PRESENT RULER: Maharaj Shri ABHIMANYU SINGHJI Sahib, 11th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia, since January 1991.

born 1948, he was recognized by HH Maharao Bhim Singh of Kotah as the Maharaj Saheb of Bambolia with rang-ka-dastoor in September 1991 at the Umed Bhawan Palace; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer 1954/1965 where he represented Ajmer House in basketball, hockey, and football and at Government College, Kota in 1965, where he was elected as Vice President of the Students’ Union there in 1968; he joined the Government of Rajasthan Secretariat as Private Secretary to the Minister of Rajasthan, Canals & Tourism, and subsequently as Private Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Public Relations; in 1986 he entered the service of the Maharana of Udaipur, Shriji Arvind Singh, in public relations at Lake Palace Hotels & Motels Pvt. Ltd., while there he was a member of the jury of the internationally recognized Maharana Mewar Foundation awards. After leaving Udaipur in 1993, he was appointed a Consultant to the Rambagh Palace Hotel, Jaipur, by Maharaj Prithviraj of Jaipur. He is presently serving as; Trustee of Rao Madho Singh Museum Trust (City Palace) Kota; Vice President Ravinder Public School, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur; Consultant Hi Tech Gears Pvt Ltd , RIICO, Bhiwadi. In addition he has served as; Consultant, to Hindustan Pre-Fab Ltd. Government of India Enterprises, Jangpura, New Delhi Ltd.; Corporate Consultant, Meridian Minerals India Ltd, Indian subsidiary of Meridian Minerals Ltd. (Canada); DES Energy wing of DLF sole selling agents for Gas Turbines of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Bangalore; Associated Stone Industries Pvt. Ltd., Ramganj Mandi, Kota; Jagsonpal Pharmaceuticals Shahpur Jat, New Delhi; Aryaman Financial Services,(Merchant Bankers) Nariman Point, Mumbai; MGRM Pvt Ltd Safdarjung Development Area, New Delhi. The Maharaj Sahib has worked closely with local government officials in facilitating and implementing various government funded development schemes in Bambolia and the surrounding area; married 10th December 1981, Rani Meena Kanwar, daughter of Thakur Raghubir Singh of Kankarwa, Chittaurgarh and grand daughter of the Late Thakur Jawan Singhji, Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, and has issue, three daughters.

• Baiji Lal Girija Kumari, born 4th December 1981.

• Baiji Lal Neerja Kunwar, born 7th July 1987.

• Baiji Lal Ojasvni Singh, born 5th July 1994.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Also known as Aton, it was founded in the early 18th century by a scion of the Kotah Royal family, who was granted the jagir by Maharao Durjansal of Kotah (ruled 1723/1756). The holders of this jagir are thus direct descendants of several of Kotah’s earliest rulers and have remained closely related kinsmen of this royal dynasty ever since. Estate holders were....

• Maharaj SOORAJMAL, 1st Thakur Sahib of Aton/Bambolia 1721/1764; he was granted the jagir of Aton/Bambolia (12 villages and 40,000Rs) by Maharao Durjansal of Kotah in 1721(?), he was the third son of Maharaj Prithvi Singh of Antah and the great-grand son of Maharao Kishore Singh of Kotah, after his elder brother succeeded to the Kotah gadi, he became Tikayat-Sardar of the Kishore Singhot Hada family; he had the Aton Fort repaired and the fortifications were strengthened and an efficient water harvesting/storing system was constructed in which water was lifted from the river Parwan which flowed below the fort; in 1761, along with other jagirdars, he sided with the Maharao of Kotah in repulsing an army of 60,000 sent by the Maharaja of Jaipur, he recieved more than a dozen wounds in this battle, and afterwards he was rewarded with many gifts from the Maharao; married 1stly, Rani Kishore Kunwar Chandrawat of Dhabla, married 2ndly, Rani Jayant Kunwar Sisodia, daughter of the Raja of Umri, and had issue, two sons. He died 1764 in Aton.

  • Maharaj Deo Singh (qv)

  • Maharaj Sawant Singh, married Rani Sajjan Kunwar Rajawat of Jalwada, and had issue, one son.

    • Maharaj Kishen Singh of Aton, married Rani Ranawatji of Bhadora, and had issue, two sons.

      • Maharaj Bhagwat Singh, married Rani Guman Kunwar Sisodia.

      • Maharaj Mehtab Singh, he was adopted by Maharaja Zorawar Singh of Bambolia in 1839, married a grand-daughter of Raja Kushal Singh Sisodia of Umri (see below).

• Maharaj DEO SINGH, 2nd Thakur Sahib of Aton/Bambolia 1764/1804; he had a beautiful temple of Laxmi Narainji constructed in Aton which still exists today; later Maharao Guman Singh of Kotah, increased the revenue of the Aton Jagir to Rs. 60,000; in 1777, Zalim Singh, Regent of Kotah, sent forces under the French adventurer, Major Pulleite (also popularly known as Moosa Madat), as well as Kotah forces under Maharaj Baijnath Singh of Gainta against him, after months of siege, the latter was killed by gunfire from Aton Fort, and in the ensuing confusion, Maharaj Deo Singh escaped to Uniara where the Rao Raja there granted him the estate of Ajitgarh with twelve villages; Zalim Singh put pressure on the Uniara ruler to turn over Maharaj Deo Singh, but he went to Gwalior where he was warmly received, pressure from the Gwalior rulers on Zalim Singh, resulted in a grant of a jagir worth Rs. 15,000 in 1804 with Bambolia as its main town with four other villages, namely Nareda, Pipalda, Amritkhedi and Charelia; married 1stly, Rani Fateh Kunwar, daughter of Rajawat Thakur of Ratan Singh of Jalwada, married 2ndly, Rani Bacchav Kunwar, another daughter of Rajawat of Ratan Singh of Jalwada, married 3rdly, Rani Man Kunwar Sisodia, and had issue, two sons.

  • Maharaj Zorawer Singh (qv)

  • Maharaj Udai Singh

• Maharaj ZORAWAR SINGH, 3rd Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1804/1840; born 1783, the Gwalior ruler performed the Matami ceremony, recognising Zorawar Singh as the rightful successor; after Aton was sacked by forces from Kotah, he was sent to Bambolia; he started construction work of the present Bambolia fort at the end of year 1804; in 1821, Maharao Kishore Singh II gave a call to all his brethren to join his forces to oust Zalim Singh the Regent of Kotah whose tyranny continued, he joined the forces of the Maharao and fought in the famous battle at Bhatwara near Mangrol, which took place against the combined armed forces of Kotah State assisted by British Cavalry called from Nasirabad, however they lost and all the participants fled from Kotah State, their jagirs were confiscated but later the British authorities pardoned them and Maharaj Zorawer Singh was restored to the jagir of Bambolia; married Rani Takhat Kunwar Mansinghot of Jaloda, she built the temple of Dauji and a stepwell next to the temple in Bambolia, which still exists; and had issue, two daughters, as well as an adoptive son. He died in 1840.

  • Rajkumari Kundan Bai, married the Rao of Darda.

  • Rajkumari Raj Bai, married in Jaloda village, Kunwar Ajit Singh Rajawat, son of Thakur Nathu Singh Rajawat of Jaloda.

  • (A) Maharaj Mehtab Singh I (qv)

• Maharaj MEHTAB SINGH I, 4th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1840/1856; born as Kunwar Mehtab Singh, son of Maharaj Kishen Singh of Aton (see above), he succeeded by adoption; he accompanied Maharaj Zorawer Singh in the battle of Bhatwara near Mangrol in 1821; he constructed the dome on the third floor of the main building of the fort, as well as the rest of the buildings in the zenana portion and the stables inside the fort; he also built a temple at Mehtabpura and also established a small settlement there; he had the beautiful cenotaph of Zorawer Singh constructed at Bambolia, which still exists in the kshar bagh at Bambolia; married Rani Mangal Kunwar, daughter of Bahadur Singh/Kushal Singh, Raja of Umri, and had issue, two sons and two daughters.

  • Maharaj Bhim Singh (qv)

  • Maharaj Narsingh Singh (qv)

  • Rajkumari Raj Bai

  • Rajkumari Gulab Bai

  • One of these daughters was married to (a son of?) Thakur of Kosithal in Mewar.

• Maharaj BHIM SINGH, 5th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1856/1872; he constructed his father’s cenotaph, which still exists in Bambolia kshar bagh; married Rani Mehtab Kunwar, daughter of the Raja of Bhadora. He died sp in 1872.

• Maharaj NARSINGH SINGH, 6th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1872/1888, he was a patron of art and music and many miniature paintings were painted during his tenure; he also wrote many bhajans in Indian classical style and are still popular today; he had the Nazar Niwas Bagh laid out and also organized the Gangaur festival here on a grand scale; married 1stly, Rani Chandrawatji of Dhabla, married 2ndly, 1885, Rani Mehtab Kunwar, daughter of Thakur Kushal Singh/Pratap Singh of village Khedli Tawran, and had adoptive issue. He was poisoned sp in June 1888 at village Dhaturia while returning in the barat of Kunwar Onkar Singh of Palaitha from village Both near Mangrol.

  • (A) Maharaj Jai Singh, adopted in 1887. (qv)

• Maharaj JAI SINGH, 7th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1888/1905, born in 1872 as Kunwar Jai Singh, eldest son of Maharaj Chaggan Singh of Kotra (see Kotah), he succeeded by adoption in June 1888; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer from 1892 where he received the Viceroy’s medal for the best student; he played polo for the Kotah State team; he was granted a personal jagir of Rs. 10,000 by Maharao Umed Singh at which the total revenue of the Bambolia Jagir became Rs. 25,000; he was appointed by His Highness as Senior Superintendent of Police of Kotah with Rs. 500/pm allowance and later he was also appointed as member of the Kotah State Council, as a result the Bambolia seat in Kotah Darbar hierarchy now became 1st on the right hand of the Maharao along with Palaitha and Koela; married 1894, Rani Jadav Kunwar, daughter of Maharaj Jagannath Singh of Karauli, and had issue, one son and two daughters as well as an adoptive son. He died 1905 as the result of a leg-wound.

  • Maharaj Bhim Singh II (qv)

  • Rajkumari Daulat Kunwar, married Kunwar Chander Sen, son of Raj Bijai Singh of Kunadi.

  • Rajkumari Roop Kunwar, married Maharajkumar Godji of Kutch, and had issue.

  • (A) Kunwar Deo Singh of Amli, he refused to go to Mayo College for his education, so he was sent back to Amli.

  • (A) Kunwar Mehtab Singh, son of Maharah Mod Singh of Naponiya, he succeeded as Maharaj Mehtab Singh II of Bambolia (see below)

• Maharaj BHIM SINGH II, 8th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1905/1908, born 1895, he was sent to Mayo College, Ajmer where he died prematurely. He died 1908 in Kotah House. On his death HH Maharao Umed Singh II of Kotah gave consent to Rani Jadonji, wife of late Maharaj Jai Singh, to adopt a son to her late husband.

INTERREGNUM 1908/1910

• Maharaj MEHTAB SINGH II, 9th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1910/1934, he succeeded by adoption in 1910; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer where he became captain of the Mayo College football team and represented the school in cricket and hockey, he was also a member of the Mayo College Horse Squadron; married Rani Suraj Kunwar, daughter of Thakur Fateh Singh of Kherwa in Marwar, and had issue, one son and four daughters. He died 1934.

  • Maharaj Keshav Singh (qv)

  • Rajkumari Pushpa Kunwar, married to Air Commodore Maharaj Bahadur Singh of Bikaner.

  • Rajkumari Tej Kunwar [Rani Phul Kunwar of Sagrod], married Maharaj Digvijay Singhji of Sagrod in Banswara, and had issue, one son and three daughters.

  • Rajkumari Gyan Kunwar, married in Sadelkhedi in Madhya Pradesh, and had issue, one daughter. She died within a year of the marriage.

  • Rajkumari Suresh Kunwar, married Capt. Gajendra Singh Rawat of Haldwani, he served as Lt.-Gen. in the Indian Army and retired as the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army.

• Maharaj KESHAV SINGH, 10th Thakur Sahib of Bambolia 1934/1991, he succeeded as a minor and the Maharao of Kotah appointed Thakur Mulayam Singh Jadon as manager of the jagir and later was put under the Court of Wards with Apji Takhat Singh of Kuradia as over-all in-charge; he was brought up his aunt in Kunadi, and after her passing, he and his sisters were invited to stay at the Umed Bhawan Palace in Kotah; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer where he represented the College in cricket and tennis; after passing out from Mayo College, he was given revenue training under Nazim Shri Ralaram Chaturvedi and then given charge of his jagir after his marriage; married Rani Sampat Kunwar, daughter of Thakur Bhan Singh of Sankhu in Bikaner, and had issue, one son and one daughter. He died in January 1991 in Bikaner, where he had been living with his wife and daughter.

  • Maharaj Abhimanyu Singh (qv)

  • Rajkumari Jayanti Kunwar

• Maharaj ABHIMANYU SINGH (see above)