PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: The Jhalawar Princely State was created in 1838 as a result of a long running dispute with the rulers of Kotah, from a part of the territories then belonging to Kotah. Ancestors were ruling chiefs of Halvad in the district of Jhalawar, in Kathiawar. To the Treaty of 1817 between the British Government and the Kotah State the famous Regent of Kotah, Zalim Singh, succeeded in getting a supplementary article added, by which the administration of the State was vested in perpetuity in him, his heirs and successors. Madan Singh, the grandson of Zalim Singh, who had succeeded in due course to the Regency was very unpopular with all classes and became involved in constant dispute with Maharao Ram Singh. There was danger of a popular rising to expel the Ministers and it was therefore resolved in 1838, with the consent of the Kotah Ruler, to repeal the supplementary article of the Treaty of 1817, and to create out of 17 parganas of Kotah, yielding a revenue of 12 lakhs of rupees, the principality of Jhalawar as a separate provision for the descendants of Zalim Singh. After the deposition of Maharaj-Rana Zalim Singh of Jhalawar in 1896, the Government of India restored to the Kotah State the greater portion of the ceded tracts, and from the remainder constituted a new State which was bestowed on a descendant of an ancestor of the Regent Zalim Singh. On the 1st January 1899 the actual transfer of territory was effected. From that date the new State of Jhalawar came into existence and the title of the Ruling Prince was at the same time changed from Maharaj-Rana to Raj-Rana and the salute reduced from 15 to 11 guns. The new Jhalawar State consists of the area known as the Chaumehla, which comprises the four parganas of Pachpahar, Awar, Dag and Gangdhar, the Patan Pargana in which are situated the towns of Jhalrapatan, Patan and Brijnagar and a portion of the Suket pargana. There is also a small detached area Kirpapur, situated between Mewar and the Gwalior district of Neemuch which belongs to the State. The State pays Rs. 30,000 tribute to the British Government. His Highness the Maharaj Rana maintains a military force of 403 cavalry, 3873 infantry, and 94 guns and is entitled to a salute of 15 guns (in 1893). Ancestors and rulers were...

• Kumar Shri Bhav Singh, younger son of the Chief of Halvad in Jhalawar district, about 1709, with his son and a small number of followers, they left their home country to try their fortune at Delhi, on their way he left his son with the Maharao of Kotah, and continued on to Delhi and all trace of him ends; married and had issue. He died after 1709.

  • Kumari (name unknown), married Maharao Arjun Singh of Kotah.

  • Kumar Shri Madho Singh, Faujdar, he won for himself the good graces of the Kotah ruler, who married his eldest son to Madho Singh's sister, and granted him a Jagir of Rs 12,000 in value and gave him the post of Faujdar; married and had issue. He died in or about 1740.

    • Kumar Shri Madan Singh, he succeeded his father in the post of Faujdar of Kotah 1740/1753, married and had issue. He died 1753/1756.

      • Kumar Shri Prithvi Singh, born 1720, married a Saktawat lady of Dhangermow, and had issue. He died shortly after 1740.

        • Kumar Shri Shiv Singh, born 1738.

        • Kumari (name unknown), married Maharao Guman Singh of Kotah.

        • Raj Rana Zalim Singh, born 1740, he was adopted by his great-uncle uncle and succeeded to his jagir of Nanta and his post of Faujdar in 1758, three years later (1761) he was instrumental in securing victory for the Kotah troops against those of the Raja of Amber; shortly afterwards a spat with the Maharao of Kotah made him enter the service of Udaipur state, but on the death of the Maharao of Kotah (1771), he was left in charge of the state, and from that time on, Zalim Singh was the real ruler of Kotah. He brought it to a wonderful state of prosperity, and under his administration, which lasted over forty-five years, the Kotah territory was respected by all parties, he was Prime Minister of Kotah, and was granted the Jagir of Chiturkhaira in Mewar (Noble of the second rank), he married into the Sisodia clan and had issue. He died in July 1824.

          • Raj Rana Madho Singh, born 1775, Prime Minister of Kotah 1824/-, he and the Maharao of Kotah were induced by the British Government to agree to a compromise by which certain districts of Kotah state were separated and ceded to Zalim Singh's heirs, and the Jhalawar state was thus born; the arrangements were ratified by two treaties in 1838, from which year, the new state dates its creation; married and had issue, as well as natural issue. He died 26th February 1834.

            • Maharaja Madan Singh of Jhalawar (see below)

            • Rao Raja Bappa Lall, born 1800.

          • Rani Ganga Bai [aka Ajab Kanwar Bai], married 1792 (10, Ashadh, dark half, 1849 samvat), Rao Raja Bishan Singh of Bundi.

          • Rao Raja Goverdhan Das (natural son), born 1794, married 1821, the natural daughter of the Chief of Jhabua.

          • Rao Raja Puran Mal (natural son)

    • Kumar Shri Gopal Singh, he died sp.

    • Kumar Shri Himmat Singh, Faujdar, he was famous for his personal strength and prowess, he adopted his nephew, Zalim Singh. He died sp in 1758.

1. Maharaj Rana MADAN SINGH, 1st Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1838/1845, born 1808, in 1838 it was resolved, with the consent of the Maharao of Kotah, to dismember the state, and to create the new principality of Jhalawar as a separate provision for the descendants of Zalim Singh. Madan Singh received the title of Maharaj Rana, and was placed on the same footing as the other rulers in Rajasthan, married 1stly, 1822, Maharani Chandrawatiji, a daughter of the Rao of Rampura, married 2ndly, Maharani Bhatiyaniji of Goraich in Mewar, married 3rdly, Maharani Rathoriji of Badnore in Mewar, married 4thly, Maharani Kachhawatiji of Bamori in Jhalawar, married 5thly, 1844, Maharani Bhatiyaniji, a niece of Maharawal Gaj Singhji of Jaisalmer, committed sati, and had issue, as well as issue by a Khawas lady. He died 1845.

   • Maharaj Rana Prithvi Singh (qv)

   • Rao Raja Fateh Lal (by the Khawasina)

2. Maharaj Rana PRITHVI SINGH, 2nd Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1845/1875, born 1830, married 1stly, Maharani Nathawatiji of Chomu, married 2ndly, Maharani Bhatiyaniji of Goraich in Mewar, died 1890, married 3rdly, 1874, Maharani Solankiji, died 1883, daughter of Rana Shri Dalelsinhji Dalpatsinhji, Rana of Lunawada, and had issue, one daughter, an adoptive son as well as issue by secondary wives (one son and one daughter). He died in August 1875.

   • Maharajkumari (name unknown) (by 1st wife), married 1861, Rao Raja Shivdan Singh of Alwar.

   • (A) HH Maharaj Rana Zalim Singhji Bahadur (qv)

3. HH Maharaj Rana ZALIM SINGH Bahadur, 3rd Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1876/1896, born 5th November 1865 as Kumar Shri Bakhtsinhji Kesrisinhji of Wadhwan, adopted by his predecessor, he was acknowledged the successor on 1st June 1876 and installed on the gadi on 24th June 1876 ^(#1), invested with full governing powers in July 1894, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; owing to his alleged maladministration, his relations with the British government became strained, and he was finally deposed on 2nd March 1896, "on account of persistent misgovernment and proved unfitness for the powers of a ruling chief." He went to live at Benares, on a pension of £2,000; and the administration was placed in the hands of the British resident; he married 1stly, 1886, HH Maharani Rathoriji, fourth daughter of Maharaja Prithvi Singhji of Kishangarh, born 1879, died 1900, married 2ndly, 1886, HH Maharani Gohilji, daughter of the Thakore Shri of Limri in Saurashtra. He died sp in 1912 in Varanasi.

Interregnum 1896/1899, since the late Maharaja Rana died issueless and had refused to adopt a successor, after much consideration, the government resolved in 1897 to break up the state, restoring the greater part to Kotah, but forming the two districts of Shahabad and the Chaumahla into a new state, which came into existence on 1st January 1899, and of which Kunwar Bhawani Singh, a descendant of the original Zalim Singh, was nominated Ruler 10th November 1897.

4. HH Maharaj Rana Sir Shri BHAWANI SINGH Bahadur K.C.S.I., 4th Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1899/1929, born 3rd September 1874 or 2nd September 1873 ^{(#4 p.278)}, son of Thakur Chatarsal Singh of Fatehpur in Jhalawar, installed on the gadi on 6th February 1899 ^{(#4 p.278)} and invested with full powers of administration; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer; a research student at New College, Oxford 1921/22; Member of the Royal Society of Great Britain, built Kemball Public Library and Colvin Girl's School and Parmanand Hostel, established Rajendra Literary Institute, K.C.S.I. [cr.xx.6.1908], he was granted the hereditary title of Maharaj Rana on 1st January 1918 ^{(#4 p.278)} in recognition of his war services; in January 1921 the permanent salute of the state was raised from 11 to 13 guns; married 1894, HH Maharani Brij Kunwarba, daughter of Maharaj Saheb Durjan Sal of Kherli in Kotah, and had issue. He died 13th April 1929, cremated in Aden ^(#2).

   • Lt. HH Maharaj Rana Sir Shri Rajendra Singhji Dev Bahadur (qv)

5. Lt. HH Maharaj Rana Sir Shri RAJENDRA SINGHJI Dev Bahadur K.C.S.I., M.R.A.S., A.R.P.S., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., F.R.H.S., F.R., Ag.S., 5th Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1929/1943, born 15th July 1900 ^{(#4 p.278)}, he succeeded to the gadi on the death of his father on 13th April 1929; educated at Mayo College, Ajmer [xx.7.1907] - [xx.8.1919] and at the Rural School of Economy at Oxford from 1920 to 1924, he joined the 11/19th Hyderabad Regiment, I.T.F. in 1926 as an Honorary 2nd Lieutenant, later resigned his commission in the Indian Territorial Force and was granted the Honorary rank of Lieutenant in the Regular Army on 13th January 1931, Member of the Standing Committee of the Chamber of Princes 1932/1937; President of the All-India Kshatriya-Mahasabha 1934/1936; keen photographer and poet, he composed poetry under the pen name of ‘Sudhakar’ and Urdu Shairi using the name of ‘Makhmoor’, married, 6th September 1920, HH Maharani Hira Kunwarba Sahiba, a daughter of Thakur Sahib Mulvaji Tajoji of Kotda-Sangani, born 1899, died 1999, caused to be built the first ladies hospital in Jhalawar, which still exists in her name, opened the earliest primary school there called 'Shudhakar Bal Mandir', and had issue, one son. He died 2nd September 1943 ^(#3).

   • HH Maharaj Rana Shri Harisch Chandra Singhji Dev Bahadur (qv)

6. HH Maharaj Rana Shri HARISCH CHANDRA SINGHJI Dev Bahadur, 6th Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1943/1967, born 27th September 1921 at Oxford, U.K. ^{(#4 p.278)}, educated at the Rajkumar College, Rajkot in India as well as in England, he joined the foreign service and served for three years in Rome and later Rangoon, returning to India in 1954, a cabinet minister 1961/1966 in the Sukhadia government, married 9th May 1940 at Woodville Palace, HH Maharani Ila Devi, daughter of Raja Rana Sir Bhagat Chand Bahadur of Jubbal, and his second wife, Rani Bai Shri Leila Ba Kunverba Sahiba, she died 3rd February 2007 in the Sawai Man Singh Medical College Hospital, Rajasthan, and had issue. He died 17th March 1967 in New Delhi.

   • HH Maharaj Rana Shri Indrajit Singhji Dev Bahadur (qv)

   • Maharaj Mahijit Singh, born 1st May 1947, married Rani Bharati Kunwarba, daughter of Maharaj Shri Himmatsinhji Vijayrajji of Kutch, and his wife, Rani Sahiba Padmini Kunverba, and has issue.

     • Rajkumar Abhijit Singh, born 1973.

     • Rajkumari Yashodara Kunwarba, born 1978.

     • Rajkumar Jaisal Singh

7. HH Maharaj Rana Shri INDRAJIT SINGHJI Dev Bahadur, 7th Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar 1967/2004, born 12th June 1944 at Woodville Palace, Simla; educated at Doon School, served in the Indian Army, married 19th April 1968 at New Delhi, HH Maharani Swarupa Kumari, daughter of Lt. Col. HH Maharaja Manabendra Shah Sahib Bahadur of Tehri-Garhwal, and his wife, HH Maharani Suraj Kanwar, and had issue. He died 24th April 2004 at New Delhi.

   • HH Maharaj Rana Shri Chandrajit Singhji Dev Bahadur (qv)

   • Maharajkumari Rajivini Kumari, born 1978, married 3rd April 2006 at Tehri-Garhwal House in New Delhi, Kunwar Anant Shekhar Singh, son of Thakur K. P. Singh from Eastern U.P., and his wife, Thakurani Manorama Singh.

   • Maharaj Aprajit Singh, born 1980, married 2nd December 2007 in New Delhi.

8. HH Maharaj Rana Shri CHANDRAJIT SINGHJI Dev Bahadur, 8th Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar (see above)