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This woman converted to Islam to break her marriage, became Queen of Rs 24,000 crore empire, emptied her treasury due to alcohol, was known for her lavish lifestyle
The Royals of India are famous all across the world. From the royal family of the Mewar dynasty to the Wadiyar royal family, there are many notable names in India. However, today, we will talk about a queen who, in order to break off her wedding, converted to Islam. This queen was known for her beauty, hobbies, and even alcohol habits.
If you are wondering who we are discussing, then let us tell you—we are talking about Maharani Sita Devi. She came from the Madras state and was known for her beauty.
When she met the Maharaja of Baroda for the first time on the golf course, she fell in love with him at first sight. Maharani was already married and the mother of a child, but all this could not stop her from falling in love with Maharaja Pratap Singh Gaekwad of Baroda.
Maharaja Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad was the father of eight children, whereas Sita Devi belonged to Madras. Sita was the daughter of King Mahapati Surya Rao Bahadur Garo and Queen Chennamma.
Maharani Sita Devi and Maharaja Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad wanted to get married, but Sita Devi's first husband was not ready to divorce her. In order to get married, Sita Devi converted to Islam, and that way she legally separated from her first husband.
However, after converting to Islam, Sita Devi again converted to Hinduism to marry Maharaja Pratap Singh Gaekwad. After the marriage, many more hurdles arose. However, the British government denied to accepet the marriage of Maharaja Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad and Maharani Sita Devi. The condition was that the heir of the Baroda royal family would be Pratap Singh's son only.
Maharaja Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad fixed an annual allowance of Rs 50 lakh for the queen. Not only this, the queen was given a lump sum of ₹6 crore from the government treasury.
In an interview, Maharaja Pratap Singh Rao's nephew, Jitendra Singh Gaekwad, revealed that Maharani Sita Devi loved her hobbies and was knwon for them. She had jewellery worth lakhs and crores. Above that, her wardrobe was filled with silk sarees and jewellery, which garnered massive attention.
In 1949, Sita Devi's 78.5-carat English Dresden diamond necklace became the talk of the town. This necklace was discussed in fashion magazines. She had a necklace made of Basra pearls, which cost $5,99,200; a diamond necklace, which cost $50,400 at that time; a necklace made of black pearls, which cost $4,200; and a pearl ring worth $33,600.
