Meet Sita Devi, Who Converted To Islam, To Marry The Last Maharaja Of Baroda

We have often come across incidents where people break all boundaries for love. And, let us tell you it is not some 21st-century norm. Back in time, people went out of their way to be with their loved ones. And one such example is Maharani of Baroda Sita Devi. She was first married to Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao Bahadur, the Zamindar (landlord) of Vuyyuru, and even had a child with him, a son named Raja M Vidyut Kumar Apparao. In 1943, Sita Devi met Pratap Sinh Rao Gaekwad of Baroda, a princely state in British India, at the Madras horse races. He was the last ruling Maharaja of Baroda as well as the second richest Indian prince and the eighth richest man in the world.

Pratap Sinh Rao Gaekwad was instantly mesmerised by Sita Devi’s beauty and charm. But because she was already married, their union seemed impossible. Not to forget, the Maharaja of Baroda was also married to Maharani Shantadevi, with whom he had eight children.

It is said that the legal team of Prince Pratap Sinh Gaekwad suggested Sita Devi convert to Islam which would automatically dissolve her marriage to her first husband under Indian laws. Following the instructions, she accepted Islam to break off her marriage to her first husband. She later converted back to Hinduism. On the other hand, the Maharaja of Baroda decided to break the anti-bigamy laws enacted by his father to marry Sita Devi.

On 31 December 1943, Sita Devi married Pratap Sinh Rao Gaekwad, to become the Maharani. The couple went on to have a son. He was born in 1945, and they named him Sayajirao Gaekwad, nicknamed Princey. Even though the British government accepted the second marriage of Maharaja of Baroda, they didn’t refer to Sita Devi as “Your Highness”, which was the protocol for the princely states.

During the two years of their marriage, the world was embroiled in the Second World War. When the World War ended, the Maharaja of Baroda went on a Europe tour with his second wife in 1946. The objective was to buy a luxurious house for Sita Devi, who was reluctant to live in India. After exploring various countries in Europe, Sita Devi finally settled in Monaco.

Eventually, Sita Devi became popular as the Queen who led a lavish lifestyle and spent money on organising fancy parties and get-togethers. However, Sita Devi’s lavish spending took a toll on Pratap Sinh Rao Gaekwad’s state treasury. This led to conflicts between the couple and in 1956, the two got divorced.

Sita Devi’s son from her second marriage died of excessive drug and alcohol in 1985. She could not bear the pain and only four years later, on February 15, 1989, Sita Devi breathed her last in Paris at the age of 71.

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