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This love story is related to Maharani Chimnabai, wife of Baroda’s most popular Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. This Maharaja is the same one who gave scholarship and sent Ambedkar to study in London. This love story spread like a sensation not only in Baroda but throughout the British Raj. The queen fell in love with a handsome British officer. He used to go to his palace without any restrictions. Later, when this news started spreading, the British rulers became angry. The Maharaja himself became angry. The queen was banned from leaving the palace.
In fact, in the beginning of the 20th century, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III’s second wife Maharani Chimnabai and British officer Major H.A. The story of Horniman’s love affair became a sensation not only in Baroda but throughout India.
She spoke fluently in English. Used to play piano. She was comfortable in formal conversation with European guests. She was a queen who thought far ahead of her time, had modern ideas and was a socially active queen. At social events and club meetings associated with the Baroda royal family, he met Major A.H. Horniman. Only after this, rumors of romantic relationship between the two started.
First let us know who was Maharani Chimnabai. He was born in 1872 in a Maratha family of Thanjavur, Maharashtra. In 1883, when she was married to Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda State, she was 11 years old and Sayajirao himself was 12 years old. Sayajirao was considered one of the most progressive and modern rulers of Baroda – he worked extensively on education, women’s rights, and social reforms. This was the same Maharaja who sent Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar to London for higher studies.
Maharani Chimnabai II and Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (file photo)
The queen’s life was like a novel.
His life was no less than a novel. The story of a girl from an ordinary Maratha family becoming one of the most progressive queens of India. In which royal grandeur, love, resentment and struggle are all there. She was a tall, fair-complexioned, attractive woman with almond eyes. She was famous for wearing European gowns, precious pearls and diamond jewellery.
The Queen meets Major Horniman
Now let us know what happened between the Queen and the British officer. In the early 1900s, Baroda was considered a “model princely state”. The British Resident and his officials used to visit here regularly. There was a series of welcoming of European guests, horse racing, musical evenings and banquets in the court. During these events, Maharani Chimnabai met Major A.H. Horniman.
Horniman was a British military officer. Was appointed in Baroda State for some time. He was considered attractive, educated and an active person in social events. Maharani Chimnabai and he started appearing frequently in the same circles – at horse races, dinner parties and charity functions.
started growing closer
The relationship between the Queen and Major Horniman is said to have begun between 1905–1907. Maharani Chimnabai felt alone between the formalities of the court and the political engagements of Sayajirao. Horniman helped him learn English and understand European culture. From here the closeness between them increased. Gradually this relationship reached the personal level. Some British officers and courtiers noticed that Horniman was often allowed to enter the private wing of the palace. Due to this, whispering started in the royal court.
Portrait of Queen Chimnabai II made by famous painter Raja Ravi Varma. The Queen did a lot of work for the women of her kingdom in the fields of education and employment. (Wiki Commons)
There were discussions about inappropriate relations between the Queen and the British officer.
This matter became public around 1908-1909. Word reached the British Residency that the Queen was having an “inappropriate relationship” with a British officer. Hearing this, the ears of the British rulers perked up. The British administration immediately removed Horniman from Baroda. The romance between an Indian queen and a British officer was a question on the prestige of the empire – because it crossed the boundaries of power relationships.
The queen was kept under surveillance. Sayajirao Gaekwad never wanted to humiliate his wife in public but under pressure he confined Maharani Chimnabai inside the palace.
Then the angry queen went to London for years
In fact, when in 1908–1909 he and Major A.H. When discussions started about the affair between Horniman, it had an impact on the Baroda court. Under pressure from the British Resident and some courtiers, the Maharaja took action and formally removed him from the palace. When the decision was taken to keep the Queen away from public life, she felt insulted. In such a situation, she became angry and went to London with her children. The king kept calling. Did not return. Stayed there for 9 years. Returned to India around 1920.
Started living in a private bungalow in London
According to several Baroda records and Britain’s India Office Records London (IOR/R/1/1122, London), the Queen moved to England in 1911 or 1912 with her two children, Indumati and younger son Purushottamrao. Officially it was said that the Queen was unwell and had gone for treatment. In reality she had gone angry. She lived in a private bungalow in the South Kensington area of London. The Maharaja kept providing them financial arrangements.
In London, the Queen enrolled her children in British public schools. She was known there among the Indian expatriates and the British intelligentsia as a cultured Indian royal lady. The British press (The Times, 1913) wrote in an article, the Queen of Baroda has become a symbol of dignity and restraint in London society. It is said that every Sunday she would take the children to Hyde Park and sit there and write letters in memory of Baroda.
Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda (Wiki Commons)
Honor was restored when she returned
While in London, correspondence continued between the Queen and Maharaja Sayajirao, but only formally. Sayajirao requested several times that he return to India, but the Queen’s reply was, “I want the education of my children and peace of mind more than the glory of Baroda.” Well, when she returned, the Maharaja restored her honour. Then he did many good works socially.
What did the British say about the Queen?
The queen was a very intelligent woman. He took the initiative to educate the women of Baroda court and abolish the purdah system. His personality was a wonderful blend of European etiquette and Indian dignity. Contemporary British officials called her “one of the most graceful and attractive women of Indian royalty”. Maharani Chimnabai II died in 1958.
Even today, Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya, Chimnabai Road and Maharani Girls High School exist in Baroda in her name. Of course, their love affair is a part of history, but her real identity is also recorded as a sensitive reformer queen. Some modern writers are of the opinion that this relationship was actually “sensitive attachment”, which was maligned by the colonial society.
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