Princess Sita Devi, Princess Karamjit Singh of Kapurthala (30 September 1915 − 2002),[citation needed] also known as Princess Karam and the Pearl of India, was the wife of Prince Karamjit Singh, a younger son of King Jagatjit Singh I of Kapurthala in Punjab, British India. In 1944, she was awarded the Empire of India Medal for her work in raising funds for Indian soldiers in the Second World War.
| Princess Sita Devi | |
|---|---|
 Princess Sita Devi (mid-1930s) | |
| Born | 30 September 1915 |
| Died | 2002 |
| Spouse | Prince Karamjit Singh of Kapurthala (m. 1928 - 1967; his death) |
| Issue | Prince Arun Singh Prince Martand Singh |
| Father | Udai Raj Singh I, Prince of Kashipur |
| Mother | Princess Devi of Bashahr |
She was widely regarded as one of the most glamorous women of her day.[1]
Early life and education
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Sita Devi was born in 1915 to the Hindu Rajput Raja Uday Raj Singh of Kashipur, Uttarakhand.[2]
At age 13, she married Prince Karamjit Singh, a younger son of the Sikh Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala in Punjab, British India.[2] Her sister-in-law was Brinda Devi, making Princess Indira Devi her niece.[2] As a devote Hindu, she kept her Nepalese cooks with her in order to produce vegetarian food and special Hindu meals for fasts.[3] At her wish, her husband arranged for her to have lessons in Sanskrit, German, Italian, mathematics, history and Hindu rituals.[2] She subsequently became fluent in five languages.[4]
Life in Europe
editDevi's first trip to Europe was in 1934.[4] In London, an "onlooker" in the Daily Mail wrote that "Princess Karam is pale. In her own country she is considered the most beautiful of the Princesses; they call her the "Rose of India"."[4] That year Cathleen Mann's sketch of her was displayed at the New English Art Club show at the Suffolk Street Galleries.[5] Subsequently, in Paris, the media widely reported on her looks.[2][4] In 1938 her portrait featured in Oliver Messel's exhibition.[6]
She was a muse for several photographers, including Cecil Beaton and Man Ray.[2] Vogue named her "one of the most beautiful women in the world".[7]
At the turn of the 20th century, Indian princesses were increasingly wearing western garments, whether openly or under purdah.[8] Sita Devi's preferred couturier was Mainbocher, who designed chiffon saris and fur coats for her, and designed the wedding dress for Wallis Simpson's nuptials with the Duke of Windsor.[8][9][10]
The couturier Elsa Schiaparelli was so dazzled by Sita Devi that the gowns of the designer’s 1935 collection were constructed like Indian saris.[11] In early 1939, at Lady Mendl's tea in honor of the Hollywood dietitian, Gayelord Hauser, Sita Devi was listed among the twelve most glamorous women in the world.[12]
At the end of the summer in 1939, Devi was a guest of honour at a party hosted by Elsie de Wolfe.[13]
Death and legacy
editDevi died in 2002. Her grandson is the jewellery designer Hanut Singh.[14]
Honours
edit- Kaisar-i-Hind Medal [in Silver] (1 January 1944) for her work in raising funds for Indian soldiers in the Second World War.[2][15]
References
edit- ^ Made for Maharajas: a design diary of princely India / by Amin Jaffer; pages 113, 116-117. New York: Vendome Press, 2006. ISBN 0-86565-174-4 ISBN 978-0-86565-174-6
- ^ a b c d e f g Poddar, Abhishek; Gaskell, Nathaniel; Pramod Kumar, K. G; Museum of Art & Photography (Bangalore, India) (2015). "Kapurthala". Maharanis: women of royal India. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-93-85360-06-0. OCLC 932267190.
- ^ Ray, Krishnendu; Srinivas, Tulasi, eds. (2012). "3. Cosmopolitan kitchens: cooking for princely zenanas in late colonial India". Curried Cultures: Globalization, Food, and South Asia. University of California Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-520-27012-1.
- ^ a b c d "Gossip of London: the pale princess". Belfast Telegraph. 15 June 1934. p. 810 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "What every woman wants to know". The Sketch. 2 November 1938. p. 223 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Beauty from Oliver Messel's Exhibition". The Sketch. 30 November 1938. p. 415 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Poddar, Abhishek; Gaskell, Nathaniel; Pramod Kumar, K. G; Museum of Art & Photography (Bangalore, India) (2015). "Kapurthala". Maharanis: women of royal India. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing. pp. 132–136. ISBN 978-93-85360-06-0. OCLC 932267190.
- ^ a b Jhala, Angma Dey (2011). "Introduction: cosmopolitan collectors". Royal Patronage, Power and Aesthetics in Princely India. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-85196-064-4.
- ^ Scheips, Charlie (2014). Elsie de Wolfe's Paris: Frivolity Before the Storm. Abrams. pp. 130–132. ISBN 978-1-61312-980-7.
- ^ Jaffer, Amin (10 December 2006) "Made for maharajas". The Tribune. Excerpt from Made for Maharajas: A Design Diary of Princely India
- ^ Frocking Life: Searching for Elsa Schiaparelli. New York: Rizzoli Publications. 2016. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-8478-4548-4.
- ^ Time 13 February 1939
- ^ Franklin, Ruth (20 September 2004). "A Life in Good Taste". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "A Journey into the world of Jewelry Designer Hanut Singh". Thomas Fuchs Creative. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ "Kaisar-i-Hind Silver Medal". Civil & Military Gazette. Vol. LXV, no. 6085. Lahore. 1 January 1944 – via British Newspaper Archive.
External links
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Media related to Sita Devi (Maharani of Kapurthala) at Wikimedia Commons