Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of the erstwhile princely state of Patiala was the most extravagant of all the Indian royals. These symbols of grandeur, such as the renowned Patiala Peg and the legendary Patiala Necklace, were the creation of Bhupinder Singh. The Phulkian dynasty welcomed Jat Sikh Bhupinder Singh, who became king at the age of nine in 1891.
As noted by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre in their book Freedom at Midnight, "He could polish off 20 pounds of food in a day or two chickens as a tea-time snack." He was an avid eater. It wasn't just food that fed his insatiable hunger. Moreover, he became well-known for allegedly having 350 concubines and fathering 88 children, 52 of whom matured into adulthood. Rajmata Vimala Kaur was his favourite wife out of his ten marriages; the two travelled the world and made public appearances together.
He possessed a well-selected harem that eventually housed 350 women. He would hire jewellers, hair stylists, and perfumers to show his concubines that he cared about them personally. He even hired a team of French and British plastic surgeons to change the concubines' appearances to his preference.
About Bhupinder Singh, James Sherwood (Henry Poole & Co.) wrote, "In Patiala, it was said that the Maharaja would position naked favourites from his harem around his iced swimming pool so he could steal a caress or a sip of whisky while he swam." There were even sultry sculptures on the ceiling in his bedroom.
