Lakshraj Prakash
Maharaja of Sirmur
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Lakshraj Prakash (Hindi: लक्षराज प्रकाश; born 24 March 2004) has been the head of the Royal House of Sirmur since 2013.
24 March 2004
| Lakshraj Prakash | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja | |
| Maharaja of Sirmur | |
| Reign | 15 May 2013 – present |
| Coronation | 15 May 2013 |
| Predecessor | Rajendra Prakash |
| Born | Lakshraj Singh 24 March 2004 |
| House | Sirmur |
| Dynasty | |
| Father | Narendra Singh |
| Mother | Diya Kumari |
| Education | |
Early life, education, and family
Lakshraj Prakash was born on 24 March 2004 as the younger child of Narendra Singh and his wife, Diya Kumari.[1][2] His mother is the only daughter of Bhawani Singh and Padmini Devi.[1][3] Lakshraj has an elder brother Padmanabh Singh and an elder sister Gauravi Kumari.[1] Lakshraj was educated at private schools, beginning at Mayo College in Ajmer and continuing at Millfield in Street, Somerset.[2] In 2023 Lakshraj enrolled at the Queen Mary University of London in England.[2]
In November 2022, he attended the Le Bal des débutantes in Paris with Leah Behn.[4][5]
Succession
Upon the death of Rajendra Prakash on 13 November 1964, the title, rank, and dignity of the Maharaja of Sirmur lapsed, as he left no male heir.[6] He was married to two consorts: Durga Devi and Indira Devi.[6] With Durga Devi, he had a daughter, Nalini Devi; with Indira Devi, he had another daughter, Padmini Devi.[6] Durga Devi adopted her maternal grandson, Udai Singh, as the successor to her late husband.[6] This adoption, and the succession it implied, was neither recognised by the Government of India nor accepted by the wider royal family or clan.[2]
Approximately forty-nine years after the death of Rajendra Prakash, members of the royal family of Sirmur, along with senior nobles of the former state, assembed in Jaipur on 17 March 2014.[2] There, they approached Padmini Devi and requested that her maternal grandson, Lakshraj Prakash, be sent to Sirmur to assume the throne, which had remained unoccupied since the death of her father.[2] With the consent of both Padmini Devi and the parents of Lakshraj Prakash, he was formally inducted into the Atri gotra of the royal house on 13 April 2013.[2][7]
He ascended the throne of Sirmur at the Palace in Nahan following his raj tilak (transl. Coronation) on 15 May 2013.[2][8] On this occasion, Ajay Bahadur Singh presented him with the sword of Guru Gobind Singh, which had originally been given by the Guru to the ancestors of the royal family.[8] As was a minor at the time, Ajay Bahadur Singh was appointed regent until he attained the age of majority.[2] His title holds no official status under Indian law, as the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of India abolished the formal recognition of royal titles, privileges, and associated entitlements previously granted to the rulers of princely states.[9]