The Elveden Chapter of Maharajah Duleep Singh of Punjab
While vacationing in England, a plan came up to visit Elveden- The final resting place of the last ruler of Punjab; Maharajah Duleep Singh.
The entrance to Elveden- on Maharajah Duleep Singh’s Trail
The quest for the last traces of the Maharajah, at Elveden turned out to be quite an adventure. For Indians the memories of Maharajah Duleep Singh are those of him being a child king exiled to England who presented the Kohinoor Diamond to Queen Victoria.
Maharajah Duleep Singh & Elveden
Saint Andrew’s Church that holds the graves of the last Sikh sovereign- Maharajah Duleep Singh
Turning off a narrow busy motorway, we entered the Elveden estate in Norfolk after a drive of about 2 hours’ from London. The Elveden estate is 22500 acres and when Maharajah Duleep Singh purchased the Elveden estate in1863 there was an original Georgian house on it from the 1760’s that was later transformed into the majestic Elveden Hall with many additions!
No Entry to the Maharajah’s residence Elveden Hall
An Elveden estate car park came up on the left and we parked there to scan our map and notes hoping to locate spots related to Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last ruler of Punjab who he lived here his family in the 19th century.
Further search on the Google map pointed towards the Elveden Church on the other side of the road and we looked around to catch sight of the spires of the medieval church on the far side of the motorway. Additionally, the map indicated Elveden Hall beyond the church where the Maharajah stayed in the later part of his life.
All possible paths to the Elveden Hall are locked
I remembered reading that it is closed to public as it is now owned by the Iveaghs- the Guinness Beer family, who dislike visitors to pass outside the Hall, so there is no path to go near it or even take photographs from far!
Saint Andrew Church in the Elveden Estate
As I walked into the church the two prophecies made during the lifetime of Maharajah Duleep Singh came into my mind. The first was that he would rule over India and second was that he would have no descendants. Ironically neither came true in the times to come!
We entered the rundown deserted Elveden church grounds, with ill kept garden, overgrown with weeds, yet the tranquility is soothing. It took us several minutes to reconcile to the sight of the ordinary stone graves scattered in front of us; were they the resting places of the last descendants of Maharajah Ranjit Singh- the powerful ruler known as ‘Lion of Punjab’ .The least Maharajah Duleep Singh deserved was a ‘special-looking’ clean grave. Why he was not cremated, I wondered?
Maharajah Duleep Singh was buried in Saint Andrew’s Church in the Elveden estate complex after he passed away in Paris
There are 3 graves of the family in a row– the first is the very young son of the Maharajah– Albert Edward Alexander Duleep Singh, then the second in the centre is Maharanee Bamba Duleep Singh and the last grave is of Maharajah Duleep Singh.
The 3 graves in the courtyard of Saint Andrew’s Church Medium
I was confused by the etching on the grave for the last ruler of the Sikh empire – In Memory of the Maharajah of Lahore….seemed incorrect!
Visitor Arvind Chopra at the Grave of Maharajah Duleep Singh in Church Andrew Large
We noticed a stone plaque set on the Church wall behind the graves is dedicated to the memory of Maharajah Duleep Singh by Baba Amar Singhji. This was part of the centenary programme “Bringing History and Cultures together”.
The Plaque presented by Sikhs of United Kingdom on the Church wall as part of the Centenary program of Maharajah Duleep Singh Large
While looking for a glimpse of the elusive Elveden Hall from a distance we hit one closed gate after the other and a conspicuous No Entry sign!
No Entry to Elveden Hall
Next we headed for the spacious large café for we had undertaken a long drive from London and decided to visit the nearby town of Thetford after this break. Maharajah Duleep Singh’s son Frederick Duleep Singh had contributed much to the growth of Thetford in the early 20th Century.
About Saint Andrew Church and more
The medieval Saint Andrew Church received a grand restoration by Maharajah Duleep Singh during his exile and stay in Elveden estate. As he was a favourite of Queen Victoria he hosted several royal family members at the Elveden Hall, they would have worshipped at the Church in its complex. No wonder the Maharajah and his family is buried in the Churchyard. The Church’s Visitor book has recorded a first visit by a Sikh in 1958 though Maharajah passed away in1893! Maybe visitors came earlier but were not recorded.
Restaurant/Café- Seeing Child Prince Duleep Singh
The large bustling Café & restaurant was lit with sunshine through the large windows and freshest fruit, vegetables and jams greeted our sight. The aroma of freshly baked, variety of breads wafted the air. One’s attention is held by the life size painting of child-Prince Duleep Singh in vivid Indian regal attire. Few photographs later and enjoying the freshly cooked meal we proceeded to Thetford on the trail of Maharajah Duleep Singh.
Writer near the life size portrait of boy-Prince Duleep Singh in the restaurant Medium
Oil on Canvas painting,Paris 1837, of Randjit Sing Baadour-King of Lahore to King Louis Philippe as a mark of friendship!
Insight into the life of the Maharajah – India to England
Driving towards Thetford, I stepped into the Time machine to watch the somersault lifetime of Maharajah Duleep Singh, born on the 4th of September1838. He was the son of the Sikh Sovereign Maharajah Ranjit Singh and his youngest wife Rani Jindan.
Regal Statue of Maharajah Duleep Singh in Thetford
After the roar of ‘The Lion’ fell silent the Sikh empire disintegrated. The death of Maharajah Ranjit Singh was followed by a quick succession of events-child prince Duleep Singh was crowned the king, he was converted to Christianity and his mother was imprisoned. At that time the child-king did not know that his next meeting with his mother would be 13 and a half years later, in a London hotel!
Visitors at the regal statue of Maharajah Duleep Singh at Butten Island
As the car sped on to the town of Thetford I recalled reading about the transformation of an Indian Punjab prince to a British aristocrat! The Maharajah did try to make a comeback later but bitterly failed to do so!
Writer paying tribute at the grave of Maharajah Duleep Singh