PRESENT RULER: HH Sawai Maharaja JAI SINGH, 9th Maharaja of Bijawar (1983/-)

born 1977.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Originally part of the lands held by the Garha Mandla Gonds, and was taken by Raja Chattar Sal (Orchha), the founder of Panna. On the partition of territory among his sons, Bijawar fell to Raja Jagat Rai as part of Jaitpur and he later granted it to his son in 1765. Rulers were...

1. Raja BIR SINGH DEO 1765/1793, gradually extended his holdings by force of arms, but was killed fighting Ali Bahadur and Himmat Bahadur of Banda, married and had issue. He died 1793

   • Yuvaraj Dhaunkal Singh, died vpsp.

   • Raja KESHRI SINGH (qv)

   • Kunwar Khuman Singh, died after 1804.

Nawab HIMMAT BAHADUR 1793/1802 (Usurper)

2. Raja KESHRI SINGH 1802/1810, the state was restored to Raja Kesri Singh by Himmat Bahadur, by a sanad in 1802, married and had issue, 4 sons. He died 1810

   • Raja RATAN SINGH (qv)

   • Kunwar Khet Singh, married and had issue.

     • Raja LAKSHMAN SINGH (qv)

   • Kunwar Shatrujit Singh

   • Kunwar Maharaj Deo

3. Raja RATAN SINGH 1810/1833, granted a sanad confirming his possession of the state in 1811, instituted state coinage. He died sp 17th December 1833 ^(#2).

4. Raja LAKSHMAN SINGH 1833/1847, married and had issue.

   • HH Maharaja Sawai BHAN PRATAP SINGH Bahadur (qv)

5. HH Maharaja Sawai BHAN PRATAP SINGH Bahadur 1847/1899, born 24th December 1842, succeeded 23rd November 1847 ^(#1), granted a valuable khilat and a hereditary salute of eleven guns for his help to the British, during the Indian Mutiny in 1857, he was granted a sanad of adoption in 1862 and the titles of Maharaja [cr.1866] and Maharaja Sawai [cr.1877], but his maladministration placed the state into financial difficulties and an administrator was appointed in 1897, he adopted Kunwar Sawant Singh, second son of the Maharaja Pratap Singh Ju Deo of Orchha in 1898. He died sp 1899.

6. HH Bharat Dharmendra Maharaja Sawai Sir SAWANT SINGH Bahadur 1899/1940, born 25th November 1877, K.C.I.E. [cr.1911], married 1stly, a daughter of Panwar Diwan Raghuraj Singh of Sonrai in Jhansi district, married 2ndly, 1913, a daughter of Dhandera Diwan Gajraj Singh, a Jagirdar in Datia State [=? HH Maharani Kanchan Kunwar, sister of Rao Hira Singh Ju Dev of Karahia (maternal grandfather of Rajkumari Anjana (Bundela) (née Rajniesh Singh) of Ajaigarh)], and had issue, two daughters, as well as further issue. He died spl 30th October 1940.

   • Maharajkumari (name unknown) (by 1st marriage), married 1910, Rao Lokendra Singh of Beri, and had issue.

   • Kunwar Aman Singh

7. HH Maharaja Sawai GOVIND SINGH 1940/1983, born 17th June 1934, son of Kunwar Malkhan Singh of Lakhanguwan and descendant of Raja Bir Singh Deo, 1st Raja of Sarila, married HH Maharani Mohini Kumari, daughter of HH Maharana Raj Saheb PRATAPSINHJI AMARSINHJI of Wankaner, and his wife, HH Maharani Rama Kunverba Sahiba, and had issue. He died 9th July 1983 in New York.

   • HH Maharaja Sawai JAI SINGH (qv)

8. HH Maharaja Sawai JAI SINGH (see above)