PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
Originally
part of the lands held by the Garha Mandla Gonds, and was taken by Raja
Chattar Sal, the founder of Panna. On the partition of territory among
his sons, Bijawar fell to Raja Jagat Rai as part of Jaitpur and he
later
granted it to his son in 1765. In 1893, the Maharaja maintained a
military force of 100 cavalry, 1000 infantry and 13 guns. The state
motto is Agni pratáp Vishwesha
(As fire resplendent, the Lord of the World). Rulers were...
- Raja BIR SINGH DEO,
1st Raja of Bijawar 1765/1793, gradually
extended
his holdings by force of arms, but was killed fighting Ali Bahadur and
Himmat Bahadur of Banda, married and had issue. He died 1793.
- Yuvaraj Dhaunkal Singh, died vpsp.
- Raja Keshri Singh (qv)
- Kunwar Khuman Singh, died after 1804.
Nawab
HIMMAT BAHADUR, Usurper of Bijawar 1793/1802
- Raja KESHRI SINGH,
2nd Raja of Bijawar 1802/1810, the
state was restored
to Raja Kesri Singh by Himmat Bahadur, by a sanad in 1802, married and
had issue, four sons. He died 1810
- Raja Ratan Singh (qv)
- Kunwar Khet Singh, married and had
issue.
- Kunwar Shatrujit Singh
- Kunwar Maharaj Deo
- Raja RATAN SINGH,
3rd Raja of Bijawar 1810/1833, he was granted a sanad confirming
his possession of the state in 1811; he instituted state coinage. He
died sp
17th December 1833 (#2).
- Raja LAKSHMAN SINGH,
4th Raja of Bijawar 1833/1847, married and had issue.
- HH Maharaja Sawai Bhan Pratap Singh
Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai BHAN
PRATAP SINGH
Bahadur, 5th Maharaja of Bijawar 1847/1899, born 24th December
1842, succeeded 23rd November
1847 (#1),
granted a valuable khilat and a hereditary salute of eleven
guns
for his help to the British, during the Indian Mutiny in 1857, he was
granted
a sanad of adoption in 1862 and the titles of Maharaja
[cr.1866]
and Maharaja Sawai [cr.1877], but his maladministration placed the
state
into financial difficulties and an administrator was appointed in 1897,
he adopted Kunwar Sawant Singh, second son of the Maharaja Pratap Singh
Ju Deo of Orchha in 1898, married and
had adoptive issue. He died sp
1899.
- (A) HH Bharat
Dharmendra Maharaja Sawai Sir Sawant Singh
Bahadur (qv)
 HH
Bharat Dharmendra Maharaja Sawai Sir SAWANT SINGH
Bahadur, 6th Maharaja of Bijawar 1899/1940,
born 25th November 1877, K.C.I.E. [cr.1911], married 1stly, a daughter
of Panwar Diwan Raghuraj Singh of Sonrai in Jhansi district, married
2ndly, 1913, a daughter of Dhandera Diwan Gajraj Singh, a Jagirdar in
Datia State [=? HH Maharani
Kanchan Kunwar, sister of Rao Hira Singh Ju Dev of Karahia (maternal
grandfather of Rajkumari Anjana (Bundela)
(née Rajniesh Singh) of Ajaigarh)],
and had issue, two daughters, an adoptive son, as well as further
issue.
He died spl 30th
October
1940.
- Maharajkumari (name
unknown) (by 1st marriage), married 1910, Rao Lokendra Singh of Beri, and had issue.
- Kunwar Aman Singh
- (A) HH Maharaja Sawai
Govind Singh Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai GOVIND
SINGH Bahadur, 7th Maharaja of Bijawar 1940/1983, born 17th June
1934, son of
Kunwar
Malkhan Singh of Lakhanguwan and descendant of Raja Bir Singh Deo, 1st
Raja of Sarila, married HH Maharani Mohini Kumari, daughter of HH
Maharana Raj Saheb Pratapsinhji Amarsinhji of Wankaner, and his wife, HH Maharani
Rama
Kunverba Sahiba, and had issue. He died 9th
July 1983 in New York.
- HH Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai JAI
SINGH Bahadur, 8th Maharaja of Bijawar (see above)
The help of Deepak Aggarwal is gratefully acknowledged,
July 2011. |