More than a century has passed after he died, but the memories of a little Maharaja's summers in this hill station remain etched in the hearts of the people here, being passed down from one generation to the next.
Tourists are fascinated by the story that some places here tell of Maharaja Duleep Singh's stay in Mussoorie .
On his 177st birth anniversary on September 4, the memories of his summers in Mussoorie are still fresh. Old timers in the hill town love to tell the eventful but tragic tale of the boy - King with fondness.
Duleep Singh was born on September 4, 1838 to the beautiful Maharani Jindan, a minor queen of the great Sikh monarch, Ranjit Singh. After Ranjit Singh's death, his powerful kingdom, which had lived in peace with British India, was plunged into a decade of chaos and bloodshed. Internecine rivalry for the throne, a powerful and proud Sikh army and subtle meddling by the British combined to spell the downfall of the empire.
After the two Anglo- Sikh wars, the Punjab was ready for annexation by the British. The child king, Duleep Singh had to sign away his kingdom and wealth, including the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, to the Governor General of India, lord Dalhousie.
His mother was sent to exile and Duleep Singh was taken in hand by Dr John login, a Presbyterian army surgeon.
The entire wealth of the kingdom, including his considerable private properties, was taken over by the British and a nominal allowance was settled on him. Duleep Singh lived under login’s close watch away from the Punjab, in Fatehgarh, a small settlement on the banks of the Ganges and soon became a Christian.
But before he left for England, the Maharaja reached Mussoorie in May 1852 after an incognito visit to Hardwar and a short stay in the Doon valley. He was kept at the Castle Hill Estate in Mussoorie.
John Spencer login became Residency Surgeon at lucknow in 1838. He was appointed as the guardian of Maharaja Duleep Singh by the then Governor General of India, lord Dalhousie.
lady login wrote an account of the life of Duleep Singh and her husband before the Maharaja died in 1893. In this account, titled "Sir John login and Duleep Singh", she has thrown light on the young Maharaja's days in Mussoorie.
It was in Mussoorie that the famous portrait of His Highness was painted by R Beechey, the royal painter of the Nawab of Oudh.The Maharaja autographed it and sent it to lord Dalhousie.
During his second visit, the Maharaja made great progress in his studies.
In login's words, "Duleep Singh performs really creditably on the flute and Cornopean and with his music master's assistance; he got up a very grand band of eight or nine men". Duleep Singh's days in Mussoorie came to an end on April 19, 1854when he was deported to England where he lived in exile for the rest of his life.
Wrote famous author Khushwant Singh, "He could never get it out of his mind that he was the son of a king and had been deprived of his kingdom. To reinforce his claim, he went through a ceremony of conversion to Sikhism and had it announced far and wide. He went to Russia to persuade the Czar to invade India and get him back his throne. The Czar refused to see him. He settled down in Paris, disillusioned and disheartened."
He was so heavily in debt that he had to live in cheap hotels. He was a broken man. He was persuaded to beg Queen Victoria's pardon and permission to return to Elveden. She pardoned him, cleared his debt and restored his pension.
He died in 1893. He was given a Christian burial and rests among other members of his family in Elveden's church cemetery in Suffolk.
The Koh-i-noor diamond that once belonged to him is in the late Queen Mother's crown in the Tower of london. Not far from his grave, in the little town of Thetford, a statue of Duleep Singh was installed a few years ago and interest in his life and legacy runs strong in the Sikh community, particularly among those who have made England their home.