PRESENT RULER: Raja SAMAR SINGH Ju Deo, 9th Raja of Sarila, since the 7th July 2011. (The Palace, Sarila, Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh, India)

born 1979, educated at Aiglon College, Villar, Switzerland, SOAC, London University (B.A. in Political Science) and EICAR Drama School, Paris.

PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Maharaja Chattarsal of the Bundela clan conquered the area now known as Bundelkhand from the Mughals in the 17th century. One of his grandsons, Raja Pahar Singh of Jaitpur, was granted Sarila in appanage. Rulers were...

1. Raja AMAN SINGH, 1st Raja of Sarila 1755/1788, son of Raja Pahar Singh of Jaitpur, he built Sarila Fortress, married and had issue, two sons. He died 1788.

   • Raja Tej Singh (qv)

   • Kunwar Khet Singh

2. Raja TEJ SINGH, 2nd Raja of Sarila 1788/1818, married and had issue, as well as illegitimate issue.

   • Raja Anirudh Singh (qv)

   • Kunwar Budh Singh (natural son), died after 1823.

3. Raja ANIRUDH SINGH, 3rd Raja of Sarila 1818/1842, married and had issue.

   • Raja Hindupat Singh (qv)

4. Raja HINDUPAT SINGH, 4th Raja of Sarila 1842/1871, married twice and had adoptive issue. He died sp in 1871.

   • (A) Raja Khallak Singh (qv)

5. Raja KHALLAK SINGH, 5th Raja of Sarila 1871/1882, son of Kunwar Samar Singh, son of Kunwar Bakht Singh (a descendant of Raja Jagatraj Singh of Jaitpur), he was adopted to Sarila gaddi, married and had issue. He died 1882.

   • Raja Pahar Singh (qv)

6. Raja PAHAR SINGH, 6th Raja of Sarila 1882/1898, born 1875, he succeeded to the gadi on 19th August 1882 ^(#1), married (amongst others), a daughter of Rao Jawahir Singh, Thakur of Salaiyah, and had issue. He died 1898.

   • Maharaja Mahipal Singh Ju Deo (qv)

7. HH Maharaja MAHIPAL SINGH Ju Deo, 7th Raja of Sarila 1898/1983, C.S.I. [cr.1939], born posthumously 11th September 1898 ^{(#2) (#3)}, invested with ruling powers 5th November 1919, educated at Daly College, Indore; represented small princely states at the First and Second Indian Round Table Conferences in London 1931 and 1932; Secretary of the General Council and Working Committee, Daly College; he signed the Instrument of Accession of Sarila State to the Indian Union in 1947 and the merger Agreement of 1948, by which he gave up his powers, Sarila State ceased to exist and later merged into Uttar Pradesh, he married 1919, Rani Bhawani Kunwar, daughter of the Panwar Diwan of Basela in Hamirpur district of U.P., and had issue, five sons and three daughters. He died in January 1983.

   • Raja Bahadur Narendra Singh Ju Deo (qv)

   • HH Maharajadhiraj Jayendra Singh Ju Deo (+), succeeded to Charkhari in 1942 by adoption (Charkhari's separate status also ended in 1948).

   • Maharaj Virendra Singh Ju Deo (+), married Rani Veena Kumari, daughter of Thakur Bhagirath Singh of Khatipura in Jaipur State, and had issue.

     • Maharaj Upendra Singh Ju Deo [Prince Nati], educated at The Doon School, Dehra Dun, India and the Institute Ceasar Ritz, Switzerland; married 1stly, (div. 2007), Rani Nanki Singh, daughter of Dr. Ravi Singh and Anjali Singh, educated at Aiglon College, Switzerland and L.S.E., London, married 2ndly, 6th February 2010, Rani Meghna Kumari, daughter of Thakur Ashok Kumar Singh of Diggi, and his wife, Thakurani Gayatri Devi.

     • Rajkumari Archana Kumari, educated at Welham Girls School, Dehra Dun, India and LSR College Delhi, Group Editor of Cross Section Publications.

     • Rajkumari Arpana Kumari, educated at Welham Girls School, Dehra Dun, India and LSR College Delhi, married Maharaj Yaduvendra Singh of Samode, and has issue.

   • Maharaj Nripendra Singh Ju Deo (+), married Rani Kumudni Kumari, and had issue.

     • Rajkumari Mandira Kumari, married Ajay Khaitan, and has issue, one daughter and two sons.

       • Vijaya Khaitan

       • Varadhraj Khaitan

       • Varnaraj Khaitan

     • Maharaj Abhay Singh, married Rani Himani Kumari, and has issue.

       • Kunwar Siddharaja Singh Sarila [Abhiveer Singh]

   • Thakurani Sushil Kumari [now Rajmata of Kuthar], married Raja Vikram Shah Ju Deo of Kuthar, and has issue, two sons and one daughter.

     • Raja Vijay Shah Ju Deo of Kuthar

     • Rajkumari Pratibha Kumari

     • Rajkumar Raghvendra Shah

   • Rajkumari Saral Kumari (+), married Thakur Shivraj Singh of Khatipura in Jaipur, and has issue, two daughters.

   • Rani Rajendra Kumari, married Raja Dilawer Singh of Gamph, and has issue, two children.

     • Rajkumari Preeti Kumari, married Kunwar Gajendra Singh of Khimsar in Jodhpur State, and has issue.

     • Kunwar Jaideep Singh (+)

   • Rajkumar Devendra Singh, married Rani Sushma Kumari.

8. Raja Bahadur NARENDRA SINGH Ju Deo, 8th Raja of Sarila 1983/2011, born 2nd January 1927 as heir to the Raja of Sarila, a Princely State in Central India, educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, Allahabad University and Magdalene College, Cambridge; former officer of the Indian Foreign Service 1948/1985, ADC in 1948 to Lord Mountbatten, Governor-General of India, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Indian Delegation to the U.N. in New York 1963/1965, Officer on Special Duty, Kashmir Affairs 1967/1968, Joint Secretary dealing with Pakistan and then UN affairs in the External Affairs Ministry 1968/1972, Special Delegate to the Indian Delegation to the UN during the Bangladesh crisis and war in 1971, Ambassador to Spain 1972/1974; Ambassador to Brazil 1974/1977; Ambassador to Libya, with concurrent accreditation to Malta 1977/1981; Ambassador to Switzerland with concurrent accreditation to the Vatican 1981/1982 and Ambassador to France 1982/1985, from which post he retired from the Indian Foreign Service. Served as Chairman of the Board of Nestle India Ltd. from 1994 to 2000 and is now Chairman (Emeritus) of Nestle India Ltd. He has also been Adviser to the European Round Table (of leading Industrialists) Brussels. He has contributed articles on political affairs in the Internal Herald Tribune, The Times of India and other foreign and Indian journals. Author of the book "The Shadow of the Great Game; The Untold Story of India's Partition", published by Harper Collins, India, 2005 and best seller in the Non Fiction Category. He played in the Ranji Trophy Cricket Tournament for Rajasthan in 1944/1945 and for Uttar Pradesh in 1945/1946, married 1stly, 1945 (sep.'d. February 1947, div.), Rani Rohini Devi of Ali Rajpur, married 2ndly, 17th May 1955 in Dhera Dun (div.1959), Countess Rita von Oberndorff, born 29 October 1930 in 's-Gravenhage, married 3rdly, June 1972 in Madrid, Kumari Shefali Kunwar [Rani Shefali Kunwar of Sarila], born 1950, daughter of the late Raja Dhian Singh of Sheikhupura Estate, now in Pakistan, and had issue. He died 7th July 2011.

   • Rajkumari Sita de Sarila (by 2nd marriage), born 1956, married Marcos Bidal d'Asfeld, Argentine Diplomat, Cultural Attaché in Paris, son of Edouard Albert Jacques Bidal d'Asfeld, and his second wife, Florence Bisdom de Cattenbroeck, and has issue, two sons. (Paris, France).

     • Thomas Bidal d'Asfeld, born 1989.

     • Nicolas Bidal d'Asfeld, born 1992.

   • Raja Samar Singh Ju Deo (by 3rd marriage) (qv)

9. Raja SAMAR SINGH Ju Deo, 9th Raja of Sarila (see above)

HH Maharajadhiraj Jayendra Singh Ju Deo of Charkhari (L) and Maharaj Virendra Singh Ju Deo of Sarila (R)