Losing a loved one is tough but when a legacy dies with the person the grief is deeper. Kutch, the vibrant town of Gujarat is mourning. For it has just lost its much-loved monarch Maharao Pragmulji-III and with his highness’s death due to Covid-19, one more ancient royal dynasty faces extinction.
Husband and wife
Pragmul palace post restoration
Maharao Pragmul Singhji
He was the toast of the world when he handsomely restored the Pragmul Palace in Bhuj in 2013 after it was hit by the 2001 Kutch earthquake, making it more ornate than ever before.
Kutch ranked amongst one of the largest states of India with a rich history, high in Indian history after the princely states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Baroda, Gwalior, and Indore as mentioned by the English historian of Kutch, L.F. Rushbrook Williams in “Black Hills”.
Rao Khengarji-1 founded Kutch in 1510 after a furious struggle with his uncle Jam Rawal (founder of Jamnagar in Saurashtra). The ancient times of Kutch has some interesting events of chivalry marked by famous battles such as the one of Jhara, the second one being fought against the Sindh Sultan Ghulamshah Kalhora in 1772. The book also offers noteworthy stories on traditions of the hill-top monastery of Dhinodhar with its Kanthpat (slit-ear monks) order, or monastery of Moti Poshal in Bhuj, that preserves some of the invaluable artefacts of the Kutch dynasty. The region is dotted with beautiful forts like Rajasthan but unfortunately, these are least known.
The sparsely inhabited area of Kutch was bigger than some of the European nations. The hardy seafarers of Kutch and Saurashtra sailed their vessels to all parts of the world since the medieval ages and were very well known in the western world.
Maharao’s Pragmulji’s father and the last reigning Maharao of Kutch, Maharao Madan Singhji, was India’s first ambassador to Norway. His father Maharao Vijayrajji and grandfather Maharao Khengarji were very progressive rulers who did much for their state’s subjects. Interestingly, Kutch was closely related to the royal families of Rewa, Narsingarh, Udaipur, Kishangarh, Jhalawar, Bhavnagar, and Santrampur amongst many others.
Had a member of the family, or a jadeja anointed on the throne symbolically, the dynasty would be preserved with reigns. That is how ancient dynasties survived through the medieval ages by following a proper line of adoption.
In modern times one of the few princely states that followed this ancient practice was Akkalkot in Maharashtra and Mysore in Karnataka. I wish other royal families with no successor could also do it. Preservation of monarchical traditions is essential in our culture.