Former Indian royal Gayatri Devi dies

Posted 08 19 2009 3:40AM

JAIPUR, India – The former queen of the western Indian desert kingdom of Jaipur, Gayatri Devi, who was often described as one of the most beautiful women in the world, died Wednesday. She was 90.

Gayatri Devi, who also served three times as a national lawmaker, was hospitalized for about 10 days with stomach and respiratory problems before she died, her doctor S.C. Kala said.

Gayatri Devi's classical good looks ensured that photographs of her in elegant chiffon saris and diamonds and pearls were splashed across fashion and lifestyle magazines. She was also known for her love of horses and polo.

She was born into the royal family of Cooch Behar in what is now eastern India on May 23, 1919, decades before the partition of the subcontinent that heralded the demise of Indian royalty. She became the third wife of Sawai Man Singh, the "maharaja" or ruler of Jaipur, in 1939. Gayatri Devi was the "maharani."

More than 500 such royal families ruled parts of India and received "privy purses" or payments from British colonial rulers. When India became independent in 1947 royal titles were abolished and payments cut off. Several royal households slipped into penury but the former Jaipur royal family remained wealthy, converting some former palaces into luxury hotels.

In 1960 Gayatri Devi launched a political party and contested and won a place in India's Parliament. She withdrew from politics in the 1970s.

She supported education for women and established a girl's school which was named after her in Jaipur, now the capital of the state of Rajasthan and the city where she died.

Her funeral was to take place Thursday at the cremation grounds used by the former royal family, her stepson Bhawani Singh said.

Gayatri Devi is survived by two grandchildren and several relatives from her husband's family.