Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner :

General Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner was one of those royals of Rajasthan who have their name written in history for their unprecedented achievements. Known for his modern reformist vision, the ruler of Bikaner was the only non-white person to be a member of British Imperial War Cabinet during WWI. Though these are the two most known facts about the aristocrat, these are by no means his only accomplishments.

General Maharaja Sir Ganga Singh, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE, KCB, GCStJ (3 October 1880 – 2 February 1943), was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner (in present-day Rajasthan, India) from 1888 to 1943.

He is widely remembered as a modern reformist visionary.

Biography :

Ganga Singh was born on the auspicious day of Vijay Dashmi on 3 October, 1880 to Maharaj Shri Lal Singh Sahib and his wife Maji Shri Chandravatiji Sahiba. He was brother to Dungar Singh, whom he succeeded on 16 December 1888.

He received his early education from Pandit Chandra Dube. He was educated privately at Mayo College, Ajmer, where he studied for 5 years. Later on, he was tutored by Sir Brian Egerton, who also provided him administrative training.

For military training, he was sent to Deoli in 1898 and attached to the 42nd Deoli Regiment, which had the reputation of being one of the finest regiments in India under the command of Lt. Col. Bell. He served in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1900). During the first World War, he commanded the Bikaner Camel Corps which served in France, Egypt and Palestine.

As a ruler, he established a Chief Court in Bikaner, presided over by a Chief Judge who was assisted by two judges. Bikaner was the first State in Rajasthan to take such a step. He announced the establishment of a Representative Assembly in 1913. He later established a High Court with a Chief Justice and two sub-judges by an edict in 1922. Maharaja Ganga Singhji was the first prince in Rajputana to grant full charter of powers to a high court.

A life insurance and Endowment Assurance Scheme was introduced for the benefit of the employees. Also, facilities of a saving bank were made available to the people. He was one of the first rulers to introduce through legislation a Sharda Act by which child marriages were stopped.

He had a personal gun salute of 17-guns granted in 1918 and a permanent local gun salute of 19-guns granted in 1921. He was an Honorary ADC to HRH the Prince of Wales when he visited the United Kingdom for the Coronation in 1902, later serving him when he became His Majesty King George V, the King-Emperor, in 1910. A Member of the Central Recruiting Board-India 1917, he represented India at the Imperial War Conference 1917, the Imperial War Cabinet and the Paris Peace Conference 1919 and was Chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princesfrom 1920–26. He also represented India as a delegate at the fifth session of the League of Nations in 1924.

As well, the Maharaja served as Patron of Benares Hindu University and Sri Bharat Dharam Mahamandal, as Vice-President of East India Association and the Royal Colonial Institute, a Member of the Indian Gymkhana Club and of the Indian Army Temperance Association, the General Council of Mayo and Daly Colleges, the Indian Society of Oriental Art, the Indian Society-London, the Bombay Natural History Society, and was the first Member of the Indian Red Cross Society. Singh was a famous Indian freemason in his time.

He was also the third Chairman of the Indian Public Schools Society (The Doon School) from 1929 to 1930.

Family :

He married 1stly in July 1897 HH Maharani Vallabhkuver Sahiba of Pratapgarh; she died 19 August 1906. He then married 3rdly HH Maharani Sri Bhatiyaniji Sahiba of Bikamkor and had issue, four sons and two daughters. He died 2 February 1943 in Bombay after a reign of 56 years, aged 62, and was succeeded by his son Sadul Singh

Achievements :

• Singh constructed the Ganga Canal. He inspired people to come and settle in this new Command area. A large population settled there from the surrounding areas of Punjab. Among them the Sikh families mostly land owners, migrated to this region in the 1920s, when the canal was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh of the former Bikaner state bringing waters of the Satluj river from the adjoining Ferozepur District in Punjab. There were no permanent settlements in this area (except for a few towns under the old Bikaner state).
• He successfully dealt with the worst famine of the year 1899–1900 AD in the region. This famine inspired the young Maharaja to establish an irrigation system to get rid of the problem permanently.
• He developed the city of Sri Ganganagar and its surrounding area as the most fertile grain bowl of Rajasthan.
• He also constructed the Lalgarh Palace at Bikaner (named in memory of his father Lall Singh) between 1902 and 1926.
• He brought railways and an electricity network to the state.He introduced prison reforms. Bikaner prisoners wove and crafted carpets of India that were sold in the international markets.
• He established partial internal democracy such as election to the municipalities and appointed a council of ministers to aid and advice.
• Some land reforms were also introduced.
• He induced enterprising Industrialist and agriculturists from neighbouring state for starting new ventures in his state.
• He built the existing temple above the Samadhi of Ramdev Pir at Ramdevra in year 1931.
• Founder several schools and colleges, especially of women
• He donated two ornately designed silver gates to be used as main doors of Karni Mata temple at Deshnok.