Hari Singh
Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (23 September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, following his uncle's death, Singh became the new Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. After Indian Independence in 1947, Singh wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain as an independent kingdom. He was required to accede to the Dominion of India to get the support of Indian troops against an invasion by tribal armed men and the Pakistan Army into his state. Singh  remained the titular Maharaja of the state until 1952, when the monarchy was abolished by the Indian government. After spending his final days in Bombay, he died on 26 April 1961. Singh was also a controversial figure due to his involvement in a blackmail scandal by a prostitute in Paris in 1921, the agitation in Kashmir against his government in 1931, and the rebellion against him in Poonch in 1947. Early life. Hari Singh was born on 23 September 1895 at the palace of Amar Mahal, Jammu. He was the only surviving son of Raja Amar Singh, the brother of  Maharaja Pratap Singh, then the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir in a Dogra Rajput family. Since the Maharaja had no issue, Hari Singh was heir to the throne of Jammu and Kashmir. In 1903, Hari Singh served as a page of honor to Lord Curzon at the grand Delhi Durbar. At the age of 13, he was sent to Mayo College in Ajmer. A year later, in 1909, his father died and the British took a keen interest in his education, appointing Major H. K. Brar as his guardian. After Mayo College, Hari Singh went to the British-run Imperial  Cadet Corps at Dehradun for military training. He was appointed the commander-in-chief of the State Forces in 1915 by Maharaja Pratap Singh. Personal life. " Black Prince Conspiracy Case" In 1921, Singh paid £300,000 (approximately £ in today's value) to a prostitute who blackmailed him in Paris. The issue resulted in a court case in London in 1924 during which the India Office tried to keep his name out of proceedings by arranging for him to be referred to as Mr. A. "Hari Singh was known as a lavish spender of money". The funeral of his uncle  and former ruler, Pratap Singh, is believed to have expended much gold and jewelry in the funeral pyre. Marriages. Singh married four times as his first three wives failed to give birth to his heirs. Each of them died within a few years of childlessness, allowing Singh to immediately take a new bride. With his last wife, Tara Devi Sahiba of Kangra, he had a son, Karan Singh. Reign. Following the death of his uncle Pratap Singh in 1925, Singh ascended the throne of Jammu and Kashmir. Immediately, Hari Singh conducted free elections and formed Praja Sabha Jammu and Kashmir  Legislative Assembly to rule with laws implemented under Ranbir Penal Code (R.P.C) which Praja Sabha decreed. Hari Singh served as second Prime Minister (1925-1927) Jammu and Kashmir (princely state). In April 1932, as per recommendations of Glancy Commission 75 members – 12 government officials, 16 state councillors, and 14 nominated and 33 elected (21 Muslims, 10 Hindus and 2 Sikhs) formed Praja Sabha members. By September 1934 the elected members started making laws under Praja Sabha which made Jammu & Kashmir a forerunner state for other Princely India.Maharaja Hari Singh and his law and revenue minister, Justice Sir Lal Gopal  Mukherjee, a former judge of the Allahabad high court (1926-1934), who had served the state of J&K from 1935 to 1940 brought a written Constitution of J&K on 7 September 1939 which was the "pioneer" in the annals of Asia's constitutional history; despite the fact that it was anything but a people-friendly "Magna Carta" for the state. He made primary education compulsory in the state, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage, and opened places of worship to the low castes. The Seal of Maharaja Hari Singh had a crown at the top. A "katar," or ceremonial dagger, sat  below the crown. Two soldiers held flags. An image of the sun was between them to symbolize his Rajput lineage from Lord Surya, the Hindu Sun God. In 1930, Hari Singh attended the First Round Table Conference in London. He suggested that the Indian Princely states would join an “All India Federation” and pleaded for equal status for Indians in the British Commonwealth of Nations. While replying to the inaugural address by King-Emperor George V, Hari Singh said: Partition and accession. In 1947, after India gained independence from British rule, Jammu and Kashmir could have joined India, joined Pakistan , or remained independent. Singh originally maneuvered to maintain his independence by playing off India and Pakistan. Pashtun tribe members from Pakistan then invaded Kashmir and defeated Singh's forces. Hari Singh appealed to India for help. Although the Indian Prime Minister Nehru was ready to send troops, the Governor-General of India, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, advised the Maharaja to accede to India before India could send its troops. Hence, considering the emergency, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947, joining the whole of his princely state (including Jammu, Kashmir, Northern Areas, Ladakh, Trans-Karakoram Tract , and Aksai Chin) to the Dominion of India. These events triggered the first Indo-Pakistan War. Pressure from Nehru and Sardar Patel eventually compelled Singh to appoint his son and heir, Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh, as Prince Regent of Jammu and Kashmir in 1949, although he remained the titular Maharaja of the state until 1952 when the monarchy was abolished by Nehru's government. He was also forced to appoint the popular Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah as the prime minister of Kashmir. He had a contentious relationship with both Nehru and Abdullah. Karan Singh was appointed 'Sadr-e-Riyasat ' ('Head of State') in 1952 and Governor of the State in 1964. Abdullah would later be dismissed from his position as prime minister of Kashmir and jailed by Karan Singh. Final years and death. Nehru and Abdullah conspired to banish Singh from Jammu and Kashmir and forced him to exile in Bombay. Singh spent his final days in Bombay. He died on 26 April 1961, after fourteen years of banishment. As per his will, his ashes were brought to Jammu and spread all over Jammu and Kashmir, and immersed in the Tawi River at Jammu. Titles and honours. Title and  style. As Maharaja, Hari Singh's full style was: