Yet, for all this extravagance, it was all held in abeyance to the whim and pleasure of the Great Mogul !  The emperor in Dehli could grant lands, titles and gadi to whoever he pleased.  Sons of royal lines stretching back to antiquity lined up to be generals and governors in the employ of the Emperor.  One particular painting reinforced how even the proud Maharanas of Marwad were forced to bow before a mogul prince.  Having given their daughters to the Emperor, other Rajput princes stood, heads suitably bowed.

The next room dealt with the rising power of the East India Company and culmination of this in the Imperial Darbars of the British Raj.  As the time of the Moguls came to an end, the Indian princes and kings shifted their dependence and loyalties to the Company !  They could have declared their independence at this point, but instead, they preferred to have someone lord it over them !  They asked the British to keep peace between each other, guarantee their borders and provide security to their state !!  They invited a third party to mediate in their internal quarrels and gave up their own independence to hear someone else pronounce “justice” for them.

The British used this opportunity to expand their influence and later their territories.  Any prince or king who did not follow their “treaty” to the letter was heavily punished with fines and even confiscation of their lands.  Kings could no longer marry or adopt sons without British consent !  Traders became the political agents mediating between princes and later became the defacto rulers of the land ! 

In 1857, there was an opportunity to get rid of both the Moguls and the British, but, the sepoys went to the Mogul emperor and most of the royal princes helped the British.  Result was the abolishment of the house of Timur and ending of the Company rule.  Indian princes were now to be ruled by the British Raj !  In 1877, at a glittering assembly of Indian royals, a foreign queen became the “Empress of India”.  Celebrated in a room size painting, the scene was poignant with irony as proud men sat on gilded thrones, accepting a woman as their liege-lord when their own women still lived in strict purdah !  Subsequent Durbars were even more impressive.  In 1911, the reigning Emperor came in person to accept the pledges of his loyal royals.  Proud princes bore the train of the royal mantel as their fathers bowed and walked backwards to honour the King Emperor !!

Fantastic costumes, jewels, letter written in gold ink by the Rani of Jhasi, video footage of the great Darbar of 1911 and more paintings.  This room houses some fantastic gifts send to the British royalty as tribute by “native prices and chieftains of India”.  Note the irony of how kings and maharajas were demoted at a single stroke to native princes and chiefs ! 

In addition to the taxes and fines paid to the British governemt, silver thrones, palanquin encased in carved ivory, jewelled sword with a scabbard covered with 719 large diamonds were gifted to the British Kings by the kings of India !  Victoria and Albert Museum writes with sad irony that what the Indian princes got in return for these extravagant gifts were only Bibles and dictionaries !!  British clearly felt that the poor benighted natives of India desperately needed the civilisation offered by their new religion and modern education.  What a slap in the face it must have been for haughty rajputs kings and princes, to get bibles and dictionaries as return gifts for all the diamonds and jewels they offered their British overlords !!

Change in style of the royals was evident from the objects on display in another room. Kings no longer dined in gold and silver.  They no longer drank from jade cups.  Instead, they used expensive glass marketed as “Belgian crystal” !  Palaces were now of the new Western styles.  A 15 foot photo showed the different styles of palaces, stretching out in to the countryside outside the town !

The last room showcased the elegant, Eton educated Maharajas of the 20^th Century.  Diamond necklaces designed by Cartier and Van Cleef, Art Deco furniture, princes and princesses posing in Indian and Western outfits with great sense of style and showmanship in both !  A huge Rolls Royce stood in the middle of the room to show the sophistication of the ultra modern rulers of India. Their genuine desire to live in the past whilst bringing modernity of education and good governance to their people was touching to see.  Many died in the two world wars to show their loyalty to the British Raj.

It all came to naught though.

Princes had not learned from their history.  Their bards recited the long list of royal heritage going back for 100 generations, but no one was listening to the lessons of this millennium long history.  Princes forgot that you have to rule to be royal.  Gallivanting in Europe and bathing in champagne makes you rich, but not royal.

At independence of India, in 1947, the princes were once again poised at the brink of history.  To declare independence of their own or to give up everything they stood for, so that India and Pakistan could be “whole nations” and not be “moth eaten”!  Having abdicated any meaningful sovereignty for so many centuries, they did not know which way to turn.  Most took the advise of their Viceroy and gave up their kingdoms – 563 of them – to the two new nations.  Only Kashmir and Hydrabad tried to remain impendent.  Pakistan forced the hand of Kashmir, making it embrace India in a desperate hurry after an ill-concealed invasion.  Hydrabad was unceremoniously absorbed into India a few years later.  The greatest insult was yet to come. 

In less than 24 years after having voluntarily signed over their lands to the new Republic, princes and kings of India found themselves exposed again.  Daughter of the man they gave their kingdoms to, unilaterally took away their privy purses and rescinded even their titles !!  Indira Gandhi’s persecution of the princes was mean spirited and in breech of the constitution and promises made by her own father.  Yet, no one protested.  No one rose up to challenge the breech of faith.  There were no more loyal subjects to fight for the royals !! 

Staring poverty in face, the princes have on the whole reinvented themselves as “heritage hoteliers” now.  Palaces, once the preserve of the privileged few, can now be rented by the hour !!  Indeed, how the mighty have fallen !!

What remain are the glittering remnants of the past.

Exhibitions like these help us learn lessons from shards of history.

This article is copyright Bhagwat Shah and appears by kind permission of the author.

Thailand Beach Resorts
Pattaya and Hua Hin, one either side, just over 2 hours from Bangkok

Pattaya and Hua Hin are the two top resorts in Thailand, but their attractions differ. Hua Hin appeals to a more sophisticated clientele, Pattaya draws the fun-seeker.

Thai Royal Family and High Society in Hua Hin.

Just off Hua Hin lie two gunships. Are we at war? Has ex-prime minister Taksim Shinawatra finally mounted the counter coup? Should we pack our bags and decamp? No, the King and Queen of Thailand are in residence and the naval vessels are just the outward display of their presence in the beachside Royal Palace at Hua Hin.

The fact that the Thai royals plus the elite of Bangkok society, the so-called “hiso”, choose to holiday here has transformed this former fishing village into a smart beach resort.

Despite the loss of most of its traditional wooden housing, and the fact that the squid hung stands along the beach have been replaced by guesthouses, Hua Hin still manages to retain much of its Thai charm.

Hua Hin, Spa Capital of Thailand

Nowadays it is known as the Spa capital of Thailand, each Spa taking their cue from the world famous Chiva Som Spa which was the first to offer holistic treatments in the area and offering a wide range of holistic activities including massages, exercise regimens, facials and body polishing, as well as medical programmes and stress management. One of the best is the Deverana Spa in the Dusit Thani Hotel, Hua Hin.

Golf and Elephant Trekking in Hua Hin, Thailand

There are those who claim that playing golf on one of the six international style golf course around the town is stress management enough, and others who will recommend a day spent elephant trekking with the gentle giants who once worked in the jungles of northern Thailand.

Dining in Hua Hin, Thailand

Off Naresdamri Road are many narrow sois lined with cafés, restaurants, bars, tailor shops and guesthouses. The multilingual menus displayed testify to the international clientele now attracted to the town. The “catch of the day” is available at all restaurants and at the night market on Dechanuchit Road where tiger prawns, crab, crayfish and pancakes can be sampled. This can be followed by home made ice-cream served from an old-fashioned freezer on wheels, ice-cream which, it is said, is delivered to the Palace once a week as it is a favourite with the royal family.

Pattaya, Thailand, night-life and other diversions.

Across the Gulf of Thailand lies the brasher Pattaya whose risqué diversions attract quite a different clientele. The neon-lit nightlife for which it is famous has totally transformed what was once a fishing village as quiet as Hua Hin until it became an R. & R. resort for Americans during the Vietnam War. Nowadays, South Pattaya is full of bars, beer gardens, pubs, discos and transvetite cabarets, many of which have earned the town a reputation for sleaze.

Dining in Pattaya and other entertainment

But sleaze is only one side of Pattaya. The other side is a range of excellent restaurants offering some of the best food in Thailand and PADI licenced Dive operators offering the best water-sports facilities in the country. However, the main beach is noisy and crowded and the vendors who patrol the narrow stretch of sands can be persistent. The few who come here in search of a bit of peace and tranquillity usually head for nearby Jomtien Beach.

Hua Hin or Pattaya – Thailand offers a choice.

Hua Hin is short on malls and top class shopping in shopping plazas as befits a quiet, tranquil resort but numerous side trips can be made to scenic areas and historical palaces. Pattaya offers parasailing, windsurfing, diving, offshore islands, an orchid farm, several theme parks, golf, tennis and archery.

To sum up, Hua Hin attracts an older, polyglot group of people whose main thought is to relax while still having fun, whereas Pattaya attracts a group who want to play hard and who eschew relaxation in favour of fast living.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Mari Nicholson, its writer. Mari is a well-known travel writer, who specialises in Thailand.

We say that when in Hua Hin you must visit Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, especially on a jazz day.