Amarsinhji Banesinhji

Captain Sir Amarsinhji Banesinhji (4 January 1879 – 25 June 1954) was the Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner from 12 June 1881 until his death on 28 June 1954. Early life and education Amarsinhji was born on 4 January 1879 to Banesinhji, whom he succeeded in his titles and dignity as Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner at the mere age of two, on 25 June 1881, in the presence of Colonel Nutt, the then Assistant Political Agent of Jhalawad. Owing to his minority, the Wankaner State was placed under Agency management. He was educated at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, where he was placed under the care of Chester Macnaghten and C.W. Waddington. After completing his studies at the College, in 1898 he visited the principal cities of India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Soon after he took over, the Wankaner State experienced a severe famine in 1900. As insurance against the famine, he constructed two irrigation tanks: one at Vadsar, known as the Jaswantnagar Tank, named after his grandfather, and another at Mesariya, named Vinaysagar, after his father. He attended the Delhi Durbar in 1911, where he was personally made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire by George V. He with the Kathiawar Motor Ambulance Corps in Flanders. The temporary rank of Captain was conferred on him while at the front, and it was made permanent on 1 January 1918. This accession was accepted by Lord Mountbatten, the then Governor-General of India, on 16 August 1947. In 1980, the mill was taken over by Kores India. His grandson, Digvijaysinh Jhala, served as its director from 1960.

Death He died on 28 June 1954, and his eldest son, Pratapsinhji Amarsinhji, succeeded him as the Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner.

Honours