The Maharaja's Box: An Imperial Story of Conspiracy, Love, and a Guru's Prophecy

by Christy Campbell

Christy Campbell 's mesmerizing tale of The Maharaja's Box begins with a list of names of "dormant account holders" published by the Swiss Bankers Association in 1997, during investigations of "Nazi gold." Many of the accounts belonged to Jewish victims of the Holocaust; one was the property of an Indian princess, the deceased daughter of Maharajah Duleep Singh, last Emperor of the Sikhs. Duleep Singh took the throne at the age of five and was King of the Punjab for four years (1845-1849). When the area was annexed by the British, Singh was forced to resign his wealth-including the world famous Koh-i-nor diamond-and all claims to sovereignty. What long-lost fortune might have been locked away in the princess's safety deposit box?

Author Christy Campbell sets out on an investigation that takes him across several continents and into the archives of many strange and dubious characters. He uses a wealth of documents-including nineteenth-century newspaper articles, personal letters written by such notable figures as Queen Victoria, the memoirs of British diplomats, ministers, and foreign secretaries, and the reports of British and Russian spies-to re-create in stunning detail the life of Duleep Singh and his attempt, in middle age, to reclaim his throne and overthrow British rule in India. The result is a fascinating and true tale of espionage, intrigue, and illicit love.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, India

474 pages, Hardcover

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.