When a Maharaja stood up to the Emperor: the story of Delhi Durbar of 1911

From a maharaja who refused to follow the emperor’s protocol to a ceremonial gateway built of cardboard to the largest concentration of wealth and jewels in the world—the Delhi Durbar of 1911 was many things rolled into one.

The Delhi Durbar of 1911 was the third in a series of commemorative events to mark the coronation of the ruling monarch of India. The first took place in 1877 and the second in 1903. However, 1911 would be the first time the royals would actually visit India, the proverbial jewel of the British Empire.

The then reigning emperor George V and his wife Queen Mary arrived in India amid pomp and fanfare and no expense was spared to make this an opulent extravaganza. To welcome them to the country, the Gateway of India was commissioned by the docks in Bombay. The royal visit spanned several cities, endless garden parties and ended with a hunting expedition in Nepal.

The event matched the Mughal durbars of yore and was complete with diamond-encrusted crowns, royal jharokhas and magnificent statues and architectural wonders. The Durbar camp spread over 25 sq miles had its own railway and 64 km of new roads were built for the event alone.

Of course, it is an entirely different matter that the costs running upto over GBP700,000 (Rs 69,668,362) were borne by India, one that the existing government could ill-afford and which only served to fan the anti-colonial sentiment brewing in the country.

The actual expenses apart, the event was meant to be a showcase of the might of the British empire, a fact evinced by the obeisance that was to be paid to the monarchs by all the princely states of the country. While some turned out in their jewels and finery only to bow thrice before the British royals and wait for some beneficence/boons granted to them, there were others who stood their ground and rebelled against this “ignominy”. Maharaja Sayajirao, Gaekwad of Baroda, broke all protocol, performing a perfunctory bow and dressing down for the occasion, an act that was viewed as seditious by the Crown.

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