Maharanis: The Extraordinary Tale of Four Indian Queens and Their Journey from Purdah to Parliament

by Lucy Moore

A rare, exotic portrait of the matriarchs of a brilliant Indian family

Ranging from the final days of the Raj and the British Empire to the present, Lucy Moore vividly re-creates a splendid lost world and describes India's national growing pains through the sumptuous, audacious lives of four ravishing, influential women of the same family- Sunity Devi, friend to Queen Victoria; Chimnabai, fierce nationalist; Indira, her flamboyant daughter; and Ayesha, her equally fashionable daughter- who fought tirelessly and with incomparable grace to turn an ancient tradition of noblesse oblige into a progressive democracy.

Genres: History, Biography, India, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Indian Literature, Asia

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Lucy Moore was born in 1970 and educated in Britain and the United States before reading history at Edinburgh University. She is the editor of Con Men and Cutpurses: Scenes from the Hogarthian Underworld, and author of the critically acclaimed The Thieves Opera: The Remarkable Lives and Deaths of Jonathan Wild, Thief-Taker, and Jack Sheppard, House-Breaker (Viking 1996) as well as Amphibious Thing: the Life of a Georgian Rake (Viking 2000) and Maharanis: The Lives and Times of Three Generations of Indian Princesses (Viking 2004). Maharanis has been reprinted six times, was an Evening Standard bestseller, and the top selling non-fiction title in WH Smith on paperback publication in summer 2005.

Lucy is a regular book reviewer for the Observer and the Sunday Times. In April 2001, she was voted one of the 'Top Twenty Young Writers in Britain' by the Independent on Sunday and in the 'Writers' section of the New Statesman's 'Best of Young British' issue.

Television presenter work includes Nelson for Great Britons (BBC) and Kings in Waiting: Edward VII (BBC) plus a number of talking head appearances.

Reviews

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because I loved Moore’s Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France, and the nicest thing I can say is that it’s amazing how much she grew as an author in just two years, because Liberty is a fantastic work of historical biography and this book is . . . not.

This is a group biography, chronicling the lives of four women (and their families) from three generations of an extended Indian princely family, the youngest of whom the author personally interviewed. The most interesting aspect of the book is the history portrayed, from the 1870s and 1880s through the decades after Indian independence. It’s told from the point-of-view of royalty, with few mentions of anyone else, but their methods of choosing an heir when the male line failed are quite unusual from a western perspective (in a couple of cases, the current ruler/regent called in all male members of the clan and then just picked a boy to adopt). And I had not previously read the story of how India’s princes related to the British government and what happened to them after independence. In short, there were a lot of power struggles, and upon independence the new democratic state required the princes to cede their power, which in the author’s view they did mostly with good grace, to feel betrayed later when the state denied them allowances and titles. They seem to have remained fabulously wealthy however, and the extended family profiled considered the British royal family personal friends (as well as the Kennedys and various other big names) both before and after independence. Which just goes to show that the ultra-rich really do have more in common with each other than with anyone else.

Ultimately though, this book largely felt like what I imagine reading a celebrity gossip magazine to be like. Lots of descriptions of opulence, long descriptions of pageantry in the earlier part and a lot of name-dropping and luxury in the latter part. But I came away with the sense that these women, though filthy rich and incredibly privileged, were historically insignificant. Yes, they engaged in some high-profile charity work as the ultra-rich tend to do, they held positions in various organizations and some wrote memoirs or gave the occasional speech. One was even elected to Parliament and arrested for several months when Indira Gandhi was rounding up all her opponents. But they seem to have played very small roles in the unfolding of history. And even where they did something potentially admirable, like challenging British authority, it was generally for petty personal reasons, like arguing they should totally be able to spend most of the year on holiday in Europe without having to give up any power at home. Meanwhile, the sense of who these people were deep down is still fairly superficial.

At any rate, this book is rather dry and took me awhile to read even though the actual text comes in at under 300 pages, and I did not find the stories of these particular people worth my time. For historical purposes, I’m glad the author documented this family history, but it isn’t one I’d recommend.

[Rama Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

The queens and princesses of Royal India

This is a fascinating story of four maharanis who worked tirelessly to transition from a very chaotic final days of their kingdom and the British Raj into the modern democratic and secular India. For just over a century after the British invasion of India, India’s princely families lived in an extraordinary cocoon of privilege and magnificence, protected from mass democratization ushered in the modern era by their complex association with British Empire.

Author Lucy Moore’s narratives are exhaustive and the detail accounts gives us a good background in their upbringing and challenges the royal women faced as they grew up. Despite many advantages and upbringing in both Indian and European cultures, they had to live up to the traditions of a Hindu Royal family. Their opulent and sensual lifestyle with a penchant for flashing their jewelry was legendary. When the curtain came down, it diminished their power and authority. But they reckon, rejuvenate and come back to serve the people they long ignored. The four Maharanis discussed in this book comes from two families, the Royal Family of Cooch Behar and the Royal family of Baroda; Maharani Chimnabai (1872-1958), Princess Indira Raje, Maharani Sunity Devi, and Maharani Gayathri Devi. Maharani Chimnabai and Maharani Sunity Devi are the two matriarchs of their illustrious families and Maharani Chimnabai takes an active role in the struggle for India’s independence and work very closely with Mahatma Gandhi.

This book also reveals the frivolous side of the men and women of Indian royal families. Despite their traditions and strong culture, in all its richness and vitality, they were also vulnerable to the material things in life. Most of them lived in the lap of luxury, with a lavish life style both in India and Europe. They had a big circle of famous Indian and European friends, British Royalty, and other fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. So many tragic deaths occurred in the three royal families of Baroda, Cooch Behar, and Jaipur. Alcohol was the main cause of sudden and tragic deaths in most cases. In some cases either they fell down the stairs, food poisoning or pneumonia. Yet Chimnabai, Sunity Devi, Indira Raje and Gayathri Devi were always not able to bond on the happiness they sought for themselves. However they did their best to bring that in the lives of many citizens. Despite their individual faults and weaknesses, these women lived up to their rank, believed passionately in the concept of duty that drove them. They were revolutionaries rising above the cultural limitations and helped society to accept gender equality and redefine the role of women in India. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful history lesson. Lucy Moore has done some in depth research work and takes us through the lives of 4 extraordinary women who not only led glamorous lives but also used their positions of power to the betterment of their subjects.
Some inescapable facts - Women empowerment a century back was completely due to belief's of the men in their lives - fathers and/or husbands. Educating women was seen as a waste of effort and resources and most high born women grew up in the purdah with her family till she married in her early teens and then exchanged it for her husband's zenana where she still lived under the purdah, seeing no men other than her husband and close relatives, for her entire life. Though there is considerable wealth all around, she herself does not have any money or own anything. She is also, usually, only one her husband's wives and her position in the zenana depends on how much her husband favours her and her seniority in the household. She is a puppet dependent on her husband's good will to grant her wishes.
The males in the family grown up in luxury and having every wish granted. Most seem to die due to over indulgence and ills related to alcoholism. So many mothers grieving over lives wasted away.
Parts I found interesting were:
- tale of Chimnabai breaking purdah, rollerskating across the palace, playing tennis in her marathi style saree.
- progressive mindset of Sayajirao Gaekwad (Chimnabai's husband), his governance and sponsoring the education of BR Ambedkar and many others
- Sunity devi and her association with Brahmo Samaj
- unreal how many letters the maharani's exchanged with the Queens(s) of England
- Indira Raje rejecting arranged marriage to a Maharaja (in the early 1910s) and stubbornly marrying the Prince(not crown prince) from Cooch Behar
- Indira Raje popularising the way the saree is worn currently in India.
- (Ayesha) Gayatri Devi's political career opposing Congress, enmity with Indira Gandhi, and stay in Tihar Jail
- Maharaja of Jaipur's support of his Muslim subjects during the partition riots. "No Muslim should leave Jaipur and go. They are all like the hair on my chest."
All of them pushed for emancipation of women and changed the lives of scores of women directly or indirectly. Though all have been given a big piece of the pie of wealth and beauty and position, yet their lives is also a story of great suffering and tragedy. Most of them were young widows and all lived to see most of their children die early. They had trouble forgiving members of their own family but was kind to dependants and supplicants. With India gaining independence they had to give up their power and position and endure many broken promises by the govt.

I recommend this book for anyone with interest in Indian History. Well worth the time invested.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the language sometimes lacks lyricism in favor of a more journalistic tone (true to the author's roots), the story of these four women is turely extroartinary. Amidst increadible wealth, the central women and their families are depicted as sympathetically human. They are impressive people searching for their place and identities amidst rapidly changing social, political, and economic times.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moore's history is well-researched and competently written. South Asian history and culture is a difficult topic to handle well, particularly in a short space (this work is less than 300 pages long), but Moore does an excellent job of glossing the important historical and cultural contexts the reader needs in order to understand the history of the princely states in relation to the British Raj as well as such varied topics as the caste system, the social hierarchy, and the domestic marital arrangements of upper caste and class Indian nobility. Much of the book is spent on telling the stories of the grand matriarchs of the royal families of Baroda and Cooch Behar from about 1870 through 1930. This allows Moore not only to focus her narrative on how purdah eventually withered away in the privileged circles she is dealing with but also provides important information on family relations, the character of the women she eventually wishes to focus on (particularly Ayesha, maharani of Jaipur). Although this overwhelming emphasis on the earlier women (somewhat) serves Moor's purpose, it also gets a little tedious and repetitious. The highlight of the book (for me) was the conflict between Ayesha and India Gandhi, particularly during the years of the Emergency; Moore only devotes a handful of pages to this. One weakness of this book is that Moore, who knew Ayesha and her family personally, is too involved with her subjects to see them clearly as persons (in other words, she loses her historical objectivity; of course, this is a problem with narrative in general, and no history is, or should be, entirely objective, but Moore makes some large gaffes in my view because she is personally concerned). Moore excuses or downplays character flaws in her subjects in order to make them look like valiant, heroic people who just happened to be put upon because of their wealth and former status. For example, one pattern of behavior that comes through loud and clear is the inability of any of these maharanis to let their daughters marry the person of their choice, even though they themselves did so. If these women were ordinary women we might say they were too bound by tradition (or more unkindly that they were hypocritical). Also, and not to excuse the abuses of power committed by Congress, but Moore clearly finds the rich and privileged lifestyles of her subject compelling and glamorous, even though this lifestyle is often at the expense of those less well-to-do than they are (something that Congress was justified in criticizing).

In short: this is a worthwhile history because it highlights a moment of South Asian history that is not often written about, but the narrative tends to unravel towards the end of the book.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an engaging look at 20th Century India, through the lens of four, related royal ladies. Through the lens of their lives, the march of India towards independence and the march of women out of the confinement of purdah (similar to the Middle Eastern harem concept) and into public life. As well as the progress away from being a colonial power, this book also shows the process by which the nearly-all-powerful monarchies were dissolved.

By the end, one suspects that the author has fallen a little in love with her subjects and may be glossing over some of the drawbacks of life in the Princely States, or by her selection of particularly progressive examples of maharajas and maharanis. There are occasional footnote references to maharajas of other families who were known to be rather less concerned with the well-being of their subjects and one wonders which is the more typical example.

Despite this possibly over-romanticized perspective, the story of these four women makes a very complex and fraught period of time readable and engaging.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of Indian aristocracy/royalty through the life stories of 4 remarkable women. A journey from the Raj of the late nineteenth century through the struggle for independence to almost the present day. It is a remarkable tale but can be a little confusing and I found some of the relationships difficult to follow. It is very much the story of rich upper class women and there is little of the grinding poverty of much of the rest of Indian society.
I think I understand more the power and influence the Maharajahs and Maharanis had and some of their allure, but htere was a hollowness at its centre. I never did realise how many of the male members of the families died of alcoholism. It was interesting to read of the struggles against purdah that some of the maharanis championed.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was fascinating and sad, telling the story of India's political and cultural transition from the point of view of the ruling princely families that ended up giving up their power and position, not all willingly. the descriptions of the idyllic childhoods were enthralling. the story focuses on 3 generations of women and how they adjusted to and adapted to the changes in society, also how some lived in a time of purdah (segregation from men and the outside world). it was very inspiring to read how the new generations took on more active roles and adopted feminism. all in all, a fascinating and historical read.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this one five stars not because it was the best written work I have ever ready, but the story that was told was, like the title suggests, extraordinary.

In a world where women exsisted to be wives the four maharanis whose lives Lucy Moore has chronicled were given the best western educations and allowed to grow. Through their lives they transformed a cultre and gave birth to a nation. In everything they did they were mere humans who took their roles of mystical rulers for the good of their people to heart.

Lucy Moore, thank you for telling their story. Thank you for giving us a new historical perceptive.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that it is safe to say that there was a lot of controversy about the British occupation of India and its affect on its citizens.

The Maharani's in this books had many advantages and changed history for the women of India, it begs the question as to whether these changes would have ever happened without the involvement and hand of the British occupants.

On the other hand it may have been damaging to a point in which the future rulers were too westernized.

While this was an interesting look into the history of just a few women of India, there were points that were dragging and sometimes confusing.

[Sreenorainee Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think these Royalties lived a very exquisite life having all the best they could afford during their time of reign.and the maharanis certainly exercised every aspects of feminism.i wished i was one of them..lol..but its sad to know when you are ripped of your privileges and forced to live a life which you are not used to.this novel really brings you back to the time ..excellent imagery..fantastic!!

[Malinda Lamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to read about real women whose lives changed so dramatically during their own life times and who also greatly influenced the independence of women in India. It was also interesting to learn more about the political governance of India, both the Colonial British and the Independent States.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy books that give me an insight into cultures I am not familiar with and I enjoyed that aspect of this book. The author did a great job of showing all sides of the people involved, making them real. I would have preferred if the author had let the narrative stand on its own instead of justifying and condoning negative behavior under the context of personal circumstances.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I really had a hard time getting into the book, but I ended up really enjoying this book. Great history and background on the British/India relationship. I think I'd like to read more about this time in history. Of course, it could be I just love to read about the royals...of any country.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book, lots of detail (sometimes, just sometimes, a little too much?) about a world I previously knew nothing of. At times I made myself get through it, but it was definitely worth it.

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

learn about the english colonialism (as well as its decline) in india through the stories of 3 generations of maharanis and their profound impact on everything from india's purdah to its sari style to its political progressions.

[Somya Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my impulsive purchases but I think I quite enjoyed reading it. Aah its always fun to read about how blue blooded mortals spend their life and this book gives you a nice peep into lives of much written about royal ladies. Paisa vasool!

[Patricia Doty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed the historical account of the four Maharanis of India and how their courage and willfulness helped shape the environment of modern day India for the women of today. Lots to learn about a country I knew virtually nothing about!

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! The writing was slightly rambling and keeping the family connections and names straight required dedication but this book describes a time in India not so many years past and captures the culture and times of a era and how it helped shape the future

[Kiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting but an interesting read.

[James Axtell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great background to the changes in Indian history over the last 120 years

[Axe2008 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. The Maharanis chosen are some distinct in their personalities while at the same had some much in common esp in the time of immense change in India.

One can't help feel empathy towards these remarkable women, who each in their own way tried to make balance the need to connect with the European masters, while still continuing with their traditional roles. At one end was a woman who showed disdain for the British and on the other end, there was one who became a fixture in the European jet-set crowd. Additionally, it is really a pity to see the esp. the men die young as they just couldn't manage to make the transition from Royals to merely the rich, and all of these women lost so many of their husbands and sons to drink.

Lucy manages to balance these women's personal lives including, such details are the color of the saris, the size of emeralds, with the social and political changes going around in India from the awakening of national spirit, to independence, and finally living without royal privileges.

Gives a glimpse into the tremendous changes that India went through in the early 20th century, and its impact on the Royalty. One always felt that Royalty just waltzed into the new age, what with all their wealth, and privileges, but perhaps they were one of the few cohorts who saw their standard of living deteriorate dramatically after Independence.

[Mark Farley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite interested to read this, as it was a chance to read about something as foreign as foreign gets for me. MAHARANIS certainly gives you a fair amount of the history and reason for India and it does it while covering some key interesting characters of distinction and relative importance. It covers very much the ins, outs and whys about the whole repressive, caste gimmick. The traditions of holding those back who are female, not to mention the poor completely, and all that. Plus, how things have changed through all of the important periods, but I did still find myself a bit bored in general.

Whereas this was a somewhat sensual and intoxicating read packed with weird and wonderful images and smells of a distant land, I found myself quite dis-tractable throughout and getting through it took a much longer time that I would normally take. That maybe is because the book is about a country I've no real desire to visit and don't really know a great deal about, as my schooling didn't cover their history at all. But I was fully invested to learn nonetheless. And still.

Shame.

[Pransu Khakurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book through events of 4 queens of the same family yet different generations tend to portray the progress Indian princely states particularly in terms of women agency and the practices over the period of 150 years. Deeply and exotically scrutinising aspects associated with the struggles of royal women the book also successfully intersects the political turmoil Indian section of the British Raj had to undergo in the period. It is however, sometimes quite confusing and boring with mentions of characters given 4 protagonists requiring to turn the family tree time and again to understand. Otherwise, good read!

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of privilege, incredible wealth against the background of poor India. It is difficult to imagine a time of princely kingdoms with maharajas. When the kingdoms were forced to join independent (from Britain) India one maharaja spoke to his subjects about what was to happen. One of them replied, "Sir, we understand what is going to happen, but now who is going to wipe our tears?" It was an 'aha' moment for me - I thought that being a poor subject of a rich prince would not be desirable.

[Sandip Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the life and times of the princess from the erstwhile monarchy in the Indian princely states from early 20th century. Each of the princess were educated, progressive , liberated and way ahead of their time in terms of their mindset and values apart from their active contribution to elevate the status of women in society amidst a very conservative upbringing. History on feminism in India should be rewritten with these Indian princess placed ‘front and center’ Kudos to the author for touching on this untold stories in India...

[Nivedita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a good insight to how life was in India under the British rule. It is very impressive that some of these ladies fought against the conservative outlook of the society towards woman, worked towards improving the status of women across the country.
The book covers how the lives of the kings and queens changed post independence, something I had never thought about. Democracy wasn't necessarily good for everyone I guess.
I certainly see the effects of their work today.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book detailing the lives of Gayatri Devi, Maharani of Jaipur, and her mother, as well as both of her grandmothers. All were maharanis. The book evokes life in a bygone era. The stories of elephant rides through the jungles and grand ceremonies in which whole cities were involved are vividly told and are a feast for the mind. Mixed in with the history of these ladies is the history of India. It's a wonderful read. Hard to put down, in fact.

Very highly recommended.

[Brooke Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and beautiful look at some of India’s ruling families. I didn’t know that under British colonialism that some princely families retained power. It was a great look at India’s road to independence through the lens of its native rulers.

[Hippiemouse420 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a ton, of course. Looking forward to reading more Indian history.