Capt. Amarinder Singh’s Grandfather, Bhupinder Singh, the-Magnificent, Maharaja of Patiala and chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, was not just a Sexual Pervert but also a Prince who squandered public wealth with utmost disregard for people under his protection. Freedom at Midnight, Book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins demonstrates the shocking facts of how a ruler can subvert his authority to cause travesty with unimaginable horrific consequences.
“As he came to maturity, his devotion to his Harem, a separate house for his Women, surpassed all of his passions. He personally supervised the steady accumulation of young women, selecting new recruits with a help of specially appointed connoisseur, with variety in appearance and accomplishment in action. By the time the institution reached its fullest fruition, it contained 350 ladies.”
‘Maharaja’ book by his own Diwan Jermani Dass, narrates a more appalling account, which involves a Vam Margi Tantrik, to pursue his tantrik with face painted red, head shaved and sporting only a tuft of long hair. He had erected a full-sized image of the goddess in front of which the worship was conducted. The worship was attended by a gathering of 150-400 members, mostly virgin women, with men including the Maharaja pouring alcohol over the women. They would then suck the liquor off the bodies of the virgins going on to partake in an orgy.The Original description of the event is too gory to describe here. A 1930 enquiry committee in Patiala even charged the prince with gruesome crimes ranging from lechery to murder, only to be exonerated by the Prince’s one-man enquiry committee.
Sex was a Summer Sport for Bhupinder “During the torrid punjab summers, the harem moved out doors in the evening to Bhupinder’s pool. The Prince stationed a score of bare-breasted girls like nymphs at intervals around its rim. Chunks of ice bobbing in the pool’s water gave the hot air a delicious chill while the Maharaja floated idly about, coming to Port from time to time to caress a breast or sip a whisky.”
Bhupinder Singh on a visit to the mountain state of Himachal saw 4 sisters, who were the daughters of a local Raja. Bhupinder Singh married all 4 sisters. He is said to have fathered more than 88 children from his various sexual exploits, these numbers surely are very conservative. 70% of the state revenue was spent by Bhupinder on his own welfare and that of his womenfolk.
Palace filled with Erroneous and Scandalous Art, “The walls and ceilings of Bhupinder’s private quarters, were covered with representations of the erotic sculptures, a catalogue of copulative possibilities to exhaust the most inventive mind and athletic body. A wide silk hammock slung in one corner of the room allowed Bhupinder Singh, in a sense, to suspend the laws of gravity while attempting to perform in that state some of the more complex manoeuvres suggested by his ceiling.”
Altering Women to his taste “To satisfy his insatiable habits, the imaginative Maharaja embarked on a programme which would allow him to remodel the charms of his concubines as his own taste changed,a team of French, British and Indian plastic surgeons- on standby to alter the physiognomies of his favourite ladies according to his fluctuating tastes or the dictates of the london fashion magazines.”
According to British socialite Yvonne Fitzroy, “The Moti Bagh Palace of Bhupinder Singh housed 332 women, of whom only 10 were recognised as Maharanis, about 50 as Ranis, others as mistresses or servants. While the tales of his virility are now no more mere palace intrigue, Singh has been infamously accused of having invented a new Tantric sex cult.”
He was representing Sikhs during the Round Table Conference and an Indian representative at the Imperial War Council in World War I, when thousands of his people died fighting for white master’s freedom, he lived a life of Lust-filled hedonist. “The Magnificent Maharaja”, the biography of Maharaja of Patiala Bhupinder Singh, written by Natwar Singh who married one of Bhupinder’s grand-daughters wrote, “Dyer had killed many unarmed men at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh gave full support to Lt Governor O’Dwyer, which has been acknowledged in O’Dwyer’s autobiography.” Natwar Singh has quoted Sikh historian, Khushwant Singh, as saying: “He(the Maharaja) was a headstrong bully, a debauch, drunkard, womanizer and philanderer.”
The worst custom you may have heard belongs to Patiala Royals : “Until the end of the century, it had been the custom of the Maharaja of Patiala to appear once a year before his subjects naked except for his diamond breastplate, his organ in full and glorious erection. As the Maharaja walked about, his subjects gleefully applauded, their cheers acknowledging both the dimensions of the princely organ and the fact that it was supposed to be radiating magic powers to drive evil spirits from the land.”
German Dictator Adolf Hitler gifted Bhupinder one of the six rare Maybach cars in the world. What could have prompted the Dictator to show such affection to a ruler who was famed across europe as a monstrous womanizer!? Doesn’t it also say a lot about Hitler’s perverse attitude towards women!?
“Bhupinder opened his harem doors to a parade of perfumers, jewellers, hairdressers, beauticians and dressmakers. Further to stimulate his princely ardours, he connected one wing of the harem into a laboratory whose test tubes and vials produced an exotic blend of scents, cosmetics, lotions and philtres. All those piquant refinements ultimately only served to screen the fatal weakness in the Maharaja’s oriental pleasure dome.”
In his Inside Asia, John Gunther said, “If the Nizam of Hyderabad is known as His Exalted Highness, the old Maharaja of Patiala was called his Exhausted Highness. He had a prodigious harem and a considerable part of his activity was the acquisition of young ladies to freshen it.”
Bhupinder was a heavy drinker and smoker, yet he had influence among the top leadership of the Akalis, he used it to sow seeds of discord among them and keep the British informed of their plans. All he wanted in return was to have the 17-gun salute given to him raised to 19, a few more medals and titles to go with his name. When he died his title was: “Lt Gen, His Highness, Farzand-i-khas, Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman Amir-ul-Umra, Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajesh-war Sir Maharaj-i-Rajgan Sir Bhupinder Singh Mahinder Bahadur GCSI, GCIE, GBE, ADC, Maharaja of Patiala.”
“What man could satisfy the 350 highly trained and motivated ladies lurking behind the harem’s grilles? Recourse to medicinal drink that stimulates sexual desire was inevitable for Bhupinder. His Indian doctors worked up a number of savoury concoctions based on gold, pearls, spices, silver, herbs and iron. For a while, their most efficacious potion was based on a mixture of shredded carrots and the crushed brains of a sparrow. When its benefits began to wane, Bhupinder called in a group of French technicians whom he naturally assumed to enjoy special expertise in the matter. Alas, even the effects of their treatment based on radium proved ephemeral.”
Bhupinder Singh had no respect for the principles of fidelity, respect, and consent. It demonstrates a lack of empathy and a sense of entitlement that objectifies women and treated them as mere objects of desire. His immense authority and influence over his subjects, made it difficult for individuals to refuse his advances or voice their concerns. This power imbalance allowed the Maharaja to exploit his position, leading to situations where women may have felt coerced or pressured into engaging in relationships with him.
McCracken, superintendent of Dakaiti department, and addressed to WJ Cunningham, foreign secretary on scandal of Bhupinder’s father – “Strange news reaches us from Patiala. His highness the Maharaja of Patiala has married Miss Florry Bryan, a English Woman, sister of Mr C Bryan, in his highness’s service, on the night of the 8th instant. The lady was first baptised according to the Sikh religion. Bhai Amolak Singh, a man of saintly character in Patiala performed the ceremony. The marriage was by the Hindu and Sikh ceremonies united, pandit and bhai both presiding. The bride’s name was changed to Harnam Kaur, and his highness the Maharaja left for Dholpur the same night,” reads the letter. There’s no end to the scandals which are recorded in Patiala, will have to set up a separate research institute to fully examine Patiala Royal family’s crimes against women.
Its a matter of great shame that his Grandson Amarinder Singh has used his office as Chief Minister to honour one of the worst rulers in Sikh History. Punjab Government should change all the names of the ongoing projects in Bhupinder’s name; womanizer and a Chronic Smoker can’t be a Model for future generations of Punjab.
(Images used by the author for demonstration purposes)