Indira Devi of Cooch Behar

"Indira Devi" redirects here. For other people with the name, seeIndira Devi (disambiguation).

Indira Devi
Maharani of Cooch Behar
Indira Devi in 1935
Born	19 February 1892 Baroda
Died	6 September 1968 (aged 76) Bombay,India
Spouse	Jitendra Narayan ​ ​ (m.1913; died 1922)​
Issue	Princess Ila Devi PrinceJagaddipendra Narayan Prince Indrajitendra Narayan PrincessGayatri Devi Princess Menaka Devi
House	Gaekwad (by birth) Koch (by marriage)
Father	Sayajirao Gaekwad III
Mother	Chimnabai II
Religion	Hinduism

Indira Devi(born asIndira Raje;19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968) was the Maharani of theprincely stateofCooch Behar,British India.She was born a princess ofBarodaas the daughter ofMaharajaSayajirao Gaekwad III,by his second wifeChimnabai II.

She broke her arranged engagement to marryJitendra Narayanand became daughter-in-law toSuniti Devi.Previously her engagement had been fixed toMadho Rao Scindia,Maharaja of Gwalior.

Following the death of her husband she became regent of Cooch Behar in 1922-1936 during the minority of her elder sonJagaddipendra Narayan.Her fourth child and second daughter,Princess Gayatri Devi,would later go on to become the Maharani ofJaipur.

In Baroda

Indira was born the only daughter ofSayajirao Gaekwad IIIofBarodaand his second wifeMaharani Chimnabai (1872–1958).She grew up with her several brothers at the opulentLakshmi Vilas Palacein Baroda, and was betrothed at a young age toMadho Rao Scindia,the then Maharaja ofGwalior.During the period of engagement, Indira attended theDelhidurbarof 1911,where she met the Jitendra, younger brother of the then Maharaja ofCooch Behar.Within days, they were in love and had decided to marry.

"The Letter that broke the engagement"

Indira knew that her parents would be aghast; many issues were involved: the diplomatic repercussions of breaking a standing engagement with theScindiaruler ofGwalior,one of the premier21-gun-salute princesof India; the scandal and universal opprobrium that would certainly ensue; also the fact that Jitendra was the younger son and thus unlikely ever to become king.

Indira circumvented her parents by taking the initiative in breaking her engagement herself, a daring act for an 18-year-old Indian maiden of that era. She wrote to her fiancé saying that she did not wish to marry him. In Baroda, Indira's father received a single-sentence telegram from the Maharaja of Gwalior:"What does the princess mean by her letter?"This was the first inkling her stunned parents had of Indira's intentions. The Maharaja behaved in exemplary fashion, writing an understanding letter to Indira's father which he signed off as "your son"; however, the disgrace was great and was felt keenly by Indira's parents.

Wedding

The breaking of the engagement was accomplished, but this defiance of her parents did not serve to reconcile them to her marrying Jitendra. Indira's parents apparently regarded Jitendra as a playboy from a feckless family; they even ventured to summon him and give him a personal warning to stay away. Nothing worked; Indira and Jitendra were equally adamant. Eventually, perhaps also in recognition of the fact that respectable alliances for Indira were now unlikely, her parents made a half-way compromise. They allowed Indira to leave their roof, proceed to London and wed Jitendra.

Indira and Jitendra were wed at a hotel in London with no member of Indira's family present. They were wed by the rites of theBrahmo Samaj,the sect to which Jitendra's mother,Suniti Devi,daughter ofKeshub Chunder Sen,adhered.

In Cooch Behar

It happened that at the time of the wedding, Jitendra's elder brother,Rajendra Narayan,the Maharaja ofCooch Behar,was grievously ill. Within days of the wedding, he died of ailments arising from alcohol abuse, and Jitendra became maharaja of Cooch Behar. The couple lived a relatively happy life and rapidly became the parents of five children. However,alcoholismwas endemic in Jitendra's family, and he died at a young age, within a decade of the wedding.

Indira was now not only a young widow and the mother of five, but also regent of Cooch Behar during the minority of her elder son.She faced her situation not merely with courage but indeed with verve. Her administrative skills were deemed by observers very mediocre, but Indira quickly gained a reputation for her highly-active social life, and spent prolonged periods of time in Europe and away from Cooch Behar. She was not known to remain chaste in widowhood, being variously linked toHugh Molyneux, 7th Earl of Sefton,Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer,Prince George, Duke of Kent,and even the futureEdward VIII-with the princely dalliances ultimately the likely source of the cryptic messageGeorge Vsent via theIndia Office,in effect asking her to leave Europe and return toCooch Behar.

Children

Indira was the mother of three daughters and two sons.

1. Indira's eldest daughter, Ila, married a prince ofTripura,Ramendra Kishore Dev Varma. Her son took for wife the actressMoon Moon Sen;they are the parents of Indian actorsRaimaandRiya.
2. Her elder son,Jagaddipendra Narayan,succeeded his father as Maharaja of Cooch Behar, and was the last ruling prince of his dynasty; Cooch Behar was merged with theDominion of India(later theRepublic of India) during his reign. He had no legitimate children, and was succeeded by his nephew Virajendra.
3. The second son, Indrajitendra, married a daughter of the Maharaja ofPithapuram estatein present-dayAndhra Pradesh.They were the parents of Virajendra and also of Uttara Devi, Maharani ofKotahinRajasthan.
4. Indira's second daughter,Gayatri,became the third wife of the Maharaja ofJaipur,and was a noted celebrity in her own right.
5. Indira's youngest daughter Menaka married the Maharaja ofDewas Jrincentral India.

Later life

Indira's elder son assumed full powers as ruler of Cooch Behar in 1936. Indira thereafter spent a major portion of her time in Europe. Indira Devi faced many tragedies in her lifetime. Indira Devi lost two of her children: Princess Ila Devi who died at a very young age and Prince Indrajit Narayan Bhup, who died in an accidental fire leaving behind his wife Princess Kamala ofPithapuram.Maharani Indira Devi spent the last years of her life in Mumbai and died there in September 1968.

Gallery

• 
  Indira Raje Gaikwad byLallie Charles(1911)
• 
  Devi byPhilip Alexius de László
• 
  Devi withManmohan Singh,London (1930)
• 
  Jagaddipendra Narayan

Bibliography

• Moore, Lucy(2004)Maharanis: the lives and times of three generations of Indian princesses.London: VikingISBN0-670-91287-5
• Weeden, Edward St Clair (1911).A year with the Gaekwar of Baroda.Boston: D. Estes & Co.
• Williams, Elaine (2003).Maharani: Memoirs of a rebellious princess. Brinda, Maharani of Kapurthala.New Delhi: Rupa & Co.ISBN0-595-09428-7.

External links

• "Watch For the Aga Khan's Prize: video footage of Indira Devi".BFI Player.