Last living Indian King dies a village commoner

Tigiria - The 94-year-old former king had asked the people of Purana Tigiria to contribute a sum of Rs10 each and that he be cremated at the place of his death.

The last living King of British India breathed his last this week as a commoner in a mud hut, at the age of 94, Indian Express reported.
Former king Brajraj Kshatriya Birbar Chamupati Singh Mahapatra was the last living king amongst those who had signed an agreement at the time of partition in 1947, to merge their kingdoms with the Union of India.
Mahapatra was the king of a small princely state of Tigiria in Cuttack district, who was known for his generosity. He went bankrupt after selling his palace and giving away his wealth to the needy.
Amongst the 26 princely states of Orissa, Tigiria was the smallest. After the merger in to the Union of India, Mahapatra got Rs11,200 a year till former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abolished the system in 1975.
He left his hometown to live with his brother, but returned to Tigiria in 1987.
The king used to write for magazines and received an yearly honorarium of Rs50,000 a year, as an alumnus of Rajkumar College. Being a true 'king of hearts', Mahapatra used to even give away that money amongst the needy.
The people of the village now want to build a memorial in his honour.
The beloved king spent his last days in an asbestos-roofed mud hut and used a rickshaw to travel from one village to the other, while the villagers took care of his daily meals, the Indian Express reported.
When I was king
Mahapatra is said to have led an an extraordinary life, when he was king, claiming in an interview that he had shot 13 tigers, 28 leopards and a tusker. He also possessed 56 vehicles.
"He would rather be called aaja (grandpa) than raja," a local resident and former bureaucrat said.
The once king's last wish was that people of Purana Tigiria contribute a sum of Rs10 each and he be cremated at the place of his death.
He is survived by his wife, a former lawmaker, and 2 sons.
The story originally appeared here.

• India