RAS question
Maharana Fateh Singh of Mewar refused to attend which Durbar organized by the British, becoming a symbol of Rajput pride?
Correct answer: (B) Delhi Durbar of 1903.
Maharana Fateh Singh of Mewar refused to attend Viceroy Curzon's Delhi Durbar of 1903, held for the coronation of Edward VII, and his boycott became a symbol of Rajput pride.
Explanation
The answer is the Delhi Durbar of 1903. The Alkazi Collection of Photography publication Power and Resistance: The Delhi Coronation Durbars describes the Delhi Durbars as ceremonies at which British monarchs were crowned emperor or empress of India: Victoria in 1877, Edward VII in 1903 and George V in 1911. Maharana Fateh Singh of Mewar, Udaipur, reached Delhi in 1903 but turned back from the railway station rather than attend Viceroy Curzon's durbar as a vassal. His refusal opposed the attempt to present a Rajput ruler as a loyal subordinate within the British imperial order. Kesari Singh Barhath's poem Chetavani ra Chungatya inspired the boycott. These details identify 1903—not another imperial gathering—as the decisive year.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The 1877 Delhi Durbar was associated with Victoria, whereas Fateh Singh turned back and refused to attend the 1903 Delhi Durbar held for Edward VII.
- (C) The Shimla Conference of 1906 was not a durbar connected with this episode. Fateh Singh's refusal concerned Viceroy Curzon's Delhi Durbar in 1903.
- (D) The coronation durbars were held in Delhi in 1877, 1903 and 1911. Fateh Singh refused to attend the 1903 Delhi event, not a Calcutta Durbar in 1912.
Concept
This tests princely-state responses to British imperial ceremonies in Rajasthan history. Attendance at a durbar could signal subordination, while refusal could become a political statement. The episode recurs in RAS because it brings Mewar, Rajput pride, Kesari Singh Barhath and the Delhi Durbar together in one exam-relevant context.