Last ruler of princely state Dungarpur, Maharawal Mahipal Singh passes away at 92

Maharawal Mahipal Singh, who was suffering from prolonged illness died last night. His last rites would be held at Surpur Rajghat.

Dungarpur (Rajasthan): A member of the erstwhile Dungarpur royal family, Maharawal Mahipal Singh passed away following prolonged illness on Friday night. He was 92. His funeral rituals were held at the palace this afternoon and the last rites will be performed at Surpur Rajghat.

Singh was admitted to Baroda Hospital in Gujarat due to poor health. He was brought to Dungarpur's Uday Vilas Palace last night following improvement in his health condition. After getting information of his demise, people associated with the former royal family and Rajput community started flocking to the palace. Along with members of the royal family, the Rajput society and a large number of people have reached the Surpur Rajghat for attending the last rites.

The Dungarpur royal family has an interesting history. It is the seat of the elder brothers of the kings of Sisodia dynasty of Udaipur while the seat of the Maharana of Mewar belongs to the younger brothers. Maharawal Uday Singh of Dungarpur achieved a heroic feat in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527 while fighting against Babur along with Rana Sanga.

After the death of Uday Singh, Dungarpur and Banswara were divided into two separate states. Belonging to the glorious lineage of Maharana Pratap, Mahipal Singh was the 34th Maharawal of the Dungarpur dynasty. He was the eldest son of Maharawal Laxman Singh, former Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and the last ruler of the oldest princely state of Dungarpur.

Born on August 14, 1931, Mahipal Singh did his graduation from St. Stephen's College after completing his education from Mayon College in Ajmer. He married Princess Dev Kunwar of the Bikaner royal family. He stayed in Mumbai for some time after marriage but returned to Dungarpur later.

Mahipal Singh is survived by son, Harshavardhan Singh and daughter Kirti Kumari, who is married to Maharaj Kumar Daiwat Singh of Sirohi. Also, he has three granddaughters and one grandson. His eldest granddaughter Shivatmika Kumari has married in Rajkot's Tikka Sahib Jaideepsinh Mandhatasinh Jadeja's royal family, his second granddaughter Trishikha Kumari is married to Yaduveer Krishnadatta Raja Wadiyar in the Mysore royal family while his third granddaughter Shivanjali Kumari and grandson Tavishman Singh are still studying.

Mahipal Singh was an excellent cricketer and was the president of Raj Cricket Club in Dungarpur. He had an immense knowledge on national and international topics. Along with this, he was interested in agriculture, wildlife studies and tourism sectors.

In the 70s and 80s, he was the Dungarpur district president of the Janata Party. He had actively participated in the election campaign along with his other siblings and relatives in every election of his father Laxman Singh, a senior leader of the Swatantra Party.