Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar: A Queen for a Reason

There

are few women in pre-independent India who showed the will and strength to live life her way. Indira Raje (later Maharani Indira Devi; 19 February 1892 – 6 September 1968), the Princess of Baroda, would become the Maharani of Cooch Behar during the era of princely states in India.Baroda was amongst the richest princely states, and Indira was the daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III by his second wife, Chimnabai II. She grew up in the opulent Lakshmi Vilas Palace of Baroda and had a progressive upbringing, as she grew up watching her mother, Chimnabai, work towards the upliftment of women by abolishing the purdah system and promoting education for girls. She was the first Indian princess to attend school and college.

With it came strong and independent thinking, and her betrothal to Madho Rao Scindia, the Maharaja of Gwalior, was not sitting well with Indira. She was 18, and the Maharaja was 38. While the match would have strengthened the two Maratha dynasties, Indira did not want to marry him, since he was already married once. As writer and historian Manu S Pillai wrote, "From a life of relative freedom in Baroda and abroad, she would have to live in strict purdah as a junior wife. Her suitor was also, it appeared, a man of stringent exactness; conjugal visits, for instance, were precisely proposed for Thursday nights."During this time, a year after her engagement, she met Prince Jitendra Narayan at the Delhi Durbar of 1911. It was love at first sight. King George V and Queen Mary were officially coronated as the Emperor and Empress of India in December 1911 at the Delhi Durbar, and the event was attended by 50,000 people and rulers of princely states.

Indira decided that she would only marry Jitendra. But breaking off this engagement would mean widespread consequences, and in the early 20th century, it was equivalent to being married. But she decided to take things into her own hands and wrote to her fiancé that she would not marry him. She cancelled the wedding, and a scandal broke. The marriage preparations were in full swing, and her parents did not give their consent. While her former fiancé proved to be more understanding and moved on to find another wife, her parents would not let her marry into Cooch Behar's royal house.The Gaekwads were Marathas and orthodox Hindus, while the house of Cooch Behar practised Brahmo Samaj and was amongst the most modern royals. They were Bengalis, but it was also an issue of pride and prestige. "The Gaekwads of Baroda were the second most prestigious princes in India; the Maharajas of Cooch Behar, however, were placed forty-sixth, an enormous come-down for Indira," wrote Josh West MA in Exploring History.Jitendra also had a reputation of being a playboy and drunkard, which made her father stand firm on his decision not to let her marry. But the young lovers continued to meet in private for 2 years. Her father eventually agreed to marry them, but also changed his mind at the last moment. Her love affair was well known, and no prince from one of the bigger royal families would marry her. Her father had become the villain of her love story. She was sent quietly to London to marry Jitendra, without anybody accompanying her. On 25 August 1913, she married the man of her choice, the Prince of Cooch Behar, at the Buckingham Palace Hotel. The King and Queen of England congratulated them, and even their official wedding photograph was published on the front page of the Daily Mirror.

Jitendra became the Maharaja of Cooch Behar after the death of his elder brother. The new Maharaja and Maharani had five children - Prince Jagaddipendra, Princess Menaka, Prince Indrajitendra, Princess Ila, and Princess Gayatri. But within 9 years, Indira was widowed after her husband died due to alcoholism. He was just 36, while Indira was 30.But she was a strong woman who became the Queen Regent and successfully led Cooch Behar from 1922 to 1936 on behalf of her minor son. She refused to live a life that was expected of widows in pre-independent India, one of austerity and a life of prayer and reflection. She lived an independent life and did what made her happy. The iconic Maharani Gayatri Devi was the daughter of Indira Devi, who once said, "Mother was quite simply the most beautiful and exciting woman any of us had known. She remains in my memory as an unparalleled combination of wit, warmth and exquisite looks."She made the chiffon saree from Lyon, France, famous and was known to have ordered 100 shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo. The flamboyant queen loved gambling and would always carry her bejewelled tortoise, whose shell had been encrusted with precious stones. European high society loved her, where she would spend the majority of her time.An icon who walked so that women of the future could run.