Who Is Diya Kumari, The Billionaire Princess Of Jaipur Who Claims Taj Mahal Belonged To Her Ancestors?

Diya Kumari: The former princess of the Jaipur Royal Family is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling 'Maharaja' of the princely state of Jaipur during British rule.

NEW DELHI: BJP's Member of Parliament from Rajsamand and former princess of Jaipur Diya Kumari had sometimes back courted controversy by claiming that the Taj Mahal – the iconic monument of love – belonged to her ancestors. She had claimed that the Taj Mahal was built on her family’s land and that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ''captured'' it.  

Kumari, in support of her claim, had stated that the land on which the iconic monument stands belonged to the erstwhile Jaipur Royal family. It used to have a palace that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan ‘acquired' before building his grand monument of love. If this was not enough, the BJP MP and royal scion of Jaipur had also earlier claimed that her family descended from Lord Ram's son. Diya Kumari also said that she is willing to provide evidence of her family's lineage to Lord Ram’s son in the Supreme Court so as to expedite the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

So, Who Is Diya Kumari?

Diya Kumari is the former princess of the Jaipur Royal Family and the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jaipur during British rule in India. She is also the biological mother of the current 'Maharaja' of Jaipur, Padmanabn Singh. The Rajsamand BJP MP is also a socialite and philanthropist and the founder of the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation - an organisation for social causes. 

Diya Kumari’s Family Background

Diya Kumari was born in 1971 on January 30 to Bhawani Singh, a decorated Indian Army officer and hotelier, and Padmini Devi, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

Diya Kumari’s Education

Kumari attended Modern School (New Delhi), G D Somani Memorial School, Mumbai and Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' Public School, Jaipur. She then went to the United Kingdom to pursue a Fine Arts Decorative Painting Diploma from the Parsons Art and Design School in London.

Diya Kumar’s Personal Life

On August 6, 1997 - a memorable day for the Jaipur Royal family - Diya Kumari married a commoner Narendra Singh Rajawat – a chartered accountant by profession. Diya Kumari has three children from her marriage to Narendra Singh. The marriage ended in divorce in December 2018. Their eldest son, Padmanabn Singh, was born on 12 July 1998 and adopted by Bhawani Singh as his successor as head of the erstwhile royal family on 22 November 2002 and assumed the mantle of ‘Maharaja’ of Jaipur on 27 April 2011. Their second son is Lakshraj Singh and their daughter is Gauravi Kumari

Diya Kumari's Political Career

Diya Kumari was inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party on 10 September 2013 before a huge crowd of over two-lakh people, in the presence of the then Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, then BJP president, Rajnath Singh and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje at a rally in Jaipur. She contested the 2013 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election as a BJP candidate from Sawai Madhopur and became an MLA. In 2019, she was elected as a Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha from Rajsamand.

Diya Kumari's Net Worth

Although it is difficult to estimate the entire wealth of the Jaipur Royal family, according to Forbes and various other online sources, Diya Kumari’s family’s total net worth is believed to be around USD 2.8 billion. Her assets include several properties, businesses, trusts and schools, including City Palace, Jaipur, which is also her residence; Jaigarh Fort, Amber Fort and two trusts: Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, Jaipur and the Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust; two schools: The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School; and three hotels: Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur, Hotel Jaipur House at Mount Abu and Hotel Lal Mahal Palace, Jaipur.