Jhargram: Former Queen Rupmanjari Devi of the Malladeva dynasty in Jhargram passed away at Bellevue Nursing Home in Kolkata at 4.30 pm on Saturday. She was 99. Rani Rupamanjari Devi was the second wife of Narsingh Malladeva, the 16th king of Jhargram. It is learnt that the queen of Jhargram died due to age-related ailments. Joydip Malladev, a member of the Jhargram royal family, mourned the loss of his grandmother.
Raja Narsingh Malladeva married Binod Manjuri Devi, daughter of Raja Lal Saheb Girishchandra Bhunj Dev of Mayurbhanj, Orissa (now Odisha) in 1930. The first two children of the king from his first wife were Prince Birendra Vijayamalya Dev and Princess Savitri Devi.
Following the death of Binod Manjuri Devi in 1944, Raja Narsingh Malladeva married Rupamanjari Devi. The second wife Rupmanjari Devi had two daughters —Princess Gayatri Devi and Princess Jayashree Devi. Raja Narsingh Malladeva died on November 11, 1976, in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
According to Jhargram Malladev Raj family sources, the eldest daughter of Rani Rupmanjari Devi lives in Kolkata and the youngest daughter lives in Cuttack. Although the queen herself lived in Kolkata, she used to visit Jhargram often for family functions. For the past few days, she has been admitted to Bellevue with age-related issues.
After coming out of a coma for the first time, it was thought that she would recover, but the queen breathed her last on Saturday afternoon. Though the last rites were performed in Kolkata, it is reported that the queen's Shradh ceremony will be held in Jhargram.
