PRESENT RULER: HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja PUSHPRAJ SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur, 36th Vaghela ruler (1995/-) (Rewa House, Mumbai, India)

born 1960, married HH Maharani Ragini Singh (nee Saraswat), and has issue.

• Yuvraj Divyaraj Singh, born 11 March 1985, married and has issue.

• Rajkumari Mohena Kumari, born 18 July 1988, married and has issue.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Predecessor state was founded circa 1140. The chiefs of Rewa were Baghel Rajputs descended from the Solanki clan which ruled over Gujrat from the tenth to the thirteenth century. Vyaghra Deo, brother of the ruler of Gujarat, is said to have made his way into northern India about the middle of the thirteenth century and obtained the fort of Marpha, 18 miles north-east of Kalinjar. His son Karandeo married a Kalchuri (Haihaya) princess of Mandla and received in dowry the fort of Bandhogarh which, until its destruction in 1597 by Akbar was the Baghel Capital. In 1298, Ulugh Khan, acting under orders of emperor Alauddin drove the last Baghel ruler of Gujrat from his country and this is believed to have caused a considerable migration of the Baghels to Bandhogarh. Until the 15th century the Baghels of Bandhogarh were engaged in extending their possessions and escaped the attention of the Delhi kings, in 1498-9, Sikandar Lodi failed in his attempt to take the fort of Bandhogarh. Rulers were...

27. Maharaja SHAKTIVAN Deo 1495/1500

28. Maharaja VEER SINGH Deo 1500/1540, married and had issue.

    • Thakur NADBHANU [Horildeo], third son, received the estate of Beerha as his patrimony in 1550, he was appointed a mansabdar with the title of Horilshah by Emperor Humayun of Delhi.

29. Maharaja VIRBHAN SINGH 1540/1555

30. Maharaja RAMCHANDRA SINGH 1555/1592

31. Maharaja DURYODHAN SINGH [Birbhadra Singh] 1593/1618 (deposed), 19th Raja of Bandhogarh, married 1618, a natural daughter of Raja Badan Singh of Bhadawar, because of which he was expelled and retired to Bhadawar.

32. Maharaja VIKRAMADITYA 1618/1630, his accession gave rise to disturbances, Akbar intervened and captured and dismantled the Bandhogarh fort in 1597 after a siege of eight months. It is after this that the town of Rewa started gaining in importance. It is said to have been founded by Raja Vikramaditya in 1618 (which perhaps means that he undertook the construction of palaces and other buildings there because the place had already assumed importance in 1554 when it was held by Jalal Khan son of emperor Shershah), married and had issue, four sons.

    • Maharaja AMAR SINGH II (qv)

    • Kunwar Indra Singh, he was granted Patharhat Estate.

    • Kunwar Sarup Singh, he was granted Panasi Estate.

    • Kunwar Angad Rai, he was granted Chandiya Estate.

33. Maharaja AMAR SINGH II 1630/1643, married and had issue.

    • Maharaja ANOOP SINGH (qv)

    • Raja FATEH SINGH, rebelled against his father and established himself in Sohawal.

34. Maharaja ANOOP SINGH 1643/1660, married and had issue, three sons.

    • Maharaja BHAO SINGH (qv)

    • Kunwar Yashwant Singh, he was granted the Jagir of Gudh, married and had issue, two sons.

      • Kunwar Mukund Singh, he was granted the estate of Semariya.

      • Kunwar Anirudh Singh, adopted by his uncle adn succeeded as Maharaja ANIRUDH SINGH (qv)

    • Kunwar Jhujhar Singh, he was granted the estate of Ramnagar Itma.

35. Maharaja BHAO SINGH 1660/1690, married 1stly, Maharani Ajab Kunwar, daughter of Maharana RAJ SINGH I of Udaipur, married 2ndly, 1668, Maharani Kunj Kumari, a daughter of Raikwar Thakur Sadan Singh of Nadan in Rewah State, and had adoptive issue. He died sp 1690.

36. Maharaja ANIRUDH SINGH 1690/1700, born as Kunwar Anirudh Singh, son of Thakur Yashwant Singh of Gudh, adopted by his uncle; married and had issue, one son.

    • Maharaja AVADHUT SINGH (qv)

37. Maharaja AVADHUT SINGH 1700/1755, the state was sacked by Hirde Shah of Panna in about 1731, causing the Raja to flee to Pratapgarh in Oudh; married (amongst others), (a), Maharani Ratan Kumari Devi, married (b), Maharani Sagun Kunwar, daughter of Umara-i-Uzzam Maharaja Mahendra GOPAL SINGH of Bhadawar, and his fifth wife, the daughter of Raja Madho Singh Sirnet of Bansi, and had issue, one son.

    • Maharaja AJIT SINGH (qv)

38. Maharaja AJIT SINGH 1755/1809, married Maharani Kundan Kunwar, died 1802, daughter of Chandel Thakur Vikram Singh of Silpatra, and had issue, one son. He died 1809.

    • Maharaja JAI SINGH (qv)

39. Maharaja JAI SINGH 1809/1835, born 4th January 1765; in 1812 a body of Pindaris raided Mirzapur from Rewa territory. Upon this Jaisingh was called upon to accede to a treaty, in which he acknowledged the protection of the British Government, and agreed to refer all disputes with neighbouring chiefs to their arbitration and to allow British troops to march through or be cantoned in his territories; married 1stly, a daughter of Gaharwar Raja Udhhat Singh of Manda, married 2ndly, a daughter of Dikshit Raja Madhav Singh of Goraiya, and had issue, three sons and one daughter. He died 1835.

    • Maharaja VISHWANATH SINGH

    • Babu Laxman Singh, he was granted the estate of Madhavgarh estate, married and had issue, two sons.

      • Kunwar Ran Bahadur Singh, married a daughter of Sirnet Raja Prakash Singh of Bansi in U.P. He died sp.

      • Kunwar (name unknown), succeeded his brother in Madhavgarh, died without issue, and the estate was merged into Rewah.

      • Kumari (name unknown), married Maharana JAWAN SINGH of Udaipur.

      • Kumari (name unknown), married 1834, Maharana JAWAN SINGH of Udaipur.

    • Babu Balbhadra Singh, he was granted the estate of Amarpatan; married Rani Chhavinath Kunwari, daughter of Gaharwar Thakur Manbodh Singh of Kaithaha estate in Rewah (a relation of the Raja Saheb of Manda in U.P.), and had issue.

      • Kumari (name unknown), married 1837, Maharaja SARDAR SINGH of Bikaner.

    • Maharajkumari Sahodar Kunwar, married 1823, Maharana JAWAN SINGH of Udaipur.

40. Maharaja VISHWANATH SINGH 1835/1854, born 1789, married and had issue, one sons and three daughters. He died 1854.

    • HH Maharaja RAGHURAJ SINGH Bahadur (qv)

    • Maharajkumari (name unknown), married Maharaja RAM SINGH II of Jaipur.

    • Maharajkumari (name unknown), married Maharaj Mahabat Singh of Jodhpur.

    • Maharajkumari Subhadra Kumari, married 2nd July 1821, Yuvraj (later) Maharana JAWAN SINGH of Udaipur.

41. HH Maharaja RAGHURAJ SINGH Bahadur 1854/1880, born 1831, Maharaja Raghuraj Singh helped the British in quelling the uprisings in the neighbouring Mandla and Jabalpur districta in the mutiny of 1857, and in Nagod which is now a part of Satna district, for this, the Maharaja was rewarded by restoration to him of the Sohagpur (Shahdol) and Amarkantak parganas, which had been seized by the Marathas in the beginning of the century, Maharaja [cr.1857]; married eight wives, including 1stly, 1845, daughter of Bisen Raja of Bhadri in Oudh, married 2ndly, 1851, HH Maharani Sobhag Kanwar, daughter of Maharana SARDAR SINGH of Udaipur, and had issue, one son and several daughters. He died 5th February 1880.

    • Lt.Col. HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja Sir VENKAT RAMAN RAMANUJ PRASAD SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)

    • Maharajkumari Vishnuprasad Kunwar, born 1846, married 1864, Maharaj Kishore Singh of Jodhpur.

    • Maharajkumari (name unknown) [HH Maharani (name unknown) Sahiba of Bundi], married 2nd February 1903, Colonel HH Maharao Raja Shri Sir Raghubir Singhji Sahib Bahadur of Bundi. She died 31st December 1904 in Bundi.

42. Lt.Col. HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja Sir VENKAT RAMAN RAMANUJ PRASAD SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1880/1918, born 23rd July 1876, G.C.S.I. [cr.1897], married 1stly, 1892, HH Maharani Shivraj Kumari Devi, died 1917, daughter of Maharaja Sir RADHA PRASAD SINGH Bahadur of Dumraon in Bihar, married 2ndly, HH Maharani Gulab Kumari, died 1913, daughter of HH Maharaja Sir RANJIT SINGH of Ratlam, married 3rdly, 1904, HH Maharani Keerat Kumari, daughter of General Parihar Thakur Bakhsh Singh of Thikana Jhagarpur in U.P., and had issue, two sons and one daughter. He died 3rd November 1918.

    • HH Bandhvesh Maharaja Sir GHULAB SINGH Bahadur (qv)

    • Maharajkumar Ravendra Ramanuj Prasad Singh (by Maharani Keerat Kumari), born 10th January 1917; died 10th June 1940.

    • HH Maharani Sudarshan Prasad Kumari, born 5th September 1906, married 18th April 1922, HH Maharajadhiraj Sri SADUL SINGH of Bikaner, and had issue. She died 19th December 1971.

43. Major-General HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja Sir GHULAB SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1918/1946 (deposed 30th January 1946), born 12th March 1903, G.C.I.E. [cr.1.1.1931], K.C.S.I. [cr. 1.1.1927], married 1stly, 25th June 1919, HH Bandhveshwari Shri Maharani Sahiba Samrajyi Kunwar, born 1903, died 1954, daughter of HH Maharaja Dhiraj Maharaja Sri Sir SARDAR SINGHJI Bahadur of Jodhpur, married 2ndly, 18th February 1925, HH Maharani Ballabh Kumari, daughter of Lt.-Col. HH Umdae Rajhae Buland Makan Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Sir MADAN SINGH Bahadur of Kishangarh, and had issue, one son. He died 13th April 1950.

    • HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja MARTAND SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)

44. HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja MARTAND SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur 1946/1995, born 15th March 1923, elected to the Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Lok Sabha representing Rewa Parliamentary Constituency of Madhya Pradesh during 1971-1977 and 1980-1989. An agriculturist and businessman by profession, he was Raj Pramukh of Vindhya Pradesh. He was a very popular and active social worker. As a philanthropist, he built hospitals, dispensaries and organised camps for providing medical aid to indigent and sick people. He donated his palace at Satna and other properties for establishment of educational institutions like Banaras Hindu University and College in Satna. A widely travelled person, he evinced keen interest in the fields of sports, education, photography, archaeology and wildlife preservation. He established and developed National Park at Bandhogarh. He had served as a member of All India Wildlife Preservation Board and as the Director of Madhya Pradesh Udyog Vikas Nigam, Bhopal. He also made special efforts for development of irrigation, industries, transport, electrification and rail services in his area, married 1943, HH Maharani Praveen Kunverba, born 1926, daughter of HH Maharajadhiraj Mirzan Maharao Shri VIJAYARAJJI KHENGARJI Sawai Bahadur of Kutch, and his wife, HH Maharani Shri Padmakunwar Ba Sahiba, and had issue. He died 20th November 1995 at Rewah.

    • HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja PUSHPRAJ SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (qv)

45. HH Samrajya Maharajadhiraja Bandhresh Shri Maharaja PUSHPRAJ SINGH Ju Deo Bahadur (see above)