The king of Kutch, Maharao Pragmulji III passed away due to COVID-19 related complications on Friday, May 28, aged 85. India’s largest district, Kutch has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases over the past couple of months, sparing neither subject nor sovereign. The last of a long line of kings, Pragmulji was a part of Kutch’s rich history and legacy – which now recedes into history.Maharao Pragmulji III at his residential Palace. PHoto: Wikimedia CommonsWhile the country struggled through the lockdown last year, Kutch was one of the first districts to open up, having been listed as a “green zone.” Made resilient through everyday hardships, “taap tadkana vethela” or seasoned through harsh summers, as they say, the Kutchi people had managed to avoid the worst of the first wave. As this year’s second wave blazes through India’s last villages in Kutch, it is this resilience that is being tested. Draped in Kutch’s state emblem, the last king was sent off with state honours and cremated as per COVID-19 guidelines. Maharao Pragmulji III, like all his successors, was cremated in Chattardi complex, where cenotaphs of the Rao’s of Kutch are located.Although ‘king’ only in title, Pragmulji remained embedded in the everyday life of Kutchi people through his religious duties and charity. Showing us letters received by the king from different parts of the country, Dalpatbhai Danidharia, curator of the royal archives, says that the king was much revered, and received everyone with humility and courtesy. The Tamrapatra issued by Lakpatji, one of his predecessors, in 1752, says “My subjects won’t be overtaxed or harassed by my descendants. All important state issues will be decided by a joint team of the state and the people.” Following these principles of equal interaction, he is said to have spoken to everyone with openness despite their age, gender or religious background. Draped in Kutch’s state emblem, the last king was sent off with state honours and cremated as per COVID-19 guidelines. Maharao Pragmulji III, like all his successors, was cremated in Chattardi complex, where cenotaphs of the Rao’s of Kutch are located.Various letters and invitations from all over the country for the king.Kutch remained a princely state until 1948 when it acceded to India. It was incorporated first into Bombay in 1956 and then Gujarat in 1960. Having been a strategic vantage point, Kutch was at the cusp of transcontinental movements towards west Asia and Africa.The Maharao with his wife, Maharani Pritidevi, erstwhile princess of Tripura. Photo of the royal couple found in Prag Mahal palace now open to the public as a museum.The Maharao and Maharani had no children. The king left his estate to various trusts.Even today, some of India’s largest ports are in Kutch, and serve as essential conduits for receiving crucial emergency medical aid coming from various parts of the world. Pragmulji saw Kutch through the devastating earthquake of 2001 as well as its rise, like a phoenix, to one of India’s most industrialised and profitable districts. One of his notable contributions was the restoration of Prag Mahal and Aaina Mahal in Bhuj at his own expense post the earthquake of 2001. Now open to the public for visits.Kutch has been home to several cultures with people from various trades, communities and religions. It is this deep sense of syncretism and cosmopolitanism that Pragmulji was known to be committed to preserving, just as his forefathers had done.The death of a king, even if a titular one, is the ultimate symbol of our helplessness in the clutches of the pandemic. We should take a moment to remember all those that the pandemic took from us.All photos are by Nipun Prabhakar.Nipun Prabhakar is an independent photographer and architect based in Kutch and Delhi. He works on long term photo-documentary projects. Besides that, he designs, researches and documents the intersections of built environments and communities. He was the Cornell South Asian Fellow 2019 for his project on the doors of Kathmandu.Natasha Maru is a researcher at the Institute of Development Studies, UK, currently based in Kutch. She is interested in the unfolding of mundane everyday life and the profound insights it holds.
