The royal family of Idar appoints its first female ruler as heir to the throne

This month, the Maharaja of Idar, His Highness Rajendra Singh Idar, made history when he appointed his daughter, Viveka Kumari Idar, as the heir to the Idar throne. In an official letter released by the Maharaja, he spoke about the segregation of royal duties based on gender, which led him to leave the royal throne in his daughter's capable hands. The letter released by him reads "As today's progressive times make no difference between a male and a female heir, I hereby appoint my daughter Viveka Kumari Idar to succeed me to the Idar Gadi as the titular head and as the head of the house of Idar for all social and religious representation as the custodian of the legacy of the Royal House of Idar, as the sole heir to my tangible and intangible assets as well as the temple trust and other charitable trusts." This was a remarkable stride made by the house of Idar, a 15-gun salute princely state with its seat in Himmatnagar, which also issued an official statement highlighting the significance of the appointment.

Viveka Kumari, the only child of Maharaja Rajendra Singhji and Maharani Prakash Kumari of Gondal, was born on April 18, 1980. She holds a degree in Economics and Sociology from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and an MSc in Finance from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. In response to the announcement, Maharaj Kumari Viveka Kumari of Idar issued a statement, as per BNN: “Today I am deeply moved by the overwhelmingly positive response by people at large to my father’s brave and forward-thinking decision in appointing me, a daughter, to succeed him to carry forward the great legacy of my house. While I am extremely honoured by his decision, I do realise the responsibilities and sense of duty attached to it. It is my prayer to your readers, especially people of Idar and Himatnagar, to guide and support me as I take on a mantle that has rarely been worn before — of a daughter being given the opportunity to serve the values of a historic Royal House.”

While queens have always been important when it comes to ruling behind the scenes, them being the rulers of the states, especially in India, was unheard of, and their reigns were historically rife with enmity about women leading from the frontlines. 

The first queen in India to rule was Razia Sultana, who reigned as the Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, from 1236 to 1240. She took the throne after the assassination of her brother, Rukn-ud-Din Firuz. She overcame many gender biases many centuries ago and had a non-conformist attitude which never stopped her from defying tradition. This ultimately led to her reign being cut short due to her death by assassination, caused by internal dissent. During her short governance, she was credited with establishing several schools, academies and public libraries. Since Razia Sultana, India progressed to witness many princely states turning to female rulers, either due to the death of male heirs or the absence of one. 

When it comes to other female rulers around the world, the throne of England is one of the most significant ones. However, specifically being the first female ruler is blurry as both; Lady Jane Grey and Empress Matilda, were believed to be rulers of the throne but were never given their rightful status. 

Queen Mary I became the first queen regnant (i.e. a queen through inheritance, not marriage) of England and ruled until 1558. While she was considered courageous and strong-willed, her reign caused the deaths of hundreds of protestant christians as she wanted to reinstate the Roman Catholic church. It went on to earn her the name 'Bloody Mary', which made her reign short and unsuccessful.

Her younger half-sister, Elizabeth I, succeeded her on the throne and reigned for 45 years, changing the course of history for the throne of England. Today, there have been many successful queens in England. Elizabeth II was one of the longest-reigning monarchs, and ruled as the Queen of England for 70 years. 

Throughout history, many queens and female rulers have gone on to create history, such as Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and Cleopatra of Egypt, who changed the otherwise-patriarchal course of history and went on to gain significant political power.

Edited by Dayle Pereira