atlas of India]" by Charles Joppen (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1907)</ref>|{{Annotation|88|74|[[File:Long Fine Rectangle (plain).png|30px]]}}}}
* [[Mughal Empire]]
* [[Maratha Empire]]
* [[Rajputana]]
* [[History of Bikaner]]
* [[Political integration of India]]
* [[41 Field Regiment (India)|83 (Bikaner) Field Battery]]
* Rajputana Chronicles: Guns and Glories – The thousand-year story of the Bachhawat clan

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{EB1911|wstitle=Bikanir}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{cite book|author1=Beny, Roland |author2=Matheson, Sylvia A. | title=Rajasthan – Land of Kings| year = 1984| publisher=Frederick Muller| location=London| isbn = 0-584-95061-6| page = 200 pages}}
*{{cite book|author1=Crump, Vivien |author2=Toh, Irene | title= Rajasthan| location=London| publisher=Everyman Guides|year=1996| type = hardback| isbn = 1-85715-887-3| page = 400 pages}}
*{{cite book|author1=Martinelli, Antonio |author2=Michell, George | title=The Palaces of Rajasthan| year = 2005| publisher=Frances Lincoln| location=London| isbn = 978-0-7112-2505-3| page = 271 pages}}
*{{cite book|author =Tod, James|title = Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Volume II (With a Preface by Douglas Sladen)|publisher = Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 54, Jhansi Road, New Delhi-1100055.}}

{{Princely states of India}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|28.01|N|73.3|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1947]]
[[Category:History of Bikaner]]
[[Category:Rajput history]]
[[Category:States under the Rajputana Agency]]
[[Category:1465 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:15th-century establishments in India]]
[[Category:1947 disestablishments in India]]
[[Category:Hindu states]]
[[Category:Rathore (clan)]]
[[Category:Gun salute princely states]]
[[Category:Princely states of Rajasthan]]

Latest revision as of 10:22, 8 December 2024

This article is about the princely state during the British Raj. For the natural and historical region, see History of Bikaner.

State of Bikaner
बीकानेर रियासत
1465–1947
Flag of Bikaner State
Flag
Coat of arms of Bikaner State
Coat of arms
Motto: "Jai Jungaldhar Badshah"
Victory to the king of deserts
Bikaner State with Rajputana, in the Imperial Gazetteer of India (1909).
Bikaner State with Rajputana, in the Imperial Gazetteer of India (1909).
Official languagesRajasthani and Hindi
Religion
Hinduism (state religion)[1]
Demonym(s)Bikaner
History 
• Established
1465
1947
Area
• Total
60,391 km2 (23,317 sq mi)
Population
• 1931 estimate
936,218
 Succeeded by
India
Today part ofRajasthan, India
Bikaner Laxmi Niwas Palace
Maharaja Anup Singh of Bikaner hunting elephants
Honorific insignia in gold offered to the Maharaja of Bikaner by the Mughal Emperor.
Raja Karan Singh of Bikaner, Aurangzeb's ally and enemy.
Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner with his son Sadul Singh in 1914.
Bikaner Camel Corps
Board of combat daggers at the Darbar Hall

Bikaner State was the Princely State in the north-western most part of the Rajputana province of imperial British India from 1465 to 1947. The founder of the state Rao Bika was a younger son of Rao Jodha ruler of and founder of the city of Jodhpur in Marwar. Rao Bika chose to establish his own kingdom instead of inheriting his father's. Bika defeated the Jat clans of Jangladesh which today refers to the north and north-western Rajasthan along with his uncle Rao Kandhal and his adviser Vikramji Rajpurohit and founded his own kingdom. Its capital was the city of Bikaner.

The state was noted for the Bikaner style of Miniature Painting.[2]

Covering a vast area of 60,391 km2 (23,317 sq mi)Bikaner State was the second largest state under the Rajputana Agency after Jodhpur State with a revenue of Rs.26,00,000 in the year 1901.[3] Heeding the 1947 call of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to integrate the princely states into the new independent India, Bikaner's last ruler, Maharaja Sadul Singh, advised by his dewan K. M. Panikkar a respected historian was one of the first rulers of a princely state to display willingness to join the Indian Union. By issuing a public appeal in April 1947 to his fellow princes to join the Constituent Assembly of India the Maharaja of Bikaner set an example for other heads of the native states to follow.[4]

History

[edit]
Main article: History of Bikaner

The state of Bikaner was founded in 1465. It became a British protectorate on 9 March 1818. They were accorded a 17 gun salute by the British authorities. Around the time of Indian Independence and the partition of India, the territory of the state of Bikaner came to share a border with Pakistan. The accession to the Indian Union was signed by the Maharaja on 7 August 1947.[5]

Rulers

[edit]

The rulers belong to the Rathore Rajputs of the Suryavanshi lineage or of Solar descent representing a third junior branch of the parent ruling family of Jodhpur,[6] the second being Idar yet Bikaner was placed second on the basis of area, wealth and power by the colonial British India.

Rao/Raja's

[edit]
  • 1465 – 1504: Rao Bika
  • 1504 – 1505: Rao Nar Singh (Naro)
  • 1505 – 1526: Rao Lunkaran
  • 1526 – 1542: Rao Jait Singh
  • 1542 – 1571: Rao Kalyan Mal (acknowledged the suzerainty of Emperor Akbar)
  • 1571 – 1612: Rao / Raja Rai Singh (Important General in the Mughal army. Given title of "Raja". From 1585 to 1594 he was employed in the Deccan by Emperor Akbar where he was Subedar of Burhanpur)
  • 1612 – 1613: Raja Dalpat (Sur Singh revolted against his elder brother Dalpat and killed him along with his guards with the consent of Emperor Jahangir)
  • 1613 – 1631: Raja Sur Singh
  • 1631 – 1667: Raja Karan Singh(deposed by Aurangzeb and exiled to Karanapura in the Deccan)
  • 1667 – 1669: Interregnum

Maharajas

[edit]
  • 1669 – 1698 Maharaja Anup Singh (First to be granted title of "Maharaja" by Emperor Aurangzeb)
  • 19 Jun 1698 – 15 December 1700: Maharaja Swarup Singh (b. 1689 – d. 1700)
  • 15 Dec 1700 – 16 December 1735: Maharaja Sujan Singh (b. 1690 – d. 1735)
  • 16 Dec 1735 – 15 May 1746: Maharaja Zorawar Singh (b. 1713 – d. 1746)
  • 15 May 1746 – 25 March 1787: Maharaja Gaj Singh (b. 1723 – d. 1787)
  • 25 Mar 1787 – 25 April 1787: Maharaja Raj Singh (b. 1744 – d. 1787)
  • 25 Apr 1787 – 9 October 1787: Maharaja Pratap Singh (b. 1781 – d. 1787)
  • 25 Apr 1787 – 25 March 1828: Maharaja Surat Singh (Regent to 9 October 1787) (b. 1766 – d. 1828)
  • 25 Mar 1828 – 7 August 1851: Maharajadhiraj Shri Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Ratan Singh (b. 1790 – d. 1851)
  • 7 August 1851 – 16 May 1872: Maharajadhiraj Shri Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sardar Singh (b. 1818 – d. 1872)
  • 16 May 1872 – 19 August 1887: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir Dungar Singh (b. 1854 – d. 1887)
  • 19 Aug 1887 – 2 February 1943: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh Bahadur (b. 1880 – d. 1943) (from 24 July 1901, Sir Ganga Singh)
  • 19 Aug 1887 – 16 December 1898: the British Political Agents-Regent
  • 2 February 1943 – 15 August 1950: HH Shri Maharajadhiraj Narendra Shiromani Maharaja Sir Sadul Singh (b. 1902 – d. 1950) (since 1 January 1946, he was addressed as Sir Sadul Singh)

Titular Rulers

[edit]
  • 1950 – 1971: Maharaja Karni Singh (Privy purses were withdrawn in 1971 and post & titles were also withdrawn)
  • 1988 – 2003: Maharaja Narendra Singh Bahadur
  • 2003 – 2022: Maharaja Raviraj Singh Bahadur
  • 2022 – present: Vacant

Dewans

[edit]

The Dewans and Chief Ministers of the state were:

  • 1460–1465: Bothra Bachhraj (Mantri-Dewan / Jodhpur) / Rao Jodha
  • 1465–1505: Bothra Bachhraj (Founding Dewan / Bikaner) / Rao Bika
  • 1504–1526: Karam Singh Bothra Bachhawat (Descendants of Bachhraj were known as Bachhawats) / Rao Nar Singh and Rao Lunkaran
  • 1526–1535: Var Singh Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Jait Singh
  • 1535–1542: Nagraj Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Jait Singh and Rao Kalyan Mal
  • 1542–1571: Sangram Singh Bothra Bachhawat / Rao Kalyan Mal
  • 1571–1591: Mehta Karam Chand bothra Bachhawat (Title of Mehta granted by Emperor Akbar) / Rao Kalyan Mal and Raja Rai Singh
  • 1619–1620: Mehta Bhag Chand Bothra Bachhawat / Raja Sur Singh
  • 1619–1620: Mehta Lakshmi Chand Bothra Bachhawat / Raja Sur Singh
  • 17.. – 26 February 1733: Anand Ram Khawas (d. 1733)
  • 1735 – Feb 1751: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (1st time) (b. 1707 – d. 1779)
  • Feb 1751 – 1752: Amar Singh Chaturbhujani
  • 1752 – 1756: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (2nd time) (s.a.)
  • 1756 – Dec 1757: Mohata Prithvi Singh
  • 1757 – 1762: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (3rd time) (s.a.)
  • 1762 – Sep 1765: Shah Mool Chand Bardiya
  • Sep 1765 – 1779: Mohata Bakhtawar Singh (4th time) (s.a.)
  • 1779 – 178.: Mohata Swaroop Singh
  • 178. – 1787: Mohata Thakursi
  • 1787 – 1791: Mohata Madho Rai
  • 1791 – 1794: Pratap Mal Baid
  • 1794 – 1805: Mohata Rao Sahib Singh Gun Roop
  • Apr 1805 – Apr 1815: Amar Chand Surana
  • Apr 1815 – Feb 1816: Mohata Bhom ji
  • Feb 1816 – 1828: Abhai Singh Mohta
  • 1828 – 184.: Hindu Mal Baid
  • c. 1841: Sri Narayan Singh Bhati
  • 1844 – 1852?: Sarana Shri Lakshmichand
  • 1852 – 1853: Guman Singh Baid (1st time)
  • 1853 – 1853: Leeladhar Mohata + Jalam Chand Kochar
  • 1853 – 1854: Lachhi Ram Rakhecha
  • 1854 – 1856: Guman Singh Baid (2nd time)
  • 1856: Pandit Dojainant
  • 1856 – 1863: Ram Lal Dwarkani (1st time)
  • 1864 – 1865: Guman Singh Baid (3rd time)
  • 1865 – 1866: Ram Lal Dwarkani (2nd time)
  • 1866: Man Mal Rakhecha
  • 1866 (3 months): Sheo Lal Nahata
  • 1867 (15 days): Fateh Chand Surana
  • 1867: Ganga Ram Purohit
  • 1867: Shah Mal Kochar
  • 1868: Man Mal Rakhecha
  • 1868: Sheo Lal Mohata
  • 1868: Lakshmi Chand Nahata
  • Jun 1868 – Aug 1869: Visayat Hussain
  • Aug 1869 – 13 December 1873: Pandit Manphool
  • Dec 1873 – 188.: Maharaj Lal Singh
  • 188. – 1884?: Maharao Hari Singh Baid
  • 1884 – 11 October 1888: Amin Muhammad
  • 12 Dec 1888 – 1896: Sodhi Hukam Singh
  • 1896 – 1898: Raghubar Singh Chauhan
  • 1898 – 1903: Hamidu Zafar Khan
  • 1903 – 1916: Post abolished

Chief ministers

[edit]
  • 1916 – 19..: Shri Bhairon Singh
  • 7 September 1920 – Jan 1925: Prince Kunwar Sardul Singh (s.a.)

Dewans

[edit]

The post of Dewan was reinstated in 1927.

  • 1927 – 1934: Manubhai Nandshankar Mehta (b. 1868 – d. 1946)
  • 3 October 1932 – 31 October 1934: Ram Prasad Dube (acting)
  • 1 November 1934 – Jan 1936: Maharaj Shri Bhairun Singh
  • Jan 1936 – Dec 1936: Thakur Sadul Singh
  • Dec 1936 – 1938?: V.N. Mehta
  • Dec 1938 – Jul 1939: Kailash Narain Haksar (b. 1878 – d. 1954)
  • Jul 1939 – 1944?: Sire Mal Bapna (b. 1882 – d. 1964)
  • 1944 – 13 March 1948: Kavalam Madhava Panikkar (b. 1895 – d. 1963)
  • 14 March 1948 – Oct 1948: Kanwar Jaswant Singh
  • Oct 1948 – 30 March 1949: C. S. Venkatachar (b. 1899 – d. 1999)

Family tree of the rulers of Bikaner

[edit]
  • I. Rao Bikaji, of Bikaner (1438–1504; Rai: 1488; r. 1465–1504)
    • II.Rao Naroji, of Bikaner (1468–1505; r. 1504–1505)
    • III.Rao Lunkaraji, of Bikaner (1470–1526; r. 1505–1526)
      • IV. Rao Jetaji, of Bikaner (1489–1542; r. 1526–1542)
        • V.Rao Kalyan Mal, of Bikaner (1519–1574; r. 1542–1574)
          • VI. Rai Singh I, Raja of Bikaner (1541–1612; r. 1574–1612)
            • VII. Dalpat Singh, Rai of Bikaner (1565–1613; r. 1612–1613)
            • VIII. Sur Singh, Raja of Bikaner (1594–1631; r. 1613–1631)
              • IX. Karan Singh, Raja of Bikaner (1616–1669; r. 1631–1667)
                • X. Anup Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1638–1698; r. 1667–1698; Rao: 1667; Maharaja: 1675)
                  • XI. Sarup Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1689–1700; r. 1698–1700)
                  • XII. Sujjan Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1690–1735; r. 1700–1735)
                    • XIII. Zorawar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1713–1746; r. 1735–1746)
                  • Anand Singh
                    • XIV. Gaj Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1723–1787; r. 1746–1787)
                      • XV. Raj Singh II, Maharaja of Bikaner (1744–1787; r. 1787)
                        • XVI. Pratap Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1781–1787; r. 1787)
                      • XVII. Surat Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1765–1828; r. 1787–1828)
                        • XVIII. Ratan Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1790–1851; r. 1828–1851)
                          • XIX. Sardar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1818–1872; r. 1851–1872)
                      • Chhatar Singh (1762–1779)
                        • Dalel Singh
                          • Sagat Singh
                            • Lall Singh (1831–1887)
                              • XX. Dungar Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1854–1887; r. 1872–1887)
                              • XXI. Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE, KCB (1880–1943; r. 1887–1943)
                                • XXII. Sadul Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner GCSI, GCIE, CVO (1902–1950; r. 1943–1949; titular ruler: 1949–1950)

Maharaj Bijay Singh Ji, younger son of Maharaja Ganga Singh Ji.

                                  • XXIII. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1924–1988; titular Maharaja: 1950–1971; family head: 1971–1988)
                                    • XXIV. Narendra Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1946–2003; family head: 1988–2003)
                                  • Amar Singh (1925–2007)
                                    • Chandra Shekhar Singh (b. 1948)
                                      • XXV. Ravi Raj Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner (1977–2022; family head: 2003–2022)

[citation needed]

[7]

Orders of chivalry

[edit]

The Royal House of Bikaner awards two dynastic orders, the Order of the Star of Honour and the Order of Vikram Star. Maharaja Ganga Singh established the Order of the Star of Honour in six grades in order to "mark his golden jubilee on the throne".[8] The Order of the Vikram Star was established in 1944 by Maharaja Sadul Singh of Bikaner in five grades "to recognize services to the state." The first grade (Grand Commander) includes a cordon with jewel, along with a breast star.[8] The breast star features "Twelve alternate petals of gold and silver overlapping and radiating from a central motif showing the Goddess Karni blessing Rao Bikaji who is standing with lance in hand next to his horse."[9] A red enamelled diamond in the center of the breast star, which is surrounded by a wreath, contains the inscription in the Devanagari script Shri Karni Aasisadi Bikatothirraj (Blessing by Karni Mati for his Perpetual Rule).[9]

See also

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Bikaner within Rajputana, and main South Asian polities circa 1525 CE, on the eve of the establishment of the Mughal Empire.[10][11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kingdom of Bikaner, Part I, Vol-I, Rajasthan – Linguistic Survey Of India" (PDF). LSOI. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ^ Harle, J. C., The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent, 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press. (Pelican History of Art). ISBN 0300062176.
  3. ^ "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 8, page 214 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library".
  4. ^ Ramachandra Guha, India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. HarperCollins, 2007.
  5. ^ William Barton, The princes of India. Delhi 1983
  6. ^ "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 8, page 204 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library".
  7. ^ "Raviraj Singh Bhati's Health Deteriorated In Jaipur In The Morning, Breathed His Last In SMS Hospital, Last Rites In Bikaner Tomorrow". Dainik Bhaskar. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b Haynes, Ed (2014). "The Awards of the Indian Pincely States: A Survey in a Broad Historical Context". JOSMA. 65 (5): 29–30.
  9. ^ a b McClenaghan, Tony (1996). Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States. Lancer Publishers. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-897829-19-6.
  10. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 39, 147. ISBN 0226742210.
  11. ^ "Historical Atlas of India" by Charles Joppen (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1907)

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bikanir". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

[edit]
  • Media related to Bikaner State at Wikimedia Commons
  • Beny, Roland; Matheson, Sylvia A. (1984). Rajasthan – Land of Kings. London: Frederick Muller. p. 200 pages. ISBN 0-584-95061-6.
  • Crump, Vivien; Toh, Irene (1996). Rajasthan (hardback). London: Everyman Guides. p. 400 pages. ISBN 1-85715-887-3.
  • Martinelli, Antonio; Michell, George (2005). The Palaces of Rajasthan. London: Frances Lincoln. p. 271 pages. ISBN 978-0-7112-2505-3.
  • Tod, James. Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Volume II (With a Preface by Douglas Sladen). Oriental Books Reprint Corporation. 54, Jhansi Road, New Delhi-1100055.

28°01′N 73°18′E / 28.01°N 73.3°E / 28.01; 73.3

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