PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY:
Originally part of the lands held by the Garha Mandla
Gonds, and was taken by Raja Chattar Sal, the founder of
Panna. On the partition of territory among his sons,
Bijawar fell to Raja Jagat Rai as part of Jaitpur and he
later granted it to his son in 1765. In 1893, the Maharaja
maintained a military force of 100 cavalry, 1000 infantry
and 13 guns. The state motto is Agni pratáp Vishwesha (As fire
resplendent, the Lord of the World). Rulers were...
- Raja BIR SINGH DEO,
1st Raja of Bijawar 1765/1793, gradually extended his
holdings by force of arms, but was killed fighting Ali
Bahadur and Himmat Bahadur of Banda, married and had
issue. He died 1793.
- Yuvaraj Dhaunkal Singh, died vpsp.
- Raja Keshri Singh (qv)
- Kunwar Khuman Singh, died after 1804.
Nawab
HIMMAT
BAHADUR, Usurper of Bijawar 1793/1802
- Raja KESHRI SINGH,
2nd Raja of Bijawar 1802/1810, the state was restored
to Raja Kesri Singh by Himmat Bahadur, by a sanad in 1802,
married and had issue, four sons. He died 1810
- Raja Ratan Singh (qv)
- Kunwar Khet Singh, married and had issue.
- Kunwar Shatrujit Singh
- Kunwar Maharaj Deo
- Raja RATAN SINGH,
3rd Raja of Bijawar 1810/1833, he was granted a sanad confirming
his possession of the state in 1811; he instituted
state coinage. He died sp 17th December 1833 (#2).
- Raja LAKSHMAN
SINGH, 4th Raja of Bijawar 1833/1847, married
and had issue.
- HH Maharaja Sawai Bhan Pratap Singh Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai
BHAN PRATAP SINGH Bahadur, 5th Maharaja of
Bijawar 1847/1899, born 24th December 1842, succeeded
23rd November 1847 (#1),
granted a valuable khilat and a hereditary
salute of eleven guns for his help to the British,
during the Indian Mutiny in 1857, he was granted a sanad
of adoption in 1862 and the titles of Maharaja
[cr.1866] and Maharaja Sawai [cr.1877], but his
maladministration placed the state into financial
difficulties and an administrator was appointed in
1897, he adopted Kunwar Sawant Singh, second son of
the Maharaja Pratap Singh Ju Deo of Orchha in 1898, married
and had adoptive issue. He died sp 1899.
- (A) HH Bharat
Dharmendra Maharaja Sawai Sir Sawant Singh Bahadur
(qv)
 HH Bharat Dharmendra
Maharaja Sawai Sir SAWANT SINGH Bahadur
K.C.I.E., 6th Maharaja of Bijawar 1899/1940, born 25th
November 1877, K.C.I.E. [cr.1911], married 1stly, a
daughter of Panwar Diwan Raghuraj Singh of Sonrai in
Jhansi district, married 2ndly, 1913, a daughter of
Dhandera Diwan Gajraj Singh, a Jagirdar in Datia State
[=? HH Maharani Kanchan Kunwar, sister of Rao Hira
Singh Ju Dev of Karahia (maternal grandfather of
Rajkumari Anjana (Bundela) (née Rajniesh Singh)
of Ajaigarh)], and
had issue, two daughters, an adoptive son, as well as
further issue. He died dspml on 30th October
1940 (#3).
- Maharajkumari (name
unknown) (by 1st marriage), married 1910,
Rao Lokendra Singh of Beri,
and had issue.
- Kunwar Aman Singh
- (A) HH Maharaja
Sawai Govind Singh Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai
GOVIND SINGH Bahadur, 7th Maharaja of Bijawar
1940/1983, born 17th June 1934, son of Kunwar Malkhan
Singh of Lakhanguwan and descendant of Raja Bir Singh
Deo, 1st Raja of Sarila, married HH Maharani Mohini
Kumari, daughter of HH Maharana Raj Saheb Pratapsinhji
Amarsinhji of Wankaner,
and his wife, HH Maharani Rama Kunverba Sahiba, and
had issue. He died 9th July 1983 in New York.
- HH Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh Bahadur (qv)
- HH Maharaja Sawai
JAI SINGH Bahadur, 8th Maharaja of Bijawar
(see above)
The help of Deepak Aggarwal is gratefully
acknowledged, July 2011. |