The Maharajah's Box

by Christy Campbell

The colourful narrative history of Duleep Singh, the last Emperor of the Sikhs and protégé of Queen Victoria, and his bizarre attempts to regain his kingdom of the Punjab from the British Empire in the late 19th century. In July 1997 the Swiss Bankers' Association, under international pressure to atone for wartime compliance with Hitler's Germany, published a list of over 1,700 'dormant accounts', untouched for over fifty years. The names were supposedly those of Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but among them was an Indian princess, 'last heard of in 1942 living in Penn, Bucks'. Intrigued, Christy Campbell, a journalist on the Sunday Telegraph, started to search the records, and so uncovered the remarkable story of how Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last Emperor of the Sikhs, was made by the British - as a nine-year-old in 1849 - to sign away his kingdom of the Punjab and give Queen Victoria the Koh-i-Noor diamond (the most celebrated diamond in the world, and the jewel in Britain's Crown). Duleep Singh, a virtual prisoner of Queen Victoria in England, began to dream of regaining his kingdom, and so embarked on a series of adventures (involving Russia and the 'Great Game' of Central Asia) before finally begging Victoria's forgiveness. He had six children and died in 1893. Today the Sikhs still claim their inheritance, including the Koh-i-Noor and the now-divided Punjab.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, India

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty exciting read. I thought it was well written and engaging. There were lots of jumps and a lot of information to keep track of, but I was never bored. The reason this didn't get a higher rating, however, was because this was a book I had to read for one of my most recent ghostwriting projects. As a source, it was pretty weak. A lot of information was anecdotal, rather than evidence-based, which makes for a compelling story, but made me question how much of this book was fact rather than a fiction to sell copies. I'm not hardline about popular history being heavily footnoted or referenced, however for me, there needs to be at least some evidence when trying to write a narrative of history, especially when quoting historical figures.

[Ravi Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why hasn't this been adapted for a movie yet, I don't know.
A fantastic real life story about the last King of the Sikhs, how the British Empire robbed him of his lands, subjects, kingdom and vast riches. The British act all pomp and circumstance, but are just rich in thieving and broken treaties, so no change there then. Expertly told as fact and with the storyteller's skill of fiction, great work by Christy here and made it relevant by linking the aged tale to modern day happenstance, of which there is plenty.
Much research and corroborated evidence, expertly written and thankful the story is kept alive of such a tragic yet absolutely regal character. Well done Christy!

[Inderjit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, though questionable as to how much is fact and how much is fiction. Confusing to follow and jumps around a lot. Why is the term Guru sometimes spelt at Gurro, seems lazy. The British Raj glorified and the Indian king demonized.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book concerned the life of Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire. It all started out so fascinating. A secret bank box in Switzerland, the princess who kept it, the Koh-I-Noor diamond, and the race to get back a lost Sikh throne. No question, the first few chapters held my interest and had me wanting more. However, the more I read, the more bored I became. Lots of back and forth, lots of things that had nothing to do with the bank box in question, lots of complaining by Duleep Singh. Without a doubt, he was ill-treated by the British government. Tricked into signing away his kingdom and giving up his most prized possession, he had every right to be angry. I just got tired of reading about it for 300-plus pages. Oh, and the ending was a complete let down.

This book could've been so much more. Of worthy note are the parts that deal with Singh and his family life.

[Tina Tamman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not seriously persevere, just got bogged done with the names, lost interest. It got more and more complicated although there is a family tree at the beginning. What had attracted me to the book initially was the mystery of what happened in the 20th century when a Swiss bank listed an Indian princess among its account holders. I had lived in Tunbridge Wells where the princess was said to have lived, so that sounded inviting. However, the book is mostly about her father who must have had quite a life but he died in 1893, so the bulk of the book takes place in the 19th century.

[Tena · Rating 1 out of 5]

***Spoiler alert***

The Maharajah's box was empty. I did not finish this book as I could not bear the endless lists of names and places with no details about the people themselves. This had the potential to be really fascinating but alas left me feeling cold. I also found its attempts to justify colonialism problematic.

[Kathryn Wardell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed history of how the British Raj deposed the last Maharajah of the Punjab. Interesting political history but gets bogged down in minutiae. The politics of England, India, Russia and Germany give great insight to the turn of the century and late 1800s.

I waded through the detail in the middle but you could just skim it. It is a sad story of the loss of a throne, country and the Koh-I-noor diamond. Read the last chapter if you get bogged down

[Lucy]

Didn't finish. Got a couple of chapters in and got very sick of the jumping around of the narrative and the endless full footnotes. It's a shame - in the right hands I feel like this could have been great.

[Rena Sherwood]

I gave up on this about page 189 -- and I should have done it sooner. This gets so complicated that you just cannot give a damn anymore.