Maharaja
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2008-07-05T14:31:21Z
Manu rocks
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{{dablink|'''Maharani''' redirects here. For the music album by [[Nicolette Palikat]], see [[Maharani (album)]].}}
[[Image:Major-General H.H. Farzand-i-Dilband Rasikh- al-Iqtidad-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Raja-i-Rajagan, Maharaja Sir Jagatjit Singh, Bahadur, Maharaja of Kapurthala, GCSI , GCIE , GBE.jpg |thumb|220px|right|[[Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala|Sikh Maharaja, Maharaja of Kapurthala]]]]
The word '''Mahārāja''' (also spelled '''maharajah''') is [[Sanskrit]] for "great king" or "[[high king]]" (a [[karmadharaya]] from ''mahānt'' "great" and ''[[rāja]]n'' "king"). Due to Sanskrit's major influence on the vocabulary of most languages in India, the term 'maharaja' is common to many modern languages, such as [[Punjabi]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Hindi]], [[Gujrati]], etc. Its use is primarily for [[Hindu]] potentates (ruler or sovereign). The female equivalent title '''Maharani''' (or '''Maharanee''') denotes either the wife of a Mahārāja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The term [[Maharaj]] denotes separate noble and religious offices, although the fact that in Hindi the suffix 'a' in Maharaja is silent makes the two titles near homophones. Maharaj is also used to denote the chef (chief cook) at religious or wedding feasts.
In 1971, the then government of Indira Gandhi abolished the titles and privy purses of all Indian rulers. Nevertheless some individuals continue to claim such titles. Maharajas today are of historical and anthropological interest.
==Indian subcontinent==
===Maharaja as a ruler's title===
On the eve of independence in 1947, [[India]] (including present day [[Pakistan]]) contained more than 600 [[princely state]]s (see that article for context), each with its own ruler, often styled [[Raja]] or [[Thakur]] (if the ruler were [[Hinduism|Hindu]]) or [[Nawab]] (if he was [[Muslim]]); there was a host of less current titles as well.
[[Image:Dharma.JPG|thumbnail|left|His Highness Sri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma [[Dharma Raja]] Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharajah Raja Rama Raja Bahadur Shamsher Jang, the Maharajah of [[Travancore]](1758-1798)]]
The [[British Empire|British]] directly ruled 2/3rd of India, the rest was under [[indirect rule]] by the above mentioned princes under the considerable influence of British representatives, such as [[Resident (title)|Resident]]s, at their courts.
The word Maharaja may be understood simply to mean "king" (as in [[Jammu and Kashmir]]), in spite of its literal translation as "great king". This was because only a handful of the states were truly powerful and wealthy enough for their rulers to be considered 'great' monarchs; the remaining were minor [[princely state]]s, sometimes little more than towns or groups of villages. The word, however, can also mean emperor in contemporary Indian usage.
The title of Maharaja was not as common before the gradual British colonization of India, upon and after which many Rajas and otherwise styled Hindu rulers were elevated to Maharajas, regardless of the fact that scores of these new Maharajas ruled small states, sometimes for some reason unrelated to the eminence of the state, for example support in [[World War I]] or [[World War II]]. Two Rajas who became Maharajas in the twentieth century were the Maharaja of [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] and the legendary Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of [[Kapurthala]].
*Variations of this title include the following, each combining ''Maha-'' "great" with an alternative form of [[Raja]] 'king', so all meaning 'Great King': '''[[Maharana]]''' (as in [[Udaipur, Rajasthan|Udaipur]]), '''[[Maharawal]]''' (as in [[Dungarpur]]/[[Jaisalmer]]), '''[[Maharawat]]''' ([[Pratapgarh]]), '''[[Maharao]]''' (as in [[Kotah]], [[Bundi]]) and '''[[Maharaol]]''' (as in Baria).
*"Maharajah" has taken on new spellings due to time change and migration. It has even been shortened to "Mahraj" and "Maraj" but the most common is, of course, "Maharajah" and "Maharaj."
*Despite its literal meaning, unlike many other titles meaning [[Great King]], neither Maharaja nor ''Rajadhiraja'' ('[[King of Kings]]'), nor even its equivalent amongst Maharajas, 'Maharajadhiraja', ever reached the standing required for imperial rank, as each was soon the object of title inflation. Instead, the only Hindu title which is commonly rendered as [[Emperor]] is [[Samraat]] or Samraj(a), a personal distinction achieved by a few rulers of ancient dynasties such as the [[Mauryas]] and [[Guptas]]; the Muslim equivalent of emperor would be [[Padshah]], applied to the [[Mughal]] dynasty.
====Salute states in present India====
The [[gun salute]]s (crucial in protocolary respect) enjoyed by the [[princely state]]s that acceeded to the Dominion of India on 14 August 1947, included more Maharajas than any other title, and in most of the classes, though predominantly in the higher ones:
Hereditary salutes of '''21-guns''':
H.E.H (His Exalted Highness) The [[Nizam]] of [[Hyderabad_State|Hyderabad]], the largest State of India (only the Nizam was addressed as His Exalted Highness, a title bestowed upon him for rendering yeoman service to the British in [[WW I]])
*H.H. the Maharaja (title of most major Hindu princes) of [[Mysore]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Jammu]] and [[Kashmir]]
*H.H. the [[Maharaja Gaikwad]] (in certain states it became customary to add a unique word to the princely title, not indicating a rank but rather the dynasty or its past) of [[Baroda|now Vadodara]]
*H.H. the [[Maharaja Scindia]] (or Shinde) of [[Gwalior]]
Hereditary salutes of '''19-guns (21-guns local'''): H.H. the [[Maharaja Holkar]] (as above) of [[Indore]]
Hereditary salutes of '''19-guns:'''
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kolhapur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Travancore]]
Hereditary salutes of '''17-guns''' (19-guns personal): only H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kotah]]
Hereditary salutes of 17-guns (19-guns local):
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Bharatpur, India|Bharatpur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Bikaner]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Jaipur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Jodhpur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Patiala]]
Hereditary salutes of 17-guns:
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Karauli]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Rewa]]
Hereditary salutes of '''15-guns''' (17-guns personal): only H.H. the Maharaja Rana of [[Dholpur]]
Hereditary salutes of 15-guns (17-guns local): only H.H. the Maharaja of [[Alwar]]
Hereditary salutes of 15-guns:
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Datia]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Dewas Senior]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Dewas Junior]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Dhar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Idar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Jaisalmer]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kishangarh]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Orchha]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Sikkim]] (in the Himalaya; remained independent at India's independence,joined India in 1975)
Hereditary salutes of '''13-guns''' (15-guns personal and local):
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Jind]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kapurthala]]
Hereditary salutes of 13-guns (15-guns local):
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Varanasi|Benares]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Bhavnagar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Nabha]]
*H.H. the [[Maharaja Jam Sahib]] of [[Nawanagar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Ratlam]]
Hereditary salutes of 13-guns:
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Cooch Behar]]
*H.H. the [[Maharaja Raj Sahib]] of [[Dhrangadhra-Halvad]]
*H.H. the Maharaj Rana of [[Jhalawar]]
*H.H. the [[Maharaja Rana Sahib]] of [[Porbandar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Rajpipla]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Tripura]]
Hereditary salutes of 11-guns:
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Ajaigarh]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Bijawar]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Charkhari]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Chhatarpur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Gondal]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Kangra-Lambagraon]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Morvi]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Narsinghgarh]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Panna]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Sirmur]]
*H.H. the Maharaja of [[Tehri Garhwal]]
Hereditary salutes of 9-guns:
*The Maharaja of [[Bansda]]
*The Maharaja of [[Jawhar]]
*The Maharaja of [[Kalahandi]]
*The Maharaja of [[Lunawara]]
*The Maharaja of [[Mayurbhanj]]
*The Maharaja of [[Patna]]
*The Maharaja of [[Sonepur]]
===Compound and dynastic ruler titles===
*'''Dharma-maharaja''' was the devout title (compare [[Rajadharma]]) of the rulers of the [[Ganga dynasty]].
In the [[Mughal empire]] it was quite common to award to various princes (hereditary or not) a series of lofty titles as a matter of protocollary rank.
Many of these (see also above) elaborate explicitly on the title Maharaja, in the following descending order:
*'''Maharajadhiraja Bahadur''' (or ''Maharajadhiraj Bahadur''): Great Prince over Princes, a title of honour, one degree higher than Maharajadhiraja.
*'''Maharajadhiraja''' (or ''Maharajadhiraj''): Great Prince over Princes, a title of honour, one degree higher than Sawai Maharaja Bahadur.
*'''Sawai Maharaja Bahadur''': a title of honour, one degree higher than Sawai Maharaja. (the term ''bahadur'', originally 'brave' in Mongolian, was often used for 'one degree' higher', and 'sawai' is 'one and a quarter higher', i.e. just a step above bahadur)
*'''Sawai Maharaja''': a title of honour one degree higher than Maharaja Bahadur.
*'''Maharaja Bahadur''': a title of honour, one degree higher than Maharaja.
Furthermore there were various compound titles simply including other princely styles, such as :
*'''Maharaja [[Chatrapati]]''' in [[Satara]], the paramount state of the [[Maratha confederacy]]
*H.H. the '''Maharaj Rana''' of [[Jhalawar]]
*'''Maharaja-i-Rajgan''': great prince amongst princes
*'''Maharaja [[Sena]] Sahib Subah''' of [[Nagpur]], another Mahratta state
*For details concerning various titles containing [[sahib]], see there
Certain Hindu dynasties even came to use a unique style, including a term which as such is not of princely rank, e.g. [[Maharaja Gaikwar]] of Baroda, [[Maharaja Scindia]] of Gwalior, [[Maharaja Holkar]] of Indore, three of the very highest ranking ruling houses
===Nobiliary and Honorary use===
Like Raja and various other titles, Maharaja was repeatedly awarded to notables without a princely state, such as [[zamindar]]s
*One Raja of [[Lambagraon]], a [[Jagir]] (in [[Himachal Pradesh]]) who served in the colonial army was granted personally the non-hereditary title of Maharaja of Kangra-Lambagraon and a personal 11-guns salute, so neither honor passed on to his son and heir
*In the major, Muslim realm of [[Hyderabad & Berar]], there was a system of ennobling titles for the Nizam's court retainers, conferring a specific rank without any (e)state of their own, not unlike peerage titles without an actual fief in the UK, the highest titles for Hindu nobles being '''Maharaja Bahadur''' and ''Maharaja'', above ''Vant, Raja Rai-i-Rayan Bahadur, Raja Rai Bahadur, Raja Bahadur, Raja'' and (the lowest) ''[[Rai (Indian)|Rai]];'' for their Muslim counterparts there were alternative titles, the highest being [[Jah]] and [[Umara]]; e.g. the [[Diwan]] (Prime Minister) [[Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad]], held such a Maharaja-title.
===Derived style for princes of the blood===
'''Maharaj Kumar''' (or [[Kumar|Maharajkumar]]) means son of a Maharaja; the female equivalent is ''Maharaj Kumari (Maharajkumari''): daughter of a Maharaja.
==Malay world==
===Indonesia===
As many Indonesian states started out when the archipelago was still predominantly Hindu ([[Bali]] still is) or [[Buddhist]], some have been ruled by a Maharaja, such as [[Srivijaya]] and [[Kutai Karta Negara]] (until that kingdom converted to Islam in 1565, when the Muslim title of [[Sultan]] was adopted). Traditional titles remain in use for the other members of this dynasty, such as [[Pangeran Ratu]] for the heir.
===Malaysia===
In peninsular [[Malaysia]]:
* Maharaja was the title of the Monarch of the peninsular Malay state of [[Johor]](e) from 1873 to 1885. The Arabic, Muslim title [[Sultan]], often considered of higher rank, was re-adopted later and remains in current usage.
* the title Bendahara Seri Maharaja was used by the ruler of [[Pahang]] (1623 - 1853 in personal union with Johor, eventually becoming a fief of the [[Bendahara]] family), till on 6 August 1882 Tuanku Ahmad al-Muadzam Shah ibni al-Marhum Tun Ali adopted the title sultan
In northern [[Borneo]], the title Maharajah of Sabah and Rajah of [[Gaya]] and [[Sandakan]] was used 29 December 1877 - 26 August 1881 by [[Alfred Dent]] (compare [[White Rajah]])
===Philippines===
In the [[Philippines]], more specifically in Sulu, Maharaja (also spelled "Maharajah") was a title given to various subdivisional princes. Parts of the Philippines may have also been ruled by a Maharajah under the [[Srivijaya]] and [[Majapahit]] empires.
==Compound titles==
The word can also be part of titles used by [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]] nobility
*'''Maharaja Lela''' was the title of the ruler of the State of [[Naning]] (founded 1641), until it was annexed by the UK to [[Malacca]] in 1832
Most famous was [[Bendahara]] Seri Maharaja [[Tun Mutahir]] of Malacca (executed 1509) and Datuk [[Maharaja Lela]] Pandak Endut of [[Perak]] (executed 1876).
The [[palace marshal]] of the [[Yang di-Pertuan Agong]] (federal elective Paramount ruler) of modern [[Malaysia]] is called ''Datuk Maharaja Lela Penghulu Istana Negara''.
===Philippines===
====Sulu====
The name Maharajah Adinda was given to one of the lineages of the [[Sulu]] Royal Family. And as a result, sultans under this lineage append "Maharajah Adinda" as a title to the beginning of their names.
===Indonesia===
====Aceh====
Maharaja was also part of the titles of the nobility in the Sumatran sultanate of [[Aceh]]. In the past the title of Maharaja is given to leader of the unreigning noble family and the Prime Minister [[Maharaja Mangkubumi]]. The last Prime Minister of Aceh who was installed to be the Maharaja Mangkubumi, [[Habib Abdurrahman el Zahir]], also acted as the foreign affairs minister of Aceh but was deposed and exiled to [[Jeddah]] by the colonial [[Dutch east Indies]] authorities in October 1878.
== See also ==
* [[Maha Uparaja]]
* [[Raja]]
* [[King]]
==Sources and references==
*[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India.htm WorldStatesmen Here India (most in Princely States A-J & K-Z); see also Indonesia, Malaysia etc.]
*[http://4dw.net/royalark/ Royal Ark] select first present country, then state/dynasty
*[http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/main.html Indian Princely States- specialized site]
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[[Category:Sanskrit words and phrases]]
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