Royalty of the Indian sub-continent

[Kasumi]

Silver chariot, vintage cars... Rajkot set for its princess wedding procession today - Indian Express
After nearly seven decades, the city of Rajkot will get a glimpse of a royal wedding in its full splendour when a fuleku (marriage procession) rolls out on Tuesday from the huge gates of Ranjit Vilas Palace, the family home of erstwhile royal family of Rajkot, the Jadejas.
The occasion is the wedding of princess Mrugeshakumariba, granddaughter of royal family patriarch Manoharsinh Jadeja.
The fuleku, ahead of the marriage in Jaipur on January 17, is part of the royal family tradition.
A silver chariot pulled by four horses followed by four other antique carriages, a convoy six of vintage cars, several horses and elephants accompanied by royal bands will be part of the procession.
Mrugeshakumariba is getting married to the prince of erstwhile Khimsar princely state, Dhananjaysingh Rathod.

[Kasumi]

MoD orders probe into land `scam’ in Jodhpur - The Times of India
Already grappling with scams like Adarsh, Sukna, Malad and Srinagar, the defence ministry has now ordered an inquiry into another land scandal in Jodhpur, which revolves around the transfer of 4.84 acres of defence land worth almost Rs 16 crore to a private trust.
[...]
The allegation is that the 4.84-acre defence land, located in the heart of the city, was transferred to a private trust belonging to a royal family of Jodhpur in 2007 without requisite government orders or approvals. The transfer was apparently done on the basis that the plot concerned constituted ``excess land''.

Alleged scam in defence land in Jodhpur; Antony orders probe, IBN Live News

[Kasumi]

Patiala RF members join the election race for Indian MP.

'Royal brothers' will be united again, say loyalists in Patiala - The Times of India

Work counts not royalty
The drawing room of New Moti Bagh Palace — which serves as the war room of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala for the assembly elections — has a new full-time poll strategist. Meet Jaiinder Kaur (46), daughter of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh.
While Amarinder is campaigning across the state, Jaiinder’s mother, Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, is busy canvassing for brother Raninder Singh in the nearby Samana assembly segment. Earlier, Preneet used to manage the Captain’s poll campaign in Patiala.

[Kasumi]

Rajmata (Queen Mother) Shiv Kumari of Kotah (nee Princess of Bikaner) died aged 95 (some sources said she was 96) due to kidney failure on January 12th, 2012.
She is survived by her son (current Maharaja), two daughters, 3 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren.

Shiv Kumari of Kotah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Kasumi]

Rewa Princess takes part in Dance India Dance Season 3 : North News - India Today
Princess of Rewa, Mohena Singh, is the first girl from any royal family to participate in a reality show.
She is among the 18 finalists in the dance-based reality show Dance India Dance (DID)Season 3, currently on air.
Mohena is being applauded by the judges for her energetic dance performance on the show. However, on a personal front, Mohena is apprehensive about the ire which her presence on the show might invite from some members of the royal families.

[Kasumi]

Capt. Amarinder Singh trying Hattrick from Patiala
PPCC chief, Ex Chief minister, descendant of Patiala royal family and MLA of Patiala for two consecutive times - Capt. Amarinder Singh is contesting to achieve hat trick from here in upcoming assembly elections. The Patiala assembly seat in Punjab is one of the most important assembly seats as Amarinder Singh is seeking re-election from here on a Congress ticket.
While the Ex-Chief Minister, pitted against Surjit Singh Kohli of the SAD, is busy campaigning for his party candidates in other parts of the state, the task of garnering support for him has been taken up by his family members led by woman power -- his MP wife Preneet Kaur, daughter Jai Inder Kaur, as his daughter-in-law Rishma Singh is busy in campaigning for her husband Raninder Singh Tikku in neighbouring assembly constituency Samana.

Amarinder aims for hat-trick, IBN Live News

[Kasumi]

Evaluation of temple wealth next month
The scientific evaluation of the treasures worth over Rs1 trillion unearthed from the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the Kerala capital of Trivandrum will begin next month.
The treasures unearthed from five of the six secret vaults in the centuries old temple in July last year included sacks of gold, diamonds and precious stones. The court had ordered the inventorisation of the wealth following a dispute over the control of the temple administered by the erstwhile Travancore Royal family.

Temple treasure: Documentation to start next month

[Kasumi]

Royal Welcome for Oprah in Jaipur - National Indian Movies | Examiner.com
After landing in Jaipur, Oprah Winfrey was treated to a Royal (literally) welcome. Oprah who was accompanied by Deepak Chopra (World-renowned expert on mind-body healing) and Kirby Bumpus (Oprah’s goddaughter) was welcomed by the Royal family of Jaipur, Rajasthan.
According to reports in The Times of India, Oprah was escorted to the Chandra Mahal Palace from the main gate of the City Palac,e on a royal horse carriage.

She was given the traditional Indian ‘aarti welcome’ and showered with petals. She was then welcomed into the palace by Padmini Devi, wife of Late Sawai Bhawani Singh Bahadur, His Highness, The Maharaja of Jaipur, along with her daughter Princess Diya and son-in-law, Kunwar Narendra Singh.

[Kasumi]

The Vaduga Kings of Kandy
When the Vijayanagara kingdom of Karnataka conquered the Tamil kingdom of South India in 1365, governors known as Nayaks were sent in from Vijayanagara to administer the territory.

[Kasumi]

Struggling royals cast off their jewels - India - DNA
A first-of-its-kind auction of “unusual jewellery” by Bid & Hammer tomorrow in Bangalore will see 138 lots of such items going under the hammer. While estimates for the pieces sourced from Rajasthan, Central India (MP and Chhattisgarh), and the old Nizamshahi (AP and some parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra) start from Rs15,000 and go up to Rs75 lakh, many expect the auction to collect many times over.
[...]
A member of the Shekhawati royal family in Rajasthan told DNA, “Most people assume royals are well-off. But nothing could be further from the truth. With the abolition of the privy purse and the absence of any income in the form of revenue, maintaining palaces, temples and their lifestyles has become very difficult.”

[Kasumi]

A millionaire on scooter vs a royal on a Mercedes - The Times of India
Amarinder Singh, who belongs to the royal family of Patiala and is addressed as 'Maharaja Sahib' by most of his lieutenants, has left his campaign to his daughter, Jai Inder Kaur, and other family members as he himself canvasses for Congress candidates in other parts of Punjab.

[Kasumi]

How much is the Kerala temple treasure really worth

[Kasumi]

Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s young and beautiful daughter Sara Ali Khan is seen for the first time on a magazine cover.
The young girl looks confident as she stands next to her elegant mom for the Hello magazine’s January issue. [...]
Both Amrita and Sara have worn dresses by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla since they are part of the magazine’s special story on celebrity mother-daughters, who swear by the designer duo famous for their rich ethnic designs.
Amrita takes pride as she shares about her sweet 16-year-old daughter. While talking to a tabloid, she says, “Sara is a bright student of Science, and like all good students, aspires to be a doctor.” And that “she could also turn out to be a sharp lawyer.”Amrita also worries about Sara’s next two years which are going to be critical as she will finally decide on her career.

[Kasumi]

In Faridkot, two families stay away from election hullabaloo - Indian Express
The royal family of Faridkot and the family of former president Giani Zail Singh have chosen to stay away from all election hullabaloo associated with the January 30 polls.
These families, once influential, were not heard of during the elections so much so that Maharani Mehtab Kaur Sahiba — the lone surviving heir of Maharaja Harinder Singh Brar, the last king of Faridkot — did not even come to the city to cast her vote.

Crown Prince Shivraj Singh of Jodhpur & Crown Princess Gayatri Kumari (nee Princess of Askot) became parents of a daughter on December 10, 2011.
Mother and daughter are in good health.

Source: Pabitra Saha

Royals rule the roost in Balangir campaigning - The Times of India
Royals of Balangir are out to strengthen their grassroots base with members flunging themselves headlong into campaigning for the panchayat polls. This time the royal canvassing is significant because young turks of the blue-blooded clan are also on the trail.
[...]
In 2009, five members of the Balangir royal family contested the parliamentary and assembly elections, while seven others campaigned for them. Prakriti Devi, wife of Sree Vardhan Singhdeo, who is the younger brother of KV, was the MLA candidate for BJD from Patnagarh in the last election. She was contesting against her brother-in-law K V Singhdeo. Her mother-in-law Premalata Singhdeo and sister-in-law Mitrabandha Panwar were campaigning for her. Premalata is the wife of erstwhile king Rajraj Singhdeo.

Lawyer panel raps Marthanda Varma | Deccan Chronicle
The advocate commissioners have complained against the patriarch of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, Marthanda Varma, for not returning the gold and silver utensils that were taken out of the C and D cellars of the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple on January 8 this year.

[Biri]

Maharaja Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur, Maharaja of Baroda, died from renal failure at a private hospital in Baroda, on 9 May 2012, a day before his 74th birthday.

He was born at Ootacamund as the second son of Major-General H.H. Shrimant Maharaja Sir Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur, Maharaja of Baroda by his first wife, H.H. Shrimant Akhand Soubhagyavati Maharani Shantadevi Sahib Gaekwad.

Succeeded on the death of his elder brother, Maharaja Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad, as Head of the Royal House of Baroda, 1st September 1988.

He married on December 1964, H.H. Maharani Shrimant Akhand Soubhagyavati Shubhanginidevi Raje Sahib Gaekwad, née Arunadevi Jadhav daughter of Sardar Deorao Krishnarao Jadhav, of Gwalior. having had issue, one son and two daughters:

• Samarjitsinhrao Gaekwad, Sena Khas Khel Shamsher Bahadur, Maharaja of Baroda. b. at Baroda, 25th April 1967 (married,one daughter)
• Alaukikadevi Raje Gaekwad b. 1st November 1965 (married, two sons)
• Anjanadevi Raje Gaekwad b. 2nd June 1968 (married twice, two sons by second marriage)

Sources: baroda7
Netty's Royalty Page Genealogical News 2012
.

[Al_bina]

Fred Bremner gallery of India from the turn of the 20th century and the days of the British Raj goes on display | Mail Online

[shaikhatif]

Shaikh Noorhasan son of Abdul Hameed was born in the Year 1956 to Saira Khatun and Abdul-Hameed in the City of Jaunpur, India, This Couple is a Descendant of the House of Astrakhan, Bukhara, Balkh in Afghanistan, House of Hashim & Jochi and of the Mughal House of India. After the Independence of India from the British Raj, most their Lands were encroached and taken away from them. The Couple had a Hard Life and Lived in Poverty. With difficulties Shaikh Noorhasan pursued Education and became a Lawyer. After his Marriage to Khurshid Begum, Shaikh Noorhasan Proceeded to establish himself Socially. Establishment of Adnan International Pvt.Ltd is his Greatest Achievement alone with establishment of Masjids in the City of Jaunpur. Shaikh Noorhasan established a Trust named Anjuman Aneesul Awliya which is a Family Trust and is involved in the Social Welfare Activities of Muslims and Non-Muslims.

Shaikh Noorhasan was the Custodian of 12 Sufi Shrines in Jaunpur, India. He passed away on 27th November'12 Appointing his second son Shaikh Atif Al-Abdullah as his Successor.

The House of Noorhasan is the Successor House(Claimant) of the House of Jochi, House of Hashim in India, House of Jaunpur and House of AStrakhanids of Central Asia. The head of the House holds the Title of Ala-Sultan while the female Head holds the title of Ala-Sultana. The Male Members(Sons of ala-Sultan) are referred as Sultan and Daughters as Sultana. At the time of Birth they are addresses as Emir and after recognition from the Ala-Sultan they receive the Title of Sultan, the Successor incumbent is known as Waris-i-Ism.
Shaikh Noorhasan is Well known and held in High Regard among his People.

[Lenora]

Jaipur's nine-year-old prince becomes Sirmaur Maharaja | Mail Online

[Al_bina]

Maharaja's daughters to inherit assets worth Rs 20,000 cr - The Economic Times

CHANDIGARH: Daughters of the erstwhile Maharaja of Faridkot are set to inherit his estates and assets worth a staggering Rs 20,000 crore following a local court's ruling after a 23-year-old legal battle that his will was forged.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma on Thursday gave the verdict in favour of Sir Harinder Singh Brar's eldest daughter, Amrit Kaur who had challenged the will which had entitled a trust as the caretaker of the estates and assets including the Faridkot House in the heart of the national capital, a palace and a fort in Punjab besides bank deposits and jewellery.

Indian princesses finally win battle for £2.6BILLION inheritance after court accepts that their Maharajah father's will was forged | Mail Online

It has all the makings of a best-selling novel.
An Indian maharajah crowned as a toddler and rich beyond imagination falls into a deep depression in old age after losing his only son.
After his own death a few months later, his daughters, the princesses, don't get the palaces, gold and vast lands they claim as their birthright.
Instead, they are given a few dollars a month from palace officials they accuse of scheming to usurp the royal billions with a forged will. The fight rages for decades.
On Saturday, an Indian court brought this chapter to a close, ruling that the will of Maharajah Harinder Singh Brar of Faridkot was fabricated.
His daughters will now inherit the estimated £2.6billion estate, instead of a trust run by his former servants and palace officials.

[Cory]

The last Mughal emperor was her ancestor but Sultana Begum is forced to live in a slum, washes in the street and struggles to feed herself and her children | Mail Online