George Jiyajirao Scindia (1916–1961) was the last reigning Maharaja of Gwalior state in central India, and the rajpramukh (appointed governor) of the erstwhile Madhya Bharat state of independent India. The word Maharaja (also spelled maharajah) is Hindi as well as ancient Sanskrit for high king (a karmadharaya from maha great and rajan king). Its use is primarily for Hindu potentates (ruler or sovereign). ... Gwalior State was an Indian kingdom ruled by the Sindhia dynasty. ... Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India. ... Madhya Bharat is former state in west-central India. ...

Family history

Jiyajirao was a scion of the Scindia family, descended from the Maratha general Ranojirao Scindia. Ranojirao was the head of the Maratha armies in Malwa during the first part of the 18th century, as the Maratha Empire was expanding rapidly at the expense of the Mughal Empire. Daulatrao Scindia shifted the capital from Ujjain to the new city of Lashkar, near the historic fortress-city of Gwalior. The Scindias were forced to accept British suzerainty in 1818 at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. At 68,291 km², Gwalior was the largest state in the Central India Agency, and among the five largest princely states in all of India. The Scindia, also spelled Sindhia , Sindia, or Shinde are a prominent Maratha family in India. ... The Marāthās is a collective term referring to an Indo Aryan group of Hindu, Marathi-speaking castes of warriors and peasants hailing mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created a substantial empire, covering a major part of India, in the late 17th and 18th centuries... Malwa (Malvi:माळवा) is a region in western India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin in the western part of Madhya Pradesh state and the south-eastern part of Rajasthan. ... Extent of the Maratha Confederacy ca. ... The Mughal Empire, (Persian: دولتِ مغل) was an empire that at its greatest territorial extent ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent, then known as Hindustan, and parts of Afghanistan and Persia, between 1526 and 1707. ... Ujjain (also known as Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti) is an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River. ... Lashkar is a city in Madhya Pradesh, India. ... Teli-ka-Mandir Fortress of Gwalior Gwalior is a city in Madhya Pradesh, India. ... 1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817 - 1818) was a final and decisive conflict between Britain and the Maratha empire in India, which left Britain in control of most of India. ... The Central India Agency was a political unit of British India, which covered the northern half of present-day Madhya Pradesh state. ... A princely state is any state under the reign of a prince, both terms being taken in the broad sense. ...

Personal life

Jiyajirao became Maharaja on 5 June 1925, succeeding Madhavrao II Scindia upon his death. On February 21, 1941, he married Lekha Divyeshwari Devi, afterwards known as Vijayraje Scindia, who was descended from the powerful Rana family of Nepal. They were the parents of five children, four daughters and a son, including: June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Her Highness Maharani Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior was a senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician and the Rajmata(queen mother) of the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior. ...

• Madhavrao Scindia (born 10 March 1945), sometime union cabinet minister in India
• Vasundhara Raje, current (2005) chief minister of the Indian state of Rajasthan

Madhavrao Scindia (1945-2001) was a prominent Indian politician and minister from the Scindia family, who formerly ruled Gwalior. ... Vasundhara Raje of Dholpur, Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje, born on March 8, 1953 in Mumbai, is the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, India. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ...

Career

Jiyajirao ruled Gwalior state as absolute monarch until shortly after India's independence on 15 August 1947. The rulers of Indian princely states were required to accede to either of the two dominions (India and Pakistan) created by the India Independence Act 1947. Jiwajirao signed a covenant with the rulers of the adjoining princely states that united their several states form a new state within the Union of India known as Madhya Bharat. This new covenanted state was to be governed by a council headed by a ruler to be known as the Rajpramukh. Madhya Bharat signed a fresh Instrument of Accession with the Government of India effective June 15, 1948. Jiyajirao Scindia became the first rajpramukh, or appointed governor, of the state on 28 May 1948. He served as Rajpramukh until October 31, 1956, when the state was merged into Madhya Pradesh. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... A princely state is any state under the reign of a prince, both terms being taken in the broad sense. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... ... Madhya Bharat is former state in west-central India. ... Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India. ... Various princely states existed in India during the period of the British Raj. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Madhya Pradesh (मध्य प्रदेश) is a state in central India. ...

Family

After his death in 1961, Jiyajirao's family remained involved in politics. In 1962, his widow, Rajmata Vijayraje Scindia, was elected to the Lok Sabha, beginning the family's career in electoral politics. She was initially a member of the Congress Party and later became an influential member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Their son, Madhavrao Scindia, was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971, representing the Congress Party. He served until his death in 2001. Madhavrao's son, Jyotiraditya Scindia, also a member of the Congress Party, was elected in 2002 to the seat formerly held by his father. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Her Highness Maharani Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior was a senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician and the Rajmata(queen mother) of the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior. ... Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. ... The Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party) is the largest subscription-based organisation in the world. ... The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), literally meaning Indian Peoples Party, created in 1980, is one of the two major national political parties in India. ... Madhavrao Scindia (1945-2001) was a prominent Indian politician and minister from the Scindia family, who formerly ruled Gwalior. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Jyotiraditya Scindia (born January 1, 1971) is an INC leader and Member of Parliament from Guna. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...