Gayatri Devi

 ( 1919 Births ) 

She first met Sawai Man Singh II when she was 12 and he had come to Calcutta to play polo and stayed with their family. She married Sawai Man Singh II Bahadur on 9 May 1940.

Gayatri was a particularly avid Equestrianism. She was an excellent rider and an able Polo player. She was a good shot and enjoyed many days out on 'Shikars'. Gayatri was fond of cars and is credited with importing the first Mercedes-Benz W126, a 500 SEL to India which was later shipped to Malaysia. She also owned several Rolls-Royces and an aircraft. Gayatri had one child, Prince Jagat Singh of Jaipur, late Raja of Isarda, born on 15 October 1949, who was granted his uncle's fief as a subsidiary title. Jagat Singh was the half-brother to Bhawani Singh, who was the eldest son of his father born by his father's first wife.

As a style icon, Gayatri was shot by photographer Cecil Beaton for Vogue. Gayatri was described by Beaton as one of the ten most beautiful women in the world. In a 2004 interview, Gayatri mentioned "I have never felt beautiful...I remember as a young girl, my mother had to literally force me into applying lipstick, physical appearance doesn't bother me, it never has, it never will". In 1962 Jacqueline Kennedy visited Gayatri Devi in India and were photographed together at a Polo match and on her tour of India. In 2019 an exhibition 'Maharani: ‘Remembering the Princess'" was held in Mumbai to celebrate the Maharani's Centennial year. In 2013 designer Sabyasachi made five limited edition presented at the Taj Mahal Palace in honour of Devi's enduring style icon status.

She started two schools in Jaipur, Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School established in 1943 and Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur which is a co-educational school in memory of her husband. She revived and promoted the dying art of blue pottery.

There were rumours that she might re-enter politics as late as 1999, when the Cooch Behar Trinamool Congress nominated her as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, but she did not respond to the offer.Gayatri Devi may contest polls from Cooch Behar, The Statesman, 12 June 1999.

• Rajkumari Lalitya Kumari (b. 1979)
• Maharaj Devraj Singh, Raja of Isarda (b. 1981)

Maharaj Jagat Singh was paternal half-brother to Bhawani Singh of Jaipur, the eldest son of the late Maharaja by his first wife, a Jodhpur princess.

Her paternal grandparents were Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur and Sunity Devi of Cooch Behar. Maharani Sunity Devi was the daughter of the Brahmo Samaj social reformer Keshab Chandra Sen.

She had two brothers, Jagaddipendra Narayan and Indrajitendra Narayan of whom Jagaddipendra Narayan became the Maharaja of Cooch Behar in his infancy after the death of their father in 1922.

Thus, maternally, she was closely connected to Gaekwad dynasty of Baroda State. Further, her sister Ila Devi was married into the Tripura royal family, and her younger sister, Maneka Devi, was married into the royal family of Dewas State. Thus, through various relatives, she was related to the royal houses of Kota State, Sawantwadi State, Akkalkot State, Jath State, Dewas Jr., Jasdan State, Sandur, Tehri-Garhwal, Mayurbhanj, Dhar State, Kolhapur State, Lunawada State, Baria State and Raja of Payagpur, which was considered normal among the royalties of India.