Under the blazing Jodhpur sun, the sandstone walls of Umaid Bhawan Palace glow a deep gold. Tourists mill about its sprawling gardens, clicking photos of what remains one of the last great royal homes of India.
Inside its private quarters, away from the curious gaze, the man who was once called "the face of Indian Polo" quietly marked his 50th birthday on September 30 this year: Shivraj Singh, the Crown Prince of Jodhpur.
The video that surfaced from the celebration was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The heir to the Jodhpur royal family smiled as family and friends cheered him on, but he needed help to stand and struggled to speak.
The Internet, moved by the sight, was reminded of the prince's long battle - one that began two decades ago with a devastating accident that changed his life forever.
The Heir Of Marwar
Born on September 30, 1975, in Jodhpur, Shivraj Singh is the only son of Gaj Singh II and Hemlata Rajye. The Rathore dynasty he hails from ruled the Marwar region for centuries, a lineage that still commands fascination long after India's royal titles were abolished.
Gaj Singh II, fondly called 'Bapji', became Maharaja at the age of four after his father, Maharaja Hanwant Singh, and his second wife, Zubeida, died in a tragic plane crash in 1952.
Gaj Singh II (L) and Shivraj Singh
Educated at Eton and Oxford, Gaj Singh returned to India in 1970 to take charge of the family's legacy, and later married Hemlata Rajye, daughter of the Raja of Poonch and Princess Nalini Rajya Lakshmi of Nepal.
The couple had two children - Shivranjani Rajye, the elder, and Shivraj Singh, the heir. Both grew up between history and modernity, raised in the palatial Umaid Bhawan, a home that continues to define their story.
The Palace In The Desert
Built between 1929 and 1943, Umaid Bhawan Palace stands as one of the largest private residences in the world. Rising out of the rocky Chittar Hill, at the edge of the Thar Desert, it was commissioned by Maharaja Umaid Singh, Shivraj's great-grandfather, during a severe drought to provide employment to thousands of local farmers.
Nearly 3,000 people worked on the project for 15 years, under the supervision of British architect Henry Vaughan Lanchester. When it was completed in 1943, it had cost around Rs 1.1 crore.
Umaid Bhawan Palace is spread across 26 acres. Photo Credit: Instagram
The palace, built in golden Chittar sandstone, combines Indo-Saracenic, Art Deco and Classical styles, with 347 rooms spread across 26 acres of gardens. It is a Rs 22,400 crore property, making it one of the most valuable royal residences in the world.
Today, Umaid Bhawan is divided into three parts: the royal residence, a museum dedicated to Jodhpur's history, and the Taj-operated luxury hotel that regularly tops global "best hotels" lists.
A Palace Of Grand Weddings
Over the years, Umaid Bhawan Palace has become one of India's most sought-after wedding destinations, the kind of place where grandeur doesn't need to be exaggerated because it's built into every archway and marble corridor.
Its sprawling courtyards, art deco interiors, and sweeping views of the Blue City have hosted some of the most talked-about celebrity weddings in the world.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas married in 2018 at Umaid Bhawan.
In 2018, the palace hosted the grand wedding of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. Before them, Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar exchanged vows in its gilded halls, while Rishika Lulla and Aditya Singh's nuptials added another chapter to its long history of luxury and love.
The Prince's Love Affair With Polo
For Shivraj Singh, polo wasn't just a royal tradition. Introduced to the sport by his father, he began playing at Mayo College, continued at Eton, and later represented Oxford Brookes University.
After earning his degree in Business Administration, he worked with Schroder's Bank in Geneva and London, and with Jardine in Hong Kong, before returning to Jodhpur to manage the family's properties.
Shivraj Singh was regarded as one of India's top players and the global face of Indian polo.
He helped transform Umaid Bhawan into a world-class luxury hotel in collaboration with the Taj Group, a project that reportedly cost around Rs 10 crore.
But it was on the polo field that Shivraj truly shone. With a handicap of +3, he was regarded as one of India's top players and the global face of Indian polo. His team, Jodhpur Eagles, won tournaments across continents, from England and Brazil to South Africa and Switzerland.
The Fall That Changed Everything
On February 18, 2005, during the Birla Cup match at Jaipur's Rambagh Polo Ground, 27-year-old Shivraj was playing one of his usual daring games. As he leaned for a near-side shot, a rival horse crashed into his, throwing him off balance. He fell hard.
The impact was brutal. He was rushed to Sawai Man Singh Hospital and later airlifted to Mumbai's Tata Hospital, where doctors found he had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage. For over two months, he remained in a coma. When he finally regained consciousness, he could barely speak and needed a wheelchair to move.
Shivraj Singh was in a coma for over two months after the accident.
The polo world, stunned, watched one of its brightest players fight for life. "He is much better and came out of the coma medically yesterday," neurosurgeon Dr Suneel N Shah had told reporters at the time.
11 months later, Shivraj could form short sentences and move with support.
His slow recovery became a story of quiet courage. Years of therapy and rehabilitation followed, aided by an American physiotherapist. Yet, while the prince re-emerged, he was never quite the same.
After the accident, Shivraj's elder sister, Shivranjani Rajye, stepped in to oversee the family's affairs. A Cambridge graduate, she took charge of managing Umaid Bhawan Palace, the heritage hotels, and the restoration of the Mehrangarh Fort Museum.
Under her, the palace turned into a flourishing cultural and hospitality destination.
The Wedding That Revived Royal Tradition
Five years after the accident, on March 10, 2010, Shivraj got engaged to Gayatri Kumari Pal of Askot, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Uttarakhand. Their engagement at Umaid Bhawan was a close family affair attended by his parents and sister.
The wedding that followed on November 18, 2010, at Jaipur's Rambagh Palace was nothing short of regal. A chartered train carried guests, a turquoise 1935 Rolls-Royce Phantom led the baraat, and royal emblems of Marwar fluttered proudly as folk singers serenaded the crowd. The event was attended by royals from India and abroad, politicians, industrialists, and Bollywood celebrities.
Shivraj Singh married Gayatri Kumari Pal in November 2010.
From the world of Bollywood, Kabir Bedi, Moon Moon Sen, and her daughters Riya and Raima graced the occasion. Political dignitaries included Jaswant Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia, while royals from Nepal, Bhutan, and other princely families of India were also present.
Prominent business figures such as Kumar Mangalam Birla, members of the Singhania family, and Anil Agarwal of Vedanta also attended the grand wedding.
In 2011, the couple welcomed their daughter, Baiji Lal Sahiba Bhanwar Baisa Vaara Kumari Rajye, followed by their son, Raj Bhanwar Siraj Deo Singh, in 2015.
Shivraj Singh and Gayatri, along with their kids.
The Palace And Its Legacy
Today, the Umaid Bhawan Palace continues to operate as both a royal residence and a luxury hotel run by the Taj Group. With its 347 rooms, grand Durbar halls, marble squash courts, and lush gardens spread across 26 acres, it stands as a living piece of history.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Gaj Singh II still lives in Umaid Bhawan Palace with his family. His son, Shivraj, remains the titular Yuvraj of Jodhpur, while his daughter ensures the palace's cultural and business heartbeat never slows.
For those who visit, Umaid Bhawan may be a marvel of sandstone and symmetry. But for the royal family of Jodhpur, and for Shivraj Singh, it is much more than that. It is home, memory, and endurance carved into stone.
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