The Udaipur Mewar family feud: Of kings, palaces and ‘royal’ trouble

The skirmish, which led to chromatic pelting and clashes, came aft Vishvaraj and his entourage were prevented from entering the disputed Udaipur City Palace, which is presently nether the power of Arvind Singh’s family, to marque a customary sojourn to Dhuni, a portion of onshore wrong the palace compound that’s considered ineffable by the family.

Vishvaraj Singh Mewar and his woman Mahima Kumari astatine Samor Bagh, Udaipur (Express photograph by Parul Kulshrestha)

The events served to not lone item the comparatively chartless conflict for the Mewar household property, estimated to tally into respective crores, but besides brought into absorption the lives of Rajasthan’s erstwhile royals, and the sway they clasp implicit the public.

“It was my close to sojourn Dhuni aft my father’s death,” Vishvaraj, who is besides a BJP MLA from Nathdwara, tells The Indian Express arsenic helium sits connected a plush achromatic sofa successful his bureau with his woman Mahima Kumari, 52, the BJP MP from Rajsamand.

Politics, helium says, is an hold of his nationalist persona. Vishvaraj, whose begetter Mahendra Singh was a erstwhile BJP person who aboriginal moved to the Congress, contested his archetypal Assembly predetermination past year, months aft joining the BJP, and was fielded successful Nathdwara against Congress seasoned C P Joshi, a five-time MLA. Although Nathdwara was considered a Congress stronghold — Joshi had won his erstwhile predetermination by 16,000 votes — Vishvaraj Singh defeated him by 7,504 votes.

The gates of the City Palace wherever Vishvarah and his supporters were stopped by his relative Lakhsyaraj. (Express photograph by Parul Kulshrestha)

Earlier this year, Vishvaraj’s woman Mahima, who helped him with his campaign, bushed Congress’s Damodar Gurjar successful the wide predetermination by 3,92,223 votes. Since his “coronation ceremony” astatine Chittorgarh — erstwhile the superior of the erstwhile Mewar kingdom and location to the Chittorgarh Fort — earlier this week, the BJP MLA has been referred to arsenic ‘Hujoor’, a royal honorific fixed to the ‘king’. Arvind Singh and Lakshyaraj proceed to beryllium referred to arsenic ‘Hukum’, a broader word of respect for antheral members of the Rajasthan ‘royal’ family.

At palace gates, a nationalist feud

One of the oldest royal families successful Rajasthan, the Mewar family traces its lineage to Udai Singh-II and his lad Maharana Pratap oregon Pratap Singh I, among Rajasthan’s astir revered warrior kings. The erstwhile kingdom of Mewar comprises the present-day areas of Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Rajsamand and Pratapgarh.

The existent feud successful the Mewar household is betwixt 2 sets of descendants of Bhagwat Singh. The 75th Maharana of Mewar, Bhagwat Singh was the adopted lad of Maharana Bhupal Singh, who ruled Mewar from 1930 to 1955. Bhagwat Singh had 3 children — erstwhile Chittorgarh MP Mahendra Singh, Arvind Singh and a daughter, Yogeshwari.

A car belonging to the royal household wrong the Udaipur Palace. (Express photograph by Yogesh Mali)

The quality is betwixt the families of Mahendra and Arvind Singh and dates backmost to the 1980s. At the halfway of it is the Udaipur City Palace, a 16th Century architectural marvel with its expansive arches, magnificent h2o fountains, and affluent and vintage furnishings that’s the city’s astir fashionable tourer spot.

Police stationed extracurricular the gates of Udaipur Palace (Express photograph by Yogesh Mali)

The City Palace has 3 hotels — Taj Lake Palace, Fateh Prakash, and Shiv Nivas, each landmarks of Udaipur city. Arvind Singh’s subdivision of the household oversees each 3 properties. Apart from this, the Hindu Undivided Family spot besides comprises schools and the Samor Bagh palace, presently serving arsenic Vishvaraj Singh’s residence.

According to palace sources, astatine the basal of the quality was Bhagwat Singh’s determination to lease retired galore properties of the royal household from 1963 to 1983, adjacent selling his involvement successful immoderate of them. In addition, helium besides acceptable up a Trust, the Maharana Mewar Charitable Foundation, successful 1969, donating to it the main portions of the City Palace arsenic good arsenic offering an endowment.

Arvind Singh presently heads the Trust. His father’s handling of the royal properties angered Bhagwat Singh’s lad Mahendra Singh, who filed a suit against him successful 1983. Ousted by his begetter implicit the lawsuit, Mahendra Singh yet went to settee astatine Samor Bagh, besides portion of the household estate.

A temple wrong Samor Bagh, the residence of BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, successful Udaipur (Express photograph by Yogesh Mali)

After 37 years of hearing, the Udaipur territory tribunal yet gave its ruling successful 2020, arsenic dividing 3 properties — Shambhu Niwas Palace, the household residence wrong the City Palace; Badi Pal, a promenade; and Ghas Ghar, erstwhile a retention abstraction for fodder that’s present a taste centre — betwixt Bhagwat’s 3 children, says Mahendra Singh’s lawyer Narendra Singh.

Significantly, the tribunal besides considered the properties nether the Mewar property and the spot arsenic HUF properties that volition beryllium partitioned according to the Hindu law. “Along with this, the tribunal said that Mahendra Mewar, Yogeshwari and Arvind Singh volition enactment astatine Shambhu Niwas wrong the City Palace for 4 years each from April 1, 2021,” helium says.

Arvind Singh, who has been surviving astatine Shambhu Niwas for implicit 35 years, challenged this ruling successful the Rajasthan High Court, which stayed the little tribunal order. It was aft the decease of Mahendra Singh Mewar earlier this period that his lad Vishvaraj was ‘anointed’ arsenic the caput of the royal household of Mewar.

Lakshyaraj Singh astatine Udaipur Palace (Express photograph by Parul Kulshrestha)

Soon aft his ‘anointment’ successful a ceremonial astatine Chittorgarh, Vishvaraj and his caravan of astir 1,000 radical arrived astatine the gates of the City Palace but encountered constabulary barricades. It was during this chaos that things took a convulsive turn. According to eyewitnesses, stones were pelted from some sides, with each 1 blaming the other.

On his part, Arvind Singh’s lad Lakshyaraj has claimed helium was trying to “protect” his ain family, including, according to palace sources, his bedridden father. “Entering idiosyncratic else’s spot without support is unlawful,” helium said astatine a property league helium held connected Tuesday, a time aft the violence.

The City Palace’s Badi Pal entranceway (Express photograph by Yogesh Mali)

Vishvaraj, meanwhile, claims helium was prevented from doing his “social duties”. “I’ve ne'er been arsenic bully astatine nationalist relations arsenic Lakshyaraj Mewar. I went to the palace to sojourn the Dhuni, which everyone is allowed to visit. I conscionable wanted to fulfil the customs aft the coronation,” helium says.

Asked wherefore helium didn’t question support from the palace authorities, Vishvaraj points to the spot quality being pending successful the Rajasthan High Court. “Until that’s settled, I person each close to participate the palace, which is portion of the family,” helium said. On the evening of November 27, temperatures lowered somewhat erstwhile 4 people, on with Vishvaraj, were allowed to participate the palace gates for the darshan astatine Dhuni.

Once upon a time…

Back astatine Samor Bagh, a achromatic shamiana stands connected the immense and well-manicured lawns, shimmering successful the sun. Inside, hundreds of achromatic chairs are lined up for the guests, each facing a stage.

On the level sits a pinkish sofa — a raj gaddi for the “newly coronated” king. The full setup bears an aft party-look, with respective men moving to cleanable up the place.

On Wednesday, the palace grounds played big to hundreds of the people, each of whom had travel to wage their respects to their caller “Hujoor”. “This spot was teeming then,” a palace defender says. “There was nary spot to stand.”

When the Constitution of India came into effect successful 1950, each royal titles were abolished. The abolition of the privy purses successful 1971 — a outgo that was made to erstwhile royal families arsenic portion of their statement to integrate their authorities with India — further eroded the lasting of the erstwhile royals, making them emblematic of a bygone epoch successful astir parts of the country.

However, successful the minds of the wide public, and successful their own, they continued to inhabit their older satellite with its rigid conventions and traditions – from customary coronations to expansive Diwali and Ganesh Puja celebrations.

According to the established Mewar customs, a recently coronated ‘Maharana’ is expected to sojourn 2 temples – the household deity connected the Udaipur Palace Grounds and the 8th Century Eklingji temple successful Udaipur district’s Kailashpuri village, nether whom the Maharaja of Mewar is meant to enactment arsenic diwan (minister). The sojourn to Eklingji Temple marks the extremity of the mourning play — aft which, the ‘Maharana’ swaps his achromatic pagdi, oregon turban, meant for grieving for the accepted pinkish 1 that symbolises Mewar.

According to Ajatshatru Singh Mewar, a subordinate of the royal family, 1 needs the enactment of 16 Umraos to go the Maharana successful Mewar. Landowners of old, these Umraos and their families were considered the king’s superior enactment system. “The bulk of the Umraos, barring a few, were contiguous astatine the clip of Vishvaraj’s coronation,” Ajatshatru Singh says.

“The assemblage that followed him to the palace grounds connected November 25 consisted of those who inactive see Mahendra Singh Mewar arsenic the rightful heir. Mahendra Singh was besides crowned aft the decease of his begetter but helium was ousted from the City Palace due to the fact that of the ineligible dispute.”

The incidental of this week seems to person turned the tide of nationalist sympathy towards Vishvaraj and against Lakshyaraj. What seems to person fueled this nationalist sentiment against Lakshyaraj is his lack astatine his uncle Mahendra Singh’s ceremonial earlier this month. Kamlesh Soni, a 55-year-old shopkeeper adjacent the City Palace, said the metropolis markets were unopen down 4 hours aft the quality of the erstwhile MP’s decease spread. “We each went to wage our respects to him. In the metropolis and successful the agrarian areas, Vishvaraj ji is the 1 who is respected arsenic the Maharana,” helium says.

Prakash Rajpurohit, 45, who owns a edifice adjacent the palace, comes to Lakshyaraj’s defence. “Since Lakshayraj had claimed to beryllium the heir of the royal title, allowing Vishvaraj wrong the palace aft the coronation would person meant that helium accepted him arsenic the adjacent Maharaja. It was a mode to show his power,” helium says, adding, “But by keeping the palace doors shut, Lakshyaraj has made Vishvaraj famous, not conscionable successful Rajasthan but successful the full country.”

A new-age ‘prince’

It’s 7.30 pm, and a acold wintertime chill surrounds the City Palace. Lakshyaraj, dressed successful a grey and reddish sweatshirt and a yellowish T-shirt, sits successful a expansive visitors’ country that has hues of beige and red. Behind him are portraits of 3 men, each successful accepted Rajputi attire – a achromatic angrakha kurta adorned with beads, a cummerpatti (waistband), a achromatic pyjama, reddish jootis and a pagdi, implicit with swords hanging by their side.

The fable nether Lakshyaraj’s representation says “Maharaja” portion adjacent to him, his father’s representation bears the rubric “Shriji”. The rooms besides diagnostic a representation of Lakshyaraj’s six-year-old son, 1 of his 2 children, successful afloat royal attire.

Only an hr earlier, Lakshyaraj had opened the gates of the palace, unopen since November 25, to the public. Since this week’s incident, he’s held respective property conferences and interviews, and present settles himself connected a comfy beige sofa for 1 more.

“Thousands of radical marched with swords towards the palace,” helium tells The Indian Express, furious astatine the full episode. “When the doors were not open, they broke the three-layer barricades and tried to ascent the palace walls. They made allegations of chromatic pelting but wherefore don’t radical inquire them astir the hooligans who were with them?”

Lakshyaraj maintains a precise nationalist image. A tech-savvy ex-royal with 1 cardinal followers connected Instagram, the 39-year-old has been invited to respective speech shows each implicit the state and has been connected mag covers.

Lakshyaraj is joined to Nivritti Kumari, a subordinate of the erstwhile royal household of the princely authorities of Patna successful occidental Odisha. Although helium is yet to contention an election, Lakshyaraj is not averse to politics, admitting that it could hap “in the future”.

Asked wherefore helium didn’t be his uncle Mahendra Singh’s funeral, Lakshayraj claims to person been threatened. “Our families aren’t connected talking presumption but I would inactive person gone for the funeral. But aft receiving specified information, it would person been a foolish happening to do,” helium says.

There are challenges to being a royal, helium says. “You volition find bully radical but determination volition besides beryllium galore who are envious and propulsion you down. I bash person fewer adjacent friends but things tin get unsmooth with truthful galore expectations.” At slightest there, the 2 feuding cousins stock communal ground. Back astatine Samor Bagh, Vishvaraj says, “The nationalist wants maine to service them. Being ‘Maharana’ is not lone portion of my household bequest but besides a taste legacy.”