Key Points
To dissolve her first marriage under Indian law, Sita Devi converted to Islam before reverting to Hinduism, clearing the way to marry Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad of Baroda on December 31, 1943.
A fortune in jewels, a life in Monaco — The couple settled in Monte Carlo, where Pratapsinhrao brought in millions of rupees' worth of Baroda's royal treasures, including the famous Baroda pearls and a pearl carpet later sold for $31 million.
After Pratapsinhrao was deposed in 1951 and the couple's debts mounted, they divorced in 1956; Sita Devi maintained her socialite lifestyle despite declining finances until her death in 1989.
CALL HER SCANDALOUS OR GRANDIOSE, but one must admit that Sita Devi, Baroda’s Maharani, lived a vivant life. Known as the Indian Wallis Simpson, Sita Devi’s life is a tale rife with a scandalous marriage, riches worth more than anyone can imagine, and a lifestyle of interactions with the world’s richest, which, unfortunately, ended in tragedy and heartbreak.
Sita Devi was born on May 12, 1917, in Madras, the only child to the Maharaja of Pithapuram, Sri Raja Rao Venkata Kumara Mahipati Surya Rau Bahadur Garu, and his wife, Sri Rani Chinnamamba Devi of Mirzapuram. She was first married to M.R. Apparao Bahadur, the Zamindar of Vayyur, and the couple had a son, Rajah M. Viduth Kumar Apparao.
In 1943, Sita Devi crossed paths with Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad of Baroda, the then ruling Maharaja of Baroda, at a horse race in Madras. At the time, Pratapsinhrao was regarded as one of the world's wealthiest individuals and the second-richest Indian prince. As the two interacted, initial admiration turned into love, but one tiny hurdle remained in their love story: both Sita Devi and Pratapsinhrao were married.
The Maharaja’s father had earlier introduced a law prohibiting bigamy within the royal family, particularly in the case of the Maharaja, meaning he couldn't take another wife while still being married to his first one. Since Sita Devi was also already married, the couple could not legally formalize their marriage at the time. Their legal advisers therefore found a loophole, suggesting that Sita Devi first convert to Islam, annul her existing marriage, and then again adopt to Hinduism before marrying the Maharaja.
The couple followed the legal advice, and she and Pratapsinhrao married on December 31, 1943. Thus, Sita Devi eventually became known as Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda in 1946.
To end her existing marriage under Indian law, Sita Devi converted to Islam before later returning to Hinduism. Their son, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, was born in 1945 and was affectionately nicknamed “Princie” by his mother.
Pratapsinhrao's decision to marry Sita Devi as his second wife attracted strong opposition from the British authorities, because officials thought that the couple violated the anti-bigamy laws that had earlier been introduced by the Gaekwad of Baroda. The British Viceroy in New Delhi summoned Pratapsinhrao to discuss his marriage.
Pratapsinhrao maintained that the law applied to the subjects of Baroda, and that he was granted legal impunity from the anti-bigamy law as he was the Maharaja of the princely state. The Viceroy’s own legal team could not provide any counter-argument and supported this interpretation, leaving the British government no choice but to formally accept the marriage. However, unlike the usual practice in princely states, the British authorities refused to address Sita Devi as “Her Highness” and would leave any function or celebration wherein the newly-minted Maharani of Baroda was in attendance.
In 1946, the Gaekwad couple travelled across Europe in search of a home outside India. They eventually settled on the independent principality of Monaco and bought a mansion in the luxurious, wealthy European city, Monte Carlo, where Maharani Sita Devi set up her permanent home. Pratapsinhrao made frequent trips to visit his bride, bringing in several of Baroda's valuable treasures amounting to millions upon millions of rupees and entrusted them under Sita Devi’s care.
After the Second World War ended, the couple made two lavish shopping trips to the United States, reportedly spending $10 million during one of them. Indian officials later discovered that Pratapsinhrao had taken substantial interest-free loans from the Baroda treasury. He agreed to repay the money and made several payments from his own personal income.
Pratapsinhrao rarely went to Monaco empty-handed, something valuable and extremely pricey was always taken to Sita Devi. A large collection of Baroda's royal treasures, including celebrated pieces such as four pearl carpets, the famous Baroda pearls, the Pink Brazilian Star of the South diamond, the Empress Eugenie Diamond, and the English Dresden diamond were shipped to Monaco.
In 1994, one of the pearl carpets was sold for $31 million to an Arab prince. It is now displayed at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.
Sita Devi became the core figure in social circles around the world, who frequently attended the lavish dinner, parties, and celebrations held by some of the world’s wealthiest. At the 1969 Ascot Gold Cup, she reportedly invited guests to touch a 30-carat sapphire on her hand for good luck. Esquire magazine also featured Sita Devi and Princie among its “fun couples” of 1969.
In 1953, she sold a pair of jewelled anklets to Harry Winston. The stones were later incorporated into a necklace made for the Duchess of Windsor. After wearing the necklace to a ball in New York, the Duchess returned it following a comment by Sita Devi that the jewels looked better when worn on her own feet.
In 1951, Pratapsinhrao was deposed amid discrepancies found in the Baroda treasury and allegations of possible fraud. His eldest son from his first marriage, Fatehsinhrao, succeeded him. Although they were no longer ruling the state, Pratapsinhrao and Sita Devi continued to retain their royal titles.
The couple’s extravagant lifestyles and profligacy eventually caught up to them, drowning the Maharaja in debt. Financial constraints became a major point of contention between Pratapsinhrao and Sita Devi, leading to the couple eventually divorcing in 1956, after which Pratapsinhrao relocated to London.
Even after the divorce, Sita Devi’s vibrancy as the dazzling star of society didn’t dim as she still had something to cling to: her lifestyle and symbols of her former royal status. Her personal vehicle, a Rolls-Royce, continued to bear the Baroda insignia, while she maintained an extravagant way of life, often recalling her days as a royal and attending elite social gatherings.
However, as her financial resources gradually declined, she secretly put some of her prized jewelry up for auction in 1974. Sita Devi suffered another personal loss in 1985 when her son Sayaji Rao Gaekwad died by suicide at the age of 40, reportedly amid struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction.
Sita Devi passed away four years later on February 15, 1994. Her death was later surrounded by speculation that she had died of a broken heart and overwhelming following the loss of her son.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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