Twitter
Advertisement

Meet Indian king, who treated poor for free, removed taxes, made education mandatory for girls, he was from...

Bhagwat Singh, a renowned medical student, completed his studies and earned an M.D., leading to significant improvements in state administration, education, and women's rights, including the publication of the first Gujarati dictionary and encyclopedia.

Latest News
Meet Indian king, who treated poor for free, removed taxes, made education mandatory for girls, he was from...
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The typical perception of Indian kings and Maharajas is of opulent lifestyles. Their wealth was enormous. They controlled their own kingdoms. They were eccentrics and upper-class debauchees. Their passion was automobiles. One monarch stood out among the others because he was unlike any of the others. After four years, he was crowned king of his own realm. He went abroad to study medicine. He later gave his underprivileged patients free treatment.

He was the Maharaja Bhagwat Singh of Gujarat's Gondal state. He had medical training and held the titles of Master of Medicine and Master of Surgery, respectively. It is truly admirable the work he did for the underprivileged in his tiny Gujarati state.
 
Gondal was one of 217 small states that were formed out of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in the 18th and 19th centuries. On October 24, 1865, Bhagwat Singh was born in Dhoraji, which is now in the Gujarati district of Rajkot. He was the third child of Gondal's Thakur, or king, Sangram Singh II. The Jadeja dynasty, which also ruled over states like Jamnagar and Kutch, founded this small princely state.

When Bhagwat Singh was ten years old in 1875, his family sent him to Rajkot for his elementary education. There, he attended Rajkumar College, a British-built institution for Indian princes. This taught him how to live in the modern era and opened his mental windows. In 1884, having finished his education, he returned to Gondal to assume state leadership. But at this point he was itching to travel the world. He concluded that a trip to England was in order. But this was strongly opposed by the court and his mother. Orthodox Hindus at the time held that going across the sea rendered a person 'impure'. Bhagwat Singh insisted on this in spite of this.  He made up his mind to become a doctor as soon as he walked into the medical college. 

Bhagwat Singh, a renowned medical student, completed his studies and earned an M.D., leading to significant improvements in state administration, education, and women's rights, including the publication of the first Gujarati dictionary and encyclopedia. He provided free education for both men and women throughout the university studies.

Bhagwant Singh created a suitable framework for the care and medical treatment of the state's citizens after he graduated from medical school. It is said about him that in addition to treating the sick, he used to see them frequently.

Bhagwat Singh eliminated all export duties, tariffs, taxes, customs, and octroi in the state during his rule. At that point, Gondal was the only state exempt from taxes. Additionally, he ended the requirement that women wear veils. He was one of the most liberal kings in Indian history and dedicated his life to helping the underprivileged.
 

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement