Maharaja Karni Singh was the twenty third Maharajah of the princely state of Bikaner in India. The Maharajah became one of the famous people of Bikaner, in his own right, as an internationally acclaimed skeet shooter. Maharajah Karni Singh also served as a member of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) for a span of twenty five long years from 1952 to 1977.
Born in 1924, Maharajah Karni Singh was honored with a PhD from Bombay University for his research work, Relationship of Bikaner Royal Family with Central Authority (1465-1949) . His stint in the World War II exposed him to the front line of warfare for a short period.
The first shooter to be awarded the Arjuna Award for shooting, in 1961, Maharajah Karni Singh was a shooter par excellence and participated in five Olympic games. For seventeen years, the Maharajah has remained the unbeaten National champion in Clay Pigeon Trap from 1960 to 1977. The international awards for the Maharajah that brought honor to India in general and Bikaner in particular are the veterans' Gold Medal, Silver Medal in the 38th World Shooting Championships at Cairo, Second Asian Shooting Championships, Seoul (Korea): 1971 and many more.
A renowned statesman, intellectual and a popular public figure, Maharajah Karni Singh contributed much towards the recognition of Rajasthani language by the 14th schedule of Indian Constitution. The famous Bikaneri Maharaja Karni Singh left for the heavenly abode on 6th September 1988. His daughter Princess Rajyashree Kumari also became a shooting champion of fame.
Last Updated on 19 December 2011
