The Last Maharaja of Indore
HISTORY
Portrait of the Maharaja by Bernard Boutet de Monvel
WRITTEN by James V. Thomas
Yashwant Rao Holkar II
Yashwant Rao Holkar II, the last Maharaja of Indore, was a visionary whose taste transcended convention. He navigated the crossroads of tradition and modernity with effortless authority, merging the grandeur of Indian royalty with the daring spirit of 20th-century design. His devotion to Bauhaus and Art Deco was more than admiration—it reshaped India’s artistic and architectural identity, leaving a legacy both audacious and enduring.
The library in the palace featuring chairs designed by Eckart Muthesius.
In 1930, Yashwant Rao Holkar II commissioned India’s first Bauhaus-inspired palace, the extraordinary Manik Bagh, or “Jewel Garden,” in Indore. Conceived by the German architect Eckart Muthesius, the residence boldly rejected the ornate excesses of traditional royal architecture, favoring instead the clean lines, functional elegance, and disciplined modernism of the Bauhaus. Far from a mere stylistic experiment, Manik Bagh was a deliberate manifesto, positioning the Maharaja at the forefront of international modernist taste.
A table designed by Muthesius for the Maharani's dressing room.
The interiors of Manik Bagh were nothing short of revolutionary, the product of collaborations with some of the era’s most celebrated designers and architects. Jean Puiforcat’s silverware gleamed with refined precision, Eileen Gray’s minimalist furniture articulated a disciplined elegance, Jean Perzel’s lighting suffused the rooms with a sculptural warmth, and the radical vision of Le Corbusier resonated deeply with Yashwant Rao. The result was more than a residence—it was a manifesto in space, a living declaration of modernist ideals. Manik Bagh became a landmark in design, admired for its audacious marriage of functionality, sophistication, and aesthetic daring.
The master bedroom, featuring a bed designed by Louis Sognot, and a carpet by Ivan da Silva Bruhns.
Yashwant Rao’s influence extended far beyond the borders of Indore. Young, cosmopolitan, and effortlessly stylish, he and Maharani Sanyogita Devi embodied a new breed of Indian royalty: educated abroad, fluent in the language of European culture, and attuned to the avant-garde. Their studies in England and travels across the continent placed them at the heart of Europe’s creative elite. In 1927, Man Ray, the celebrated surrealist, captured the couple in a series of striking portraits. Charged with the experimental spirit of the era, the images immortalized their modernity and sophistication, cementing their status as cultural emissaries of a progressive India.
A fabulous portrait of the Maharaja by Bernard Boutet de Monvel.
“Nobody knows about the maharaja of Indore: Who is this incredible guy? Some mysteries have no clues.”
Olivier Gabet, Director of Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
Their story, however, was touched by profound tragedy. Maharani Sanyogita, radiant and deeply entwined in Yashwant Rao’s artistic pursuits, died at just twenty-two from surgical complications in Switzerland. Her loss struck with a force that darkened an otherwise luminous life, yet the Maharaja’s commitment to the arts endured. In the wake of personal heartbreak, Yashwant Rao continued to shape a cultural legacy that extended far beyond the borders of his princely state.
Photography of the Maharaja and his wife, by Man Ray.
In 1980, the interiors of Manik Bagh went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in Monaco, a stark reminder that even the most extraordinary creations are subject to time. Yet the vision of Yashwant Rao Holkar II remains undiminished—a testament to a ruler who dreamed audaciously and acted decisively, leaving an indelible mark on design, culture, and the imagination of generations to come.
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