Ajit Singh of Khetri
| Ajit Singh | |
|---|---|
 Ajit Singh |
|
| Coronation | 1870 |
| Full name | Maharaja Ajit Singh Bahadur |
| Born | October 16, 1861 |
| Birthplace | Alsisar, Rajasthan 28°18′24″N 75°17′14″E / 28.306724°N 75.287279°E |
| Died | January 18, 1901 (aged 39)[1] |
| Place of death | Sikandra 25°35′00″N 81°59′00″E / 25.583333°N 81.983333°E[1] |
| Buried | Mathura 27°29′33″N 77°40′25″E / 27.492413°N 77.673673°E[1] |
| Predecessor | Raja Fateh Singh[1] |
| Successor | Raja Jai Singh Bahadur[1] |
| Consort | Rani Champawatiji Sahiba[1] |
| Dynasty | Shekhawat[1] |
| Father | Thakur Chattu Singh[1] |
| Children | Surya Kumari (daughter, 1882—1913) Chandra Kumari (daughter, born 17 January 1889) Jai Singh (son, 1893—1910)[1] |
| Religious beliefs | Hinduism |
Ajit Singh or Maharaja Ajit Singh Bahadur (1861—1901) was a ruler of Shekhawat dynasty of the Indian princely state of Khetri, Rajasthan between 1870 and 1901.[1] He was born on 16 October 1861 in Alsisar, India. His father was Thakur Chattu Singh, a resident of Alsisar. Ajit Singh was later adopted to Khetri and after the death of Fateh Singh, he became the eighth king of Khetri in 1870. In 1876 he married Rani Champawatiji Sahiba and the couple had one son and two daughters. He died on 18 January 1901 at Sikandra, and was cremated at Mathura.
Ajit Singh was a close friend and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda went to Khetri and met Ajit Singh thrice in his lifetime— in 1891, 1893 and 1897. Ajit Singh is known for providing financial support to Vivekananda, and encouraging him to speak at the Parliament of the World's Religions at Chicago in 1893.
From 1891 Ajit Singh started sending monthly stipend of 
100 to Vivekanada's family in Kolkata. On 1 December 1898 Vivekananda wrote a letter to Ajit Singh from Belur in which he requested him to make the donation permanent so that even after Vivekananda's death his mother (Bhuvaneswari Devi 1841—1911) gets the financial assistance on regular basis. The letter archive of Khetri reveals he had frequent communication with the family members of Vivekananda.
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Biography [edit]
Early life and background [edit]
Ajit Singh was born on 16 October 1861 in Alsisar, India. His father was Thakur Chattu Singh, a resident of Alsisar. Singh's mother was the daughter of the Thakur of Nimaj in Jodhpur.[1]
Ascension to the throne [edit]
Ajit Singh was adopted by Raja Fateh Singh, seventh king of Khetri. In 1870, after the death of Fateh Singh, Ajit Singh ascended to the throne and became the eighth king of Khetri.[1] Though Khetri was small in size, the state was one of the most advanced and progressed states of Rajasthan of that time. Ajit Singh, as the ruler of Khetri, was famous for his patronage of real talent. He was a big admirer of arts and music too.[4] In 1897 he went to England to attend Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.[5]
Marriage and personal life [edit]
In 1876 Ajit Singh married Rani Champawatiji Sahiba, daughter of Thakur Devi Singh of Auwa. Rani Champawatiji Sahiba died on 16 May 1904. Ajit Singh and Champawatiji Sahiba had two daughters and one son.[1]
- Their first daughter, Surya Kumari, was born on 16 September 1882, married Rajadhiraja Sahib Umaid Singhji II Bahadur of Shahpura in 1894. Surya Kumari died on 8 August 1913 at Shahpura.[1]
- Their second daughter, Chandra Kumari, was born on 17 January 1889. She married Maan Singh of Pratapgarh in 1903.
- Their only son, Jai Singh Sahib, was born in Agra on 26 January 1893. He studied at Mayo College, Ajmer. In 1901, after the death of Ajit Singh, Jai became the ninth king of Khetri. In 1905 he established Ajit Singh Hospital in memory of his father. He died on 30 March 1910 in Jaipur after suffering from tuberculosis.[1]
Death [edit]
Ajit Singh died on 18 January 1901 in Sikandra, and was cremated at Mathura. At the time of death he was 39 years 3 months old.[1] Incidentally Swami Vivekananda too died at the age of 39.[6]
Relationship with Swami Vivekananda [edit]
I have not the least shame in opening my mind to you, and that I consider you as my only friend in this life.
Since the first meeting in June 1891 till Ajit Singh's death in January 1901, Ajit Singh remained a very close friend and disciple of Vivekananda. On 22 November 1988 Vivekananda sent a letter to Ajit Singh in hwich he considered Ajit Singh as the only friend of his life.[7][8]
First meeting with Swami Vivekananda (1891) [edit]
After the death of Ramakrishna, in January 1887 Vivekananda (then Narendranath Datta) and eight other disciples of Ramakrishna took formal monastic vow in Baranagar math. In 1888, Vivekananda left the monastery of Baranagar and started his life as a wandering monk. In June 1891 Vivekananda reached Khetri of Rajasthan and there on 4 June 1891 he met Ajit Singh for the first time.[9][10]
Ajit Singh's first meeting with Vivekananda has been captured and described in details later in some scholarly books. As described in Mani Shankar Mukherjee's book The Monk As Man: The Unknown Life of Swami Vivekananda, on 4 June 1891, Ajit Singh woke up at 6.30 am in the morning. In that evening he met Pratap Singh, king of Jodhpur and spent around half an hour with him. After that he was informed that a monk has come to see him. Ajit Singh met the monk. Ajit Singh found that the monk was proficient in English, Bengali and Sanskrit languages. Ajit Singh and the monk discussed on a wide range of subjects. Then Ajit Singh asked the monk to dine with him. After dinner, around 11 pm at the night, the monk left the palace of Ajit Singh. The monk was Swami Vivekananda and this was the first meeting of Ajit Singh and Vivekananda.[9]
In his first visit to Khetri Vivekananda stayed there from 4 June 1891 to 27 October 1891. In his life as a wandering monk it was Vivekananda's longest stay at a single place.[9] To protect himself from hot wind of Rajasthan Ajit Singh suggested Vivekananda to wear a turban around his head and showed him how to wear a turban in Rajasthani style. Vivekananda learned the technique very quickly and later invented few other variations of wearing it. Later in his life, this turban became of a part of his common dress.[11] During his stay Vivekananda closely observed the culture and lifestyle of Rajputana and later in his life he praised about it in his lectures and letters.[11][12]
Second meeting with Swami Vivekananda (1893) [edit]
Swami Vivekananda visited Khetri twice more in his lifetime— in April 1893 and in December 1897. In 1893, Vivekananda stayed in Khetri for three weeks— from 21 April to 10 May.[9]
An incidence happened in this period which was later widely examined and referenced in scholarly studies. Ajit Singh organized a function where a dancing court girl was to sing. Ajit Singh invited Vivekananda to attend the performance, but Vivekananda refused the request, explaining that he was a monk and thus should not attend such performances. The dancing girl heard about this comment. In the function she sang a famous song of Surdas—
O Lord, look not upon my evil qualities!
Thy name, O Lord, is Same-Sightedness.
Make us both the same Brahman!
This incidence was an eye-opener for Vivekananda and he realized everything is the manifestation of the One (i.e. God).[13][14]
On 9 May, one day before leaving for Bombay, Vivekananda was asked to visit the women's section of the palace where he blessed Jai Singh, the newborn son of Ajit Singh.[11]
Assistance and encouragement to join Parliament of World's religions [edit]
Vivekananda had a wish to sail to America to talk and attend the Parliament of the World's Religions as a speaker which was going to be held in Chicago in 1893. When Ajit Singh learned about this, he encouraged Vivekananda to join the Parliament as a representative of Hindusim and India. He also provided him the financial aid and got him the ticket for the ship to America from Bombay. It was under Ajit Singh's request, that Swamiji assumed his monastic name Vivekananda in preference to Sacchidananda.[15]
In a letter written to Haridas Viharidas Desai in May 1893, Vivekananda wrote—[16]
You may remember that I had from before a desire to go to Chicago. When at Madras, the people there, of their own accord, in conjunction with H.H. of Mysore and Ramnad made every arrangement to send me up. And you may also remember that between H.H. of Khetri and myself there are the closest ties of love. Well, I, as a matter of course, wrote to him that I was going to America. Now the Raja of Khetri thought in his love that I was bound to see him once before I departed, especially as the Lord has given him an heir to the throne and great rejoicings were going on here; and to make sure of my coming he sent his Private Secretary all the way to Madras to fetch me, and of course I was bound to come.
On 10 May 1893, Vivekananda left Khetri for Bombay. At that time of leaving, Ajit Singh escorted him up to Jaipur and Munshi Jagmohahlal (an employee of Kehtri) escorted him up to Bombay. He arranged to send more money to Vivekananda after his arrival at Boston, in form of American dollars. In America Vivekananda lost his money and when Ajit Singh got the information, he immediately sent US$ 150 more through telegraph service.[15]
Initially Vivekananda had a lower-class sheep ticket. Ajit Singh had it exchanged with a first class ticket. He also gave him a good substantial amount of money as his personal expenses during the journey.[11]
Vivekananda wrote a stream of letters to Ajit Singh from the West, and later from India. Ajit Singh is known for the financial support he provided for Vivekananda for his social service. On 17 December 1897, at Khetri, Swamiji said in a meeting that whatever little he had done for the uplift of India would not have been possible had he not met the Raja of Khetri.[17] Again, he wrote in a letter to Munshi Jagmohanlal on 11 October 1897, "Certain men are born in certain periods to perform certain actions in combination. Ajit Singh and myself are two such souls—born to help each other in a big work for the good of mankind.… We are as supplement and complement."[18]
Third meeting with Swami Vivekananda (1897) [edit]
In 1897 Ajit Singh send Vivekananda a number of letters and requested to visit Khetri once more.[19] Accepting this invitation Vivekananda decided to visit Khetri once again. At that time he was staying in Dehradun. From Dehradun he went to Delhi and then reached Alwar. From Alwar he traveled to Khetri via Jaipur. When Ajit Singh got the news of Vivekananda's arrival, he traveled [{convert|12|mi|km}} away from his palace to welcome him. There Vivekananda was formally welcomed and after that Ajit Singh with a large procession took him to Khetri. At the pacae of Khetri all employees of the palace showed their respect to Vivekananda by touching his feet and giving 2 rupees coin each. Ajit Singh gave Vivekananda 3000 coin as a token of respect and love.[19]
On 17 December 1897 Vivekananda publicly expressed his gratitude and thankfulness towards Ajit Singh. On this day he told— "it would not have been possible for me to do what little I have done for India but my friendship with Khetri's Maharaja."[9] On 20 December 1897, Vivekananda delivered a speech in Khetri. The event was attended by Ajit Singh himself and many more Europeans.[19]
Assistance to Vivekananda's family [edit]
100 for Vivekanada'a family. On 1 December 1898 Vivekananda wrote a letter to Ajit Singh from Belur in which he requested Ajit Singh to make the donation permanent so that even after Vivekananda's death his mother (Bhuvaneswari Devi 1841—1911) gets the financial assistance on regular basis.[20]From 1891 Ajit Singh started sending monthly stipend of 100 to Vivekananda's family in Kolkata.[9] On 1 December 1898 Vivekananda wrote a letter to Ajit Singh from Belur in which he requested Ajit Singh to make the donation permanent so that even after Vivekananda's death his mother gets the financial assistance on regular basis.[20] In that letter Vivekananda wrote—[21]
One thing more will I beg of you — if possible, the 100 Rs. a month for my mother be made permanent, so that even after my death it may regularly reach her. Or even if your Highness ever gets reasons to stop your love and kindness for me, my poor old mother may be provided [for], remembering the love you once had for a poor Sâdhu.
Ajit Singh gladly came forward to help his teacher and friend and continued sending the monthly 100 ruppes allowance till his death on 18 January 1901. Historians and researchers have estimated the current value of 100 Indian rupees as something between 10000 (US$180) to 20000 (US$370). Mani Shankar Mukherjee in his book The Monk As Man: The Unknown Life of Swami Vivekananda commented— "It is, indeed remarkable that a disciple should be so generous towards his teacher's family". Ajit Singh did not want to publicize this assistance and thoroughly wanted to keep it a secret.[9]
The letters stored at Khetri's archive also show that Ajit Singh frequently communicated with the members of Vivekananda's family from 1892 onwards. On 28 February 1893, Mahnedranath Datta, younger brother of Vivekananda sent a letter to Khetri in which he showed his anxiety for not receiving any letter from Ajit Singh for a long time. In his next letter dated 22 March 2893 Mahendranath told Ajit Singh the names of the books he recently read. He also informed him that Bhupendranath Datta (youngest brother of Vivekananda and Mahendranath) was admitted in Metropolitan School, Kolkata, one of the most reputable school of the city. This shows the frequency of communication between Ajit Singha and the family members of Vivekananda.[9]
Founding of the Ramakrishna Mission at Khetri [edit]
In 1958, Ramakrishna Mission was started at the Palace of Khetri, which was donated by Raja Ajit Singh's grandson, Raja Bahadur Sardar Singh. The palatial building has been named as "Vivekananda Smriti Mandir", which houses marble statues of Raja Ajit Singh and Swami Vivekananda. The room at the topmost storey where Swamiji used to stay and had spiritual discourses with Raja Ajit Singhji, has been converted into a prayer room.[22]
Notes [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "History of Khetri". Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Image of Ajit Singh Khetri in London". Lafayette Negative Archive. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Image of Ajit Singh Khetri in London". Lafayette Negative Archive. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "RKMission Khetri History". RKMission Khetri. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Raja of Khetri 1897". lafayette.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ S.V. Bharathi (1 January 2010). Educational Philosophy Of Swami Vivekananda. Discovery Publishing House. pp. 30–. ISBN 978-81-8356-023-8. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Letter 22 November 1898". WikiSource. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Letter to Maharaja Ajit Singh, the Raja of Khetri – 2". Vivekananda Online. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sankar (1 January 2011). The Monk As Man: The Unknown Life of Swami Vivekananda. Penguin Books India. pp. 54–. ISBN 978-0-14-310119-2. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Devika Rangachari (1 January 2011). Swami Vivekananda: A Man with a Vision. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 72–. ISBN 978-81-8475-563-3. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Swami Vivekananda's Special Relationship with Raja Ajit Singh – II". Ramakrishna Mission, Khetri. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Letter 5 September1894". Wikisource. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Gopal Shrinivas Banhatti (1 January 1995). Life And Philosophy Of Swami Vivekananda. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 24–. ISBN 978-81-7156-291-6. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ Chetanananda (Swami.) (2001). God Lived with Them. Advaita Ashrama. p. 42. ISBN 978-81-7505-198-0. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
- ^ a b Chaturvedi Badrinath (1 June 2006). Swami Vivekananda: The Living Vedanta. Penguin Books India. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-0-14-306209-7. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "Vivekananda's letter May 1893". Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ Sailendra Nath Dar, A Comprehensive Biography of Swami Vivekananda (Madras:Vivekananda Prakashan Kendra, 1976), p.1027.
- ^ Benishankar Sharma, Swami Vivekananda—A Forgotten Chapter of His Life (Calcutta: Oxford Book and Stationary, 1963), p.118.
- ^ a b c Bhawan Singh Rana; Mīnā Agravāla (2005). The Immortal Philosopher Of India Swami Vivekananda. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-81-288-1001-5. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ a b Devika Rangachari (1 January 2011). Swami Vivekananda: A Man with a Vision. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 137–. ISBN 978-81-8475-563-3. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "1 December 1898 letter". Vivekananda.net. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "History". Ramakrishna Mission, Khetri.
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