Amid heart-wrenching grief and mourning, the family of Ex-Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, 87, is preparing to perform ‘Rajyaabhisek’, the coronation ceremony of his son Vikramaditya Singh, a sitting MLA, at Rampur’s Padamdev complex – an ancestral palace of erstwhile Bushahr royalty on Saturday.
As per family traditions, the ceremony which will be a private affair –maybe performed behind closed doors- will mark the transition of title “Raja Sahib” to Vikramaditya Singh, 31.
The ceremony will be performed by the family priests in presence of mortal remains of Virbhadra Singh, and before performing his last rites at the banks of Sutlej river later in the day with full state honours and "Raj" traditions.
Thousands of people from the erstwhile royalty, which primarily include Kinnaur district, Sarahan and Rampur, apart from parts of Kullu district are expected to reach Rampur apart from former ‘Rajas’ from the state and elsewhere including Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh—who is also a close family relative- and Chhattisgarh health minister T S Singh Deo –who also presents a royalty of Sarguja.
BJP National president J P Nadda and CM Jai Ram Thakur with Pratibha Singh
Vikaramditya Singh, currently called as “Tikka Sahib” will be known as “Raja Sahib” while his mother –Pratibha Singh will be “Raj mata” for all practical purposes to perform social, religious and other customary ceremonies related to local deities and people of the area.
“There are no functional powers like governance or administration as the erstwhile Rajas used to wield in the current democratic set-up Virbhadra Singh himself used to be opposed to such extra-constitutional authorities. This is only for the purposes of the family, relatives and members of other royalties,” a close family member told the Outlook.
In his own case, Virbhadra Singh was only 13-years-old when he was crowned as “Raja” of Bushahr after the demise of his father “Raja” Padam Singh in 1947. He had lit the pyre of his father after having already taken over the legacy of the ancestors –a practice now Vikramditya Singh will follow on Saturday at Rampur .
Virbhadra Singh was married to Raj kumari Ratna of Jubbal state at the age of 20 years but after her demise he married Pratibha Singh in 1985.
Six-time CM Virbhadra Singh had four daughters from earlier marriage ---one of them Justice Abhilasha Kumari, currently member the Lokpal at New Delhi ,and two children -- Vikramaditya Singh (son) and Aparjita Kumari--daughter married in Capt Amarinder Singh family from the second marriage .
