The Maharaja & The Princely States Of India

THE COVETED JACOB DIAMOND--ALL OF 62 carats and used as a paperweight; the mindboggling beauty of the diamond necklace of Maharaja Pratapsingh Gaekwad of Baroda in which sparkled the famous `Star of the South' and `The Star of Dresden';--the largest in the world; the 27 Rolls Royces owned by the Maharaja of Patiala; the dog kennels in Harasar which were fitted with electricity and telephones; the car collection in Udaipur which was used for ceremonial processions and collection of garbage (!); the Jauhar committed by 40,000 women in Jaisalmer and Chittor--an unparalleled landmark in the annals of history. . . The mirage becomes a reality when the reader recreates the awesome magic and scintillating wonder of a world gone by . . . the stuff that fairy tales are made of--tales of heroism and valour, the pulsating excitement of secret liaisons, the dark intrigues of the zenana, the opulence and sheer beauty of princely treasures--the world of the Maharajas--a world immortalized by poets, painters and musicians . . . a life away from common lives that was so near its subjects and yet, so far . . . . That world is no more. But its romance lives on, indelible and dreamlike. Nostalgic memoirs of the passions, idiosyncrasies, visions and lifestyle of the princely order still fascinate and enthrall . . . . The Maharajas captures the lives and times of the privileged few--those who were `born into greatness'. Even though they no longer wield the royal scepter and have merged their heritage into the well-spring of democracy today, then remain `living legends' of the exoticism of the India that was! This book is perhaps the last visual record of princely India. A cross-section of old and rare photographs juxtaposed with contemporary cameos make it a collector's pride.