Bhawani Singh in his office in the City Palace. Picture by Surendra Jain Paras

Jaipur, April 17: Jaipur’s last Maharaja died last night after a 79-year life during which he was a war hero to his country, a social and cultural icon to his state, and just “Bubbles” to his late stepmother, Rajmata Gayatri Devi.

Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh, winner of the Mahavir Chakra (the second-highest gallantry award) for his role in the 1971 war, passed away in a Gurgaon hospital two weeks after being admitted with high blood pressure and a lung infection.

He had been nicknamed “Bubbles” on the day of his birth, October 22 in 1931, when champagne flowed like water across the Jaipur Palace to celebrate the arrival of an heir to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his first wife Marudhar Kunwar.

Bhawani Singh’s stint as Maharaja lasted not much longer than a bubble: he gained the status after his father’s death on June 24, 1970, only to lose it within months when the government abolished all royal titles in 1971.

But he continued to be referred to as Maharaja in his home state, to which he brought global recognition by starting the Jaipur World Cup of polo, a game in which he excelled.

The year he lost his hereditary title was perhaps also his finest. As an officer in the army’s 3rd Cavalry Regiment, he had already begun training the Mukti Bahini before the start of the Bangladesh war. A few months on, he led his battalion into conflict.

Years later, Bhawani Singh was flown to Sri Lanka to boost the morale of the Indian Peacekeeping Force in its battle against the Tamil Tigers. A grateful government made him brigadier for life. After retirement, he served as India’s first resident high commissioner in Brunei, from July 1993 to January 1997.

His hometown remembers him more for his graciousness. Shanti Devi, a regular visitor to the royal family shrine, Govinddeoji temple, said: “Maharajji used to come here quite often and would always stop and talk to us.”

The last of the Kachwaha Rajput rulers had received his early education at Sheshnag in Kashmir before going to Doon School and then to Harrow in England. He married the Sirmur princess, Maharajkumari Padmini Devi, and had one daughter, Princess Diya Kumari. In 2002, he adopted his grandson, Maharajkumar Padmanabh Singh, as his heir.

Padmanabh will not only inherit his grandfather’s vast assets but several legal headaches too. Several property cases, pitting Bhawani Singh against the rest of the royal clan, have been running for years.

Sources said Bhawani Singh had fallen out with Gayatri Devi over the family’s assets, which nudged her closer towards another stepson, Prithviraj Singh. Prithviraj handled all her financial matters and is said to have turned her against her grandchildren, whom she disinherited for a time.

But Bhawani Singh persuaded her to give some property and the succession rights back to her grandchildren, Prince Devraj and Princess Lalitya Kumari, even though he was fighting a lawsuit against them.

He is survived by his wife and daughter. Rajasthan has declared two days of mourning, and the funeral is scheduled here tomorrow.