Maharaja

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Maharajas
)
"Maharaj" and "Maharani" redirect here. For the surname, see Maraj. For other uses, see Maharani (disambiguation).
Maharaja Yashwantrao Martandrao Mukne of Jawhar State

Maharaja (/ˌmɑː(h)əˈrɑːdʒə/[1] MAH-(h)ə-RAH-jə; also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king", or "high king".[2]

A few ruled states informally called empires, including the ruler Raja

Title inflation
' soon led to most being rather mediocre or even petty in real power, which led to compound titles (among other efforts) being used in an attempt to distinguish some among their ranks.

Warangal fort
, several major temples, dharmashalas and civic services for the poor

The female equivalent, Maharani, Maharanee, Mahārājñī or Maharajin, literally 'Great Queen', denotes either the wife of a Maharaja (or

Rajamata, "queen mother".[4] Maharajakumar generally denotes a son of a Maharaja, but more specific titulatures are often used at each court, including Yuvaraja for the heir (the crown prince). The form "Maharaj" (without "-a") indicates a separation of noble and religious offices, although since in Hindi
the suffix -a is silent, the two titles are near homophones.

Etymology

Ranjit Singh, first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire

The word Maharaja originates in Sanskrit and is a compound karmadhāraya term from mahānt- "great" and rājan "ruler, king"). It has the Latin cognates magnum "great" and rex "king".[5][6] Due to Sanskrit's major influence on the vocabulary of most languages in Greater India and Southeast Asia, the term Maharaja is common to many modern Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages. The Sanskrit title Maharaja was originally used only for rulers who ruled a considerably large region with minor tributary rulers under them. Since medieval times, the title was used by (Hindu) monarchs of lesser states claiming descent from ancient Maharajas.

Indian subcontinent

Raja as a ruler's title

On the eve of

Muslim
), with a host of less current titles as well.

The

Residents
, at their courts.

The word Maharaja may be understood simply to mean "ruler" or "king", in spite of its literal translation as "great king". This was because only a handful of the states were truly powerful and wealthy enough for their rulers to be considered 'great' monarchs; the remaining were minor princely states, sometimes little more than towns or groups of villages. The word, however, can also mean emperor in contemporary Indian usage.

The title of Maharaja was not as common before the gradual British colonisation of India, upon and after which many

Parlakhemundi Gidhaur
were a few zamindars who were titled Maharaja for their cordiality and contribution to the British Raj.

Maharajas

Compound and dynastic ruler titles

In the Mughal Empire it was quite common to award to various princes (hereditary or not) a series of lofty titles as a matter of protocolary rank. The British would, as paramount power do the same. Many of these (see also above) elaborate explicitly on the title Maharaja, in the following descending order:

  • Maharajadhiraja Bahadur (or Maharajadhiraj Bahadur): Great King over Kings, a title of honour, one degree higher than Maharajadhiraja.
  • Maharajadhiraja (or Maharajadhiraj): Great King over Kings, a title of honour, one degree higher than Sawai Maharaja Bahadur.
  • Sawai Maharaja Bahadur: a title of honour, one degree higher than Sawai Maharaja. (the term bahadur, originally 'brave' in Persian, was often used for 'one-degree' higher', and 'sawai' is 'one and a quarter higher', i.e. just a step above bahadur)
  • Sawai Maharaja: a title of honour one degree higher than Maharaja Bahadur; as granted (directly) to the Rajas of Ajaygarh.
  • Maharaja Bahadur: a title of honour, one degree higher than Maharaja.
Maratha ruler preferred the title of Chhatrapati as against Maharaja and was the founder and sovereign of the Maratha Empire
in India
Sri Panch Bada Mahārājādhirāja Prithvi Narayan Shah Dev of Nepal.
Khengarji III
Sawai Bahadur, Rao of Kutch, GCIE, KIH
Maharaja Sir Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir
Maharaja Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal of Sikkim

Furthermore, there were various compound titles simply including other princely styles, such as:

  • Maharaja
    Maratha Confederacy
  • H.H. the Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar
  • Maharaja-i-Rajgan: great prince amongst princes
  • Maharaja Sena Sahib Subah of Nagpur, another Maratha state
  • Maharaj Babu: A Rajput title similar to Maharaja. Used by the ruling Chiefs of Hazari Estate, Dohazari of South Chittagong.
  • For details concerning various titles containing sahib, see there

Certain Hindu dynasties even came to use a unique style, including a term which as such is not of princely rank, e.g.

Maratha
houses.

Rajamata

At the absence of the king (maharaja), minor heir, less experienced great queen (maharani); the mother of the king takes charge of the kingdom and acts as an temporary monarch/regent. Until the heir comes to the age or the Queen is ready, the

Rajamata (Queen mother) administers the kingdom. She is empowered to issue royal decree (Rajyaadesh/rajya shasan) and she will be the head of the military. Famous examples include Rajamata Shetu Lakshmi Bayi of Travincore dynasty, Gowri lakshmi bayi, Maharaji (later Rajamata) Rudrama devi of Kakatiya dynasty.[7][8]
The Rajamata can overrule the advice of ministerial council, abolish or impose tax, appoint or dismiss people from a post and has unlimited powers at the absence of the king. When the king is present, the Rajamata being the mother of the king, are given with certain powers to roles. They often share the burden of the ruling king/queen. Few of the powers they are granted (not limited) with are "powers to summon the king, appoint certain people, issue police orders, religious duties, issue death warrant and other minor powers". Famous Rajamata who functioned with the is Rajamata Jijabai of vast Maratha empire, accompanying the Chhatrapati (emperor).[9]

Chakravarti

Chakravarti is a Sanskrit term for "emperor". The meaning of chakravarti is "he, whose wheels of chariot is moving" which symbolizes that the leader who is a war hero, who commands over vast land and sea, the one who rules the people with dedication. In the Mahabharata, the Chakravarti Bharat is known to have ruled the entire sub-continent of India brought golden age to his empire. He is called as chakravarti.

Chakravartini

Chakravartini is the female equivalent to the Chakravarti, and hence, is the "empress". She can either be the wife of the chakravarti or she herself is the ruling monarch. Chakravartini is more famously known as Samrajyani or Samrajyadekshini if she is the ruling monarch.

Yuvaraja

Yuvaraja means the crown prince of the kingdom or empire. He is granted with certain powers and responsibilities so that he can be prepared to take over as the Maharaja.

Yuvarani

Yuvarani is the royal title given to the wife of a crown prince. A yuvarani is trained in religious, administrative and judiciary sections but is also trained to command armies in the absence of the king or emperor.

Rajakumara

Rajakumara is a prince who is not going to be the next Maharaja. He is created as royal blood and based on the confort of the king/queen, he is conferred with certain duties.

Rajakumari

Rajakumari is a princess who will not be the next queen. This title is usually granted to the daughter of a Maharaja.

Nobiliary and honorary use

Like Raja and various other titles, Maharaja was repeatedly awarded to notables without a princely state, such as zamindars.

Derived style for princes of the blood

Maharaj Kumar (or Maharajkumar) means son of a Maharaja or Heir-Apparent; the female equivalent is Maharaj Kumari (Maharajkumari): daughter of a Maharaja.

Nepal

Shree Panch Mahārājādhirāja Rana Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shamsher Jang Devanam Sada Samaravijayinam, Sovereign King of Nepal

The Gorkha

Kings of Nepal
(now a republic) used the title of Mahārājādhirāja which was "King among Great Kings", a title of honour, a degree higher than Mahārājā.
Shree Teen
Maharaja while the Gorkha Kings used Shree Panch Maharajadhiraja.

Southeast Asia

Dali

Duan Xingzhi, the last monarch of the

Kingdom of Dali, submitted to the Mongol Empire, and in return was enfeoffed as Maharaja (摩诃罗嵯) of Dali, continuing to rule the area (but subordinated to Yuan princes and Muslim governors of Yunnan), until the Ming conquest of Yunnan.[10]

Indonesia

See also: History of Indonesia § Hindu-Buddhist civilisations

When the

Tarumanegara
.

Maharaja was also part of the titles of the nobility in the Sumatran sultanate of Aceh. In the past, the title of Maharaja is given to a leader of the unreigning noble family and the Prime Minister Maharaja Mangkubumi. The last Prime Minister of Aceh who was installed to be the Maharaja Mangkubumi, Habib Abdurrahman el Zahir, who also acted as the foreign affairs minister of Aceh but was deposed and exiled to Jeddah by the colonial Dutch East Indies authorities in October 1878.

Malaysia

In peninsular Malaysia:

  • Maharaja was the title of the monarch of the peninsular Malay state of Johor(e) from 1873 to 1885. The Arabic, Muslim title Sultan, often considered of higher rank, was re-adopted later and remains in current usage.
  • The title Bendahara Seri Maharaja was used by the ruler of Pahang (1623–1853 in personal union with Johor, eventually becoming a fief of the Bendahara family), till on 6 August 1882 Tuanku Ahmad al-Muadzam Shah ibni al-Marhum Tun Ali adopted the title, Sultan.

In northern

White Rajah).[11]

The Englishman Capt.

Kingdom of Sarawak and a line of dynastic monarchs known as the White Rajahs
.

In contemporary Malay usage, the title Maharaja refers to an emperor, e.g. "Maharaja Jepun" ("Emperor of Japan").

Brunei

In Seri Malayas of the

Sultanate of Brunei
in 1363 with the throne name Sultan Mohamad Shah. In 1426, he established the sultanate of sulu as his death was recorded in 1431 Mt. Makatangis Sulu grave and 1432 Brunei grave. Both Sulu and Brunei claim the honor of his grave, while his brother, a Johore (Singapore) Prince Makdum Karim (Sharif Kabungsuwan of Malabang Lanao) the second Makdum after the first one Makdum Tuan Masha'ik. Karim ul-makdum re=enforced Islam, a Srivijaya Johore ruler, later established the Sultanate of Maguindanao-Ranao (Mindanao) after taking the political authority of his father-in-law Tomaoi Aliwya of the Maguiindanao family dynasty. He adapted the title as sultan Aliwya (Sharif Kabungsuwan), the first Maguindanao Sultan. The second and third Makdum's father was Sultan Betatar of Taif Arabia who was the 9th progeny of Hasan, the grandson of prophet Sayyidina Muhammad.

Compound Malay titles

The word can also be part of titles used by Malay nobility:

  • Maharaja Lela was the title of the ruler of the State of Naning (founded 1641), until it was annexed by the United Kingdom to Malacca in 1832.

Most famous was

Maharaja Lela Pandak Lam of Perak
(executed 1876).

The

Yang di-Pertuan Agong (head of state) of modern Malaysia
is called Datuk Maharaja Lela Penghulu Istana Negara.

Eventually, Maharajah Adinda was also used to refer to a particular lineage within the royal families.

Thailand

Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, King of Thailand (2016–)

The

King of Thailand has been called a "Maharaj" (Thai
: มหาราชา).

See also

Sources and references

  1. ^ "Maharaja". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ISBN 81-7022-251-6
    . ... Literally Maharaja means 'a great king' ...
  3. Encyclopedia Britannica
    . Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  4. ISBN 1-900269-20-1
    .
  5. ^ Thomas J. Samuelian (2000), Armenian origins: an overview of ancient and modern sources and theories, Iravunq Publishing House, ... Cognate Chart Sanskrit: Maha Greek: Mega English: Much ...
  6. ^ Horace G. Danner, Roger Noël, An introduction to an academic vocabulary: word clusters from Latin, Greek and German, ... Mag-, great; maj-, greater; max-, greatest; IE base: meg-, yields Sanskrit maha; English much; Greek mega ...
  7. ^ "Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, The Feminist Queen of the House of Travancore". Thebetterindia.com. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. ^ Srinivas, Pendem (14 March 2016). "Rudramadevi History, Achievements and Administration". Indiathedestiny.com. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. ^ "Rajmata Jijau Birthplace, Sindkhed Raja | District Buldhana, Government of Maharashtra | India". Buldhana.nic.in. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  10. ^ Yang, Bin (2008a), "Chapter 3: Military Campaigns against Yunnan: A Cross-Regional Analysis", Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE), Columbia University Press
  11. ^ P. J. Rivers, "The Origin of 'Sabah' and a Reappraisal of Overbeck as Maharajah", Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 77(1), 2004; pp. 79–80
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maharaja&oldid=1219239579"