In the early 20th century, an #Indian Raja could snap his fingers and turn the fate of a #Spanish flamenco dancer into an Indian queen... as did the besotted ruler of the princely state of Kapurthala in #Punjab. A modern retelling of a #Cinderella story set in Spain. 1/11
How exactly did Anita Delgado, a Spanish dancer trying to eke out a living to support her family, become Maharani Prem Kaur? It all began when Maharaja Jagatjit Singh was in #Madrid to attend the wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1906. 2/11
#fairytales
Like any tourist, the Maharaja wanted a night on the town and he walked into a nightclub. Here, Anita Delgado and her sister, both flamenco #dancers, were performing the curtain-raiser act that night. Delgado was just 16 years old but Jagatjit Singh was smitten. 3/11
The next morning, a bejewelled man in a turban drew up in a silver carriage outside Delgado’s lodgings and confessed his love for her! It was the Maharaja and he asked for her hand in marriage. He also gave her parents a handsome sum as ‘acceptance’ money. 4/11
Delgado was packed off to Paris, where she trained to be a Queen… she learnt etiquette, languages, sports, geography, music & dancing, and even how to drive an automobile. On Jan 28, 1908, Delgado married the Maharaja and became 'Maharani Prem Kaur' of Kapurthala. 5/11
In Punjab, Delgado lived a life of European luxury. Kapurthala was in fact known as the ‘Paris of Punjab’. The palace looked like a #French chateau and the #RoyalFamily wined and dined on French cuisine and drank water shipped all the way from #France! 6/11
The ‘exotic Maharani’ travelled across India and wrote an account of her travels titled, ‘Impresiones de mis viajes a las Indias’ (Impressions of my trip to the Indies). In Europe, the paparazzi followed her everywhere but the #British in #India refused to recognise her. 7/11
After 18 years of living it up, the royals divorced. The Maharaja, it is said, had a roving eye. The marriage ended in a very public row at the Savoy in London. A friend of the couple, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, no less, was a guest there and he was forced to intervene! 8/11
Delgado returned to Europe, where she lived a life of luxury and wrote her memoirs. She had received a generous settlement and had homes in #Paris, #Switzerland, Madrid and even in her hometown, Malaga, in #Spain. She died in 1962, at age 72. 9/11
The Spanish Maharani is forgotten in #India but she is a legend in Spain, where she is still talked about. There have been books written on her, including one by the illegitimate daughter of Delgado’s deceased son Ajit. There was even talk of a #Hollywood film. 10/11
Romance, royalty, rags-to-riches and infidelity… nothing captures the imagination more than a fairy tale with a twist. Read the full story here: livehistoryindia.com/story/people/k…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with LiveHistoryIndia

LiveHistoryIndia Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @LiveHIndia

May 26
Owned by #kings, dukes & sultans, worn by Marie Antoinette, used to pay off a royal debt – and said to carry an ancient curse. It would have to be a #diamond. But not just any diamond. It’s the Hope Diamond, and it's from Guntur in #AndhraPradesh. 1/12 Image
The Hope Diamond is the world’s largest and most legendary blue gemstone. And equally remarkable is its tale, which begins in the famed Golconda Mines in Guntur. But it began life under a different name. 2/12
#gems #minerals
The diamond was discovered by an extraordinary #French adventurer and gems merchant, Jean Baptiste Tavernier, who visited #India in the mid-17th century. It was 112 carats, the size of a grown man’s fist, and it was called Tavernier’s Blue. 3/12 Image
Read 13 tweets
May 25
Can a lip-smacking chicken #curry be used as a tool for #revolution? Believe it or not but Rash Behari Bose, an #Indian revolutionary, did just that while on the run in #Tokyo. Bose was born #OnThisDay in 1886. 1/8
#food #cuisine #recipes Image
During the early 20th century, the #British in #India were feeling the heat as there was an upsurge in revolutionary activities during India's #freedomstruggle. A revolutionary from #Bengal, Bose played an important part in the movement. 2/8
He was involved in the assassination attempt on Lord Hardinge in 1912 and the failed Ghadar Mutiny of 1915. He escaped to #Japan and lived there under an assumed name and identity. 3/8
#Indianhistory #history Image
Read 8 tweets
May 14
#DidYouKnow that the modern version of badminton originated in ‘Poona’, or Pune in Maharashtra? It was a pastime for bored British army officers, their families and friends, and was first played in the backyards of their sprawling bungalows. 1/7
#Badminton #sports
Invented in the mid-19th century, badminton was named ‘Poona’ after the city of its origin. But its earliest version goes back 2,000 years to a game called jeu de volant, played in #Greece and #China. Here, a shuttle-like object was smacked with the feet. 2/7
In Poona, #British officers changed the sport radically by introducing a net to divide the court. They also used a leather shuttlecock, which they hit with wooden racquets. This version of the game was first played in 1867. 3/7 #Indianhistory
Read 7 tweets
May 13
#DidYouKnow that the Nassak #Diamond, one of the 20 greatest diamonds in the world, is named after the city of Nashik in Maharashtra? Emerging from the famed Golconda mines, it adorned the crown of Lord Shiva in the Trimbakeshwar #Temple near Nashik. 1/4
#jewellery #minerals
As with most of the world’s most valuable #gems, the Nassak too has a dramatic story. It was originally with the #Mughals, who acquired it during their conquest of Golconda in the 17th century. Then they surrendered it as war booty to the #Marathas. 2/4
The Nassak was probably donated to the Trimbakeshwar temple by the Peshwas. In 1817, it was removed by Peshwa Bajirao II, who kept it in his personal treasure. Bajirao II surrendered it to the #British, who seized it when they defeated the Marathas a year later. 3/4
Read 4 tweets
May 13
For over 400 years, history has been haunted by Anarkali, the beautiful court dancer who was buried alive by Emperor Akbar, for her love affair with Prince Salim (Akbar’s son and the future Emperor Jahangir). But is the story fact or #fiction? The truth will surprise you! 1/11 Image
This tragic love story has many modern retellings, including the 1960s classic Hindi film Mughal-e-Azam. But if Anarkali is just #folklore, whose grave lies in the magnificent ‘Tomb of Anarkali’ in the heart of #Lahore, the former Mughal capital? 2/11 Image
The grave bears the couplet in #Persian: ‘Ah! If I could behold the face of my beloved once more, I would thank God until the day of resurrection’. It is signed by ‘Majnun Salim Akbar’ ('Enamoured Son of Akbar'). It’s the only clue we have. 3/11
Read 12 tweets
May 12
What are hundreds of skeletons doing at the bottom of a lake in an icy Himalayan wasteland? When the snow melts, it pulls back a frozen curtain, exposing 600-800 skeletons, some 1,200 years old! What spooky secrets does Roopkund Lake in Uttarakhand hold? 1/5 #Archaeology Image
At an elevation of 5,029 m, Roopkund Lake is very remote. One theory is that these are the remains of a King, his family and attendants, who died here while on a pilgrimage 1,000 years ago. Other theories include fallen soldiers during war and victims of an epidemic. 2/5 Image
The mystery deepened recently, when studies revealed some astonishing results. The deceased were from diverse ethnic groups. More incredible, they belonged to different time periods! This means they did not all die from a single catastrophic event. 3/5 Image
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(