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This book evokes the romance of the rugged desert kingdom of Bikaner and its Rajput royal family. It is a richly woven tapestry encompassing five generations of an aristocratic family's past and present. Tales of valour, battles and coronations, the splendour of the royal courts, the culture and traditions that made this Rathore state preeminent in the world, all set against the backdrop of imposing palaces, rugged forts and hunting lodges, the magnificence of the gilded age of the Maharajas. The author describes her formative years during the sixties when seismic changes in the world were taking place and which were to take her on an adventurous journey from her home in Bikaner to life in London. The author brings to life a treasure trove of anecdotes and introduces us to a world of elegance, sportsmanship and cosmopolitan culture.
One summer evening in 1918, a leopard wandered into the gardens of an Indian palace. Roused by the alarms of servants, the prince’s eldest son and his entourage rode elephant-back to find and shoot the intruder. An exciting but insignificant vignette of life under the British Raj, we may think. Yet to the participants, the hunt was laden with symbolism. Carefully choreographed according to royal protocols, recorded by scribes and commemorated by court artists, it was a potent display of regal dominion over men and beasts alike. Animal Kingdoms uncovers the far-reaching cultural, political, and environmental importance of hunting in colonial India. Julie E. Hughes explores how Indian princes relied on their prowess as hunters to advance personal status and solidify power. Believing that men and animals developed similar characteristics by inhabiting a shared environment, they sought out quarry—fierce tigers, agile boar—with traits they hoped to cultivate in themselves. Largely debarred from military activities under the British, they also used the hunt to establish meaningful links with the historic battlefields and legendary deeds of their ancestors. Hunting was not only a means of displaying masculinity and heroism, however. Indian rulers strove to present a picture of privileged ease, perched in luxuriously outfitted shooting boxes and accompanied by lavish retinues. Their interest in being sumptuously sovereign was crucial to elevating the prestige of prized game. Animal Kingdoms will inform historians of the subcontinent with new perspectives and captivate readers with descriptions of its magnificent landscapes and wildlife.
This book evokes the romance of the rugged desert kingdom of Bikaner and its royal family. In the midst of the large and mysterious sands of the Thar Desert rises the imposing beauty of the Lallgarh Palace, Bikaner. Stories whispered by the wind as it frolicked and raged over the long caravans that crawled across this mighty desert, have been caught and penned by Princess Rajyashree Kumari of Bikaner. Built in 1902 by architect Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, as residence for Maharaja Ganga Singh, Lallgarh Palace is one of the best examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture amalgamating the best of Rajput, Muslim and European styles. Built by local craftsmen in Dulmera red sandstone, its carved arches display the mastery of the local artisans. This book is an enchanting tale by Princess Rajyashree Kumari of her royal family as they lived and played over five generations in the backdrop of the imposing beauty of Lallgarh Palace. In this intriguing story of a princess, Rajyashree recounts her life growing up in the Lallgarh Palace. The little known customs and traditions that prevailed in the Royal House of Bikaner and yet untold episodes from the lives of the great Maharajas in her family. Now converted into a luxury Heritage Hotel, her story holds you spellbound as you relive the days when the grand courtyards and imposing lawns rang with the pomp and pageantry of royal durbars. The magnificence of the gilded age of the Maharajas, the sheer luxury and laughter of its resplendent visitors, men from the pages of history, Lord Curzon, its first visitor, King George V, Lord Mountbatten all come alive as she recounts their visits bringing it to the present day. The secrets and mysteries of the House of Bikaner long since buried in the shifting sand dunes are brought to life by Princess Rajyashree Kumari, who has actually lived them. Rajyashree Kumari of Bikaner was born in Bombay on June 4, 1953 and spent her childhood between her family homes in Bikaner and New Delhi. She is the daughter of Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji and Maharani Sushila Kumariji. Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji taught her to shoot at the age of six years and she won her first medal in 1960 aged seven. During her sporting career spanning 20 years, she represented India in the World Shooting Championship at San Sebastian, Spain where she was placed 8th in the world and was awarded the silver badge and the Second Asian Shooting Championship at Seoul in Korea where she won a bronze medal in the team event. She was awarded the “Arjuna Award†in 1969 by the then President of India Shri V. V. Giri. Her other interests include the preservation of heritage properties and ancestral forts and palaces that belong to the Bikaner family. She is a Life member of INTACH, and is the chairperson of the six public charitable trusts set up by her late father Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji that carry out numerous charitable and other philanthropic works in Bikaner. In 1999 she founded Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji Memorial Foundation in the memory of her late father. Contents Foreword. Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1. Junagarh Fort the ancestral home of my family. 2. Lallgarh Palace. 3. Laxmi Niwas the South Wing of the Lallgarh Palace. 4. Sadul Niwas the West Wing of the Lallgarh Palace. 5. Karni Niwas the North Wing of the Lallgarh Palace. 6. Shiv Villas the East Wing of the Lallgarh Palace. 7. Lallgarh Palace complex. 8. From one doll's house to another. 9. Family members who lived in Lallgarh Palace. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.
Naveen Patnaik's fascinating text brings fresh meaning to this incredible visual record of a lost and exotic world. A Desert Kingdom is essential reading for anybody interested in the colorful life of the great subcontinent and a unique, evocative reminder of its past.
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, 1880-1943.
The second in the series of the Dabble and Harris thrillers! Set in the mid-twentieth century, this adventure series is perfect for fans of action-packed, historical fiction. 'A rollicking good read' IAN RANKIN India, 1937. Intrepid reporter Sir Percival Harris is hunting tigers with his friend, Professor Ernest Drabble. Harris soon bags a man-eater - but later finds himself caught up in a hunt of a different kind... Harris is due to interview the Maharaja of Bikaner, a friend to the Raj, for his London newspaper - and he and Drabble soon find themselves accompanied by a local journalist, Miss Heinz. But is the lady all she seems? And the Maharaja himself is proving elusive... Meanwhile, the movement for Indian independence is becoming stronger, and Drabble and Harris witness some of the conflict first-hand. But even more drama comes on arrival at Bikaner when the friends find themselves confined to their quarters... and embroiled in an assassination plot! Just who is the enemy in the Maharaja's palace? What is the connection to a mysterious man Drabble meets in Delhi? And what secret plans do the British colonial officers have up their sleeves? Praise for Alec Marsh's Drabble and Harris thrillers... 'An immensely readable treat!' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH 'Told with humour and flair, Enemy of the Raj is a highly enjoyable, riveting read' ABIR MUKHERJEE 'A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable diversion' NEW STATESMAN on Enemy of the Raj 'Tremendous stuff! With the arrival of Alec Marsh's first Drabble and Harris thriller, John Buchan must be stirring uneasily in his grave' STANLEY JOHNSON
Damn' Rebel Bitches takes a totally fresh approach to the history of the Jacobite Rising by telling fascinating stories of the many women caught up in the turbulent events of 1745-46. Many historians have ignored female participation in the '45: this book aims to redress the balance. Drawn from many original documents and letters, the stories that emerge of the women - and their men - are often touching, occasionally light-hearted and always engrossing.