Sawai Madho Singh II

Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II ascended the throne at the age of 19. At this young age he showed remarkable ability and foresight as an administrator.Under him the progressive polices of his predecessor Maharaja Ram Singh II were carried further. Planned economic development and efficient administration nearly doubled the income of the State.Early on in his rule he started collecting articles of fine art and industrial art which formed the nucleus of the Economic and Industrial Museum.His reign witnessed establishment of a number of industrial units, rapid extension of Railway lines connecting Jaipur to Sawai Madhopur and other towns. In 1899, severe famine spread havoc throughout India and devastated a large portion of the country. The Maharaja donated 25 lacs of rupees towards founding a permanent All India Famine Relief Fund. Irrigation projects started by his predecessors were completed besides those that were of his own initiative, so that the state had 224 irrigation dams with distribution canals.He liberally funded schools and colleges, opened the Zennana hospital one of the best equipped at the time, provided the Mayo Hospital at Jaipur with modern machines such as X-Ray, opened free dispensaries in all the major towns of the state.Many Newspapers were started in Hindi, English and Urdu in Jaipur State. Medicine, Education, PWD, Forest, Administrative reports etc. were also brought out annually.Many important books were published during his reign and under his patronage. Pt. Madhusudhan Ojha, a distinguished scholar of Sanskrit was appointed and was asked to classify thousands of Manuscripts preserved in the Pothikhana of the City Palace. “The rulers of India and chiefs of Rajputana”, “The Architectural Portfolio of Jaipur”, “Asian Carpets”, “Jaipur Museum Hand Book” and “Jeypore Enamels” are a few examples published during his reign.His contribution to the defense of the Empire was not only in the formation of the Jaipur Imperial Service Transportation Corps, but also in the form of liberal donation during the First World War.Maharaja Madho Singh’s benefactions ‘transcended the bounds of his own country or creed’. He contributed to the building of Churches both Catholic and Protestant and Mosques. In 1902, he went to England to participate in the coronation of King Edward VII, he took with him water from the Ganges in large silver urns which are the proud possessions of the City Palace Museum. In the coronation procession, the idols of Radha and Gopal ji were carried in his retinue, showing that he could be both progressive and enlightened without disowning ancient traditions and customs. Like his forefathers, this Maharaja was a patron of poets, scholars and artists. He acquired and added to the Pothikhana the valuable Paundarika Collection.

His deep religious devotion and piety made him an ideal Hindu ruler, while his toleration for all sections of his subjects, geniality and liberal heartedness won him the love and admiration of all classes of his subjects.

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