Jagaddipendra Narayan

Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, (15 December 1915 – 11 April 1970) was Maharaja of Cooch Behar, in India. He served in British forces during World War II and ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India in 1949.

Life Early life He was born at Cooch Behar Palace as the eldest son of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, by his wife, Maharani Indira Devi Sahiba. He was informally known as 'Bhaiya' and was the brother of Gayatri Devi.

He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge, and also at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun. He became the Maharaja of Cooch Behar at the age of seven on the death of his father on 20 December 1922 and ascended the gadi, on 24 December 1922. He reigned under the Regency of his mother until he came of age.

Comes of age He came of age and was invested with full ruling powers on 6 April 1936.

As maharaja he was a Member of the Standing Committee of the Chamber of Princes (Narendra Mandal).

World War II He served with the British Indian Army in World War II in North Africa, Assam, Burma, and South East Asia. He was present at the time of the Japanese surrender at Singapore in 1945. He was Chief Commandant Cooch Behar Military forces from 1943 to 1949, and Colonel-in-Chief 1st Cooch Behar Infantry and Rajendra Hazari Guards, Jaipur State Forces.

Post war He signed the instrument of accession to the Dominion of India in August 1947 and ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India on 12 September 1949, overseeing the merger of his state with West Bengal on 1 January 1950.

While participating in a polo game at Jaipur in 1966 the horse he was riding on fell and rolled on him. His helmet came off, leading to brain damage and weeks in intensive care. He never fully recovered and was forced to spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair and needing constant medical attention. Narayan died of a heart attack in Calcutta at the age of 54 on 11 April 1970. Pg 149 A daughter was born but did not survive and the couple separated in 1952.

While attending the opening night of a club in Mayfair he met Valerie Mewes who was a protégé of Stephen Ward and was immediately attracted to her. She received concussion and leg injuries while Narayan broke his collarbone and five ribs. Narayan kept the marriage secret from his mother as he was afraid of her reaction

Cricket He was a keen cricketer and captained the Bengal Cricket XI.

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today, incomplete)

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal – 1935 King George VI Coronation Medal – 1937 1939–1945 Star – 1945 Burma Star – 1945 Africa Star – 1945 Pacific Star – 1945 War Medal 1939–1945 – 1945 India Service Medal – 1945 Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) – 1947 Indian Independence Medal – 1947 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal – 1953