Padmanabh Singh

{{Infobox royalty | kingdom = Jaipur State | type = Maharaja | name = Sawai Maharaja Padmanabh Singh | title = Maharaja of Jaipur
Head of the House of Kachwaha | caption = | succession = Maharaja of Jaipur | reign = 28th April 2011 | predecessor = Sawai Bhawani Singh | Mother = Princess Diya Kumari | Father = Maharaj Narendra Singh | religion = Hinduism

HIS HIGHNESS MAHARAJA SAWAI PADMANABH SINGH OF JAIPUR

His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, the eldest son of Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and Maharaj Narendra Singh was born in New Delhi on 2 July 1998.

He was adopted by their Highnesses the Maharaja and Maharani Sahiba of Jaipur on 22nd November 2002 as their heir. After the demise of Maharaja Brig. SawaiBhawani Singh Ji on 17 April 2011, his coronation as the Maharaja of Jaipur (303rd in line of Royal Family descendency) was held on 28 April 2011 at the City Palace, Jaipur.

Playing polo has been a tradition of the members of the Royal Family of Jaipur for centuries. In modern times, Jaipur has become synonymous with polo, owing to this rich tradition. Padmanabh’s great-grandfather Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur (1912-1970) was a nine-goal player, and under his captaincy the famous Royal Jaipur Team established a unique and an unbeaten record till date, by winning all the open tournaments in the United Kingdom and the Indian Championship successively from the year 1930 to 1938. He also led the Indian Polo Team that won the World Championship in Deauville, France in 1957.

His grandfather Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, himself a great Polo player and an international promoter of the game, was the founder member and ambassador of the Federation of International Polo (FIP). He also donated the World Cup Trophy, known as the FIP Jaipur World Cup Trophy. Padmanabh's father, Maharaj Narendra Singh is also an ambassador representing India to the FIP and leads many initiatives in India and abroad.

Padmanabh’s initial schooling was in Jaipur and thereafter he shifted to Mayo College, Ajmer, an elite school of India. Encouraged by the centuries old traditions of the Royal family of Jaipur he took up the sport of polo and riding during his tenure in Mayo College. He won numerous medals and trophies and was also the captain of the school team. In 2014 he left Mayo College to join Millfield School in England where apart from excelling in academics, he pursued the sport of polo successfully. At Millfield he was the captain of the polo team. Under his captaincy their team came second in the UK Schools National Championship for two years running.

Padmanabh, affectionately known as “Pacho” to his family and friends, ventured into professional equestrian events by participating in the Delhi Horse Show and won many awards in equestrian activities including winning the Junior Indian Polo Championship. He regularly plays polo in tournaments in Delhi, Jaipur and in Jodhpur where he won the trophy as the most valuable player for 2 years in a row. He also plays internationally, participating in many polo matches in Germany, the UK, Argentina, Abu Dhabi, USA and Thailand. He was declared the most valuable player in the British Polo Day tournaments in Jodhpur and Abu Dhabi. He has been playing in the Professional Circuit in the UK since 2015 and has been promoted to a handicap of 2 Goals. He has also been fielding the Jaipur Polo Team in tournaments up to the level of 15 goals across the UK.

Keeping their historic association with the Jaipur Royal Family alive, the Guards Polo Club has recently inducted the young Maharaja as a member of the elite club, where he played with the Guards Polo Team throughout the 2016 polo season. The same year he was invited by Cirencester Polo Club invited him to play a charity polo match with HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

In 2016 he took the Jaipur Polo Team to the USA, renewing the old polo ties between the US and Jaipur, playing in both New York and in Santa Barbara, and winning three out of the four games that they played. Furthermore, at the end of the 2015-2016 UK Polo season he was awarded the most improved player by the Chairman of the Guards Polo Club at their Annual Award Ceremony.

Padmanabh now plays at the highest level of polo in Asia, and participated in the annual Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai polo season this year. He is the youngest player ever to win the Indian Open Championship.

In 2017 he was selected as a member of the Indian National Polo Team, one of the youngest players in history. He was also selected as a member of the Indian National Polo Team for the Polo World Cup of 2017.

He was the Goodwill Ambassador of the Jaipur Marathon in which over 60,000 runners from around the world took part on 5 February this year.

In addition to his passion for polo, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh feels hugely privileged to be descended from a long line of rulers of Jaipur; while we now live in a democratic age, preserving the rich cultural and architectural heritage of Jaipur places a great burden of responsibility on him and his family, which he embraces as a stimulating and most worthy challenge. He is dedicated to playing a responsible role in ensuring a more sustainable future, equitable social and economic development, lifting the underprivileged out of poverty, ensuring quality education for all, empowering women, and protecting and preserving our environment, alongside the conservation of our cultural, artistic, and architectural patrimony.

Padmanabh Singh (born 2 July 1998) is a member of the former ruling family of Jaipur.

• House of Kachwaha