Mussoorie memories of a boy king

Mussoorie: On September 6, 1838, exactly 178 years ago, Maharaja Duleep Singh, the son of the ‘Lion of Punjab’ Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born to a life that saw quite a few ups and downs. The young maharaja, who came to the throne at the age of five after four of his predecessors were assassinated, had a close connection with Mussoorie where he spent many months in exile.The cool mountain air may have brought with it the sweet scent of champa planted outside his bedroom. Maybe it reminded the young maharaja of the ‘itr’ his mother, Maharani Jindan wore. Or maybe the golden glow of the mountain sunset brought with it memories of the world famous Kohi-i- noor diamond that he wore in his arm band.
Whatever it was, the last king of the Sikh empire, then a 15-year-old boy, did find some days of solace when he was brought to Mussoorie way back in 1853. Many books and journals talk of the days the young maharaja spent in the hill town where he was sent after his mother was exiled and Sir John Login, a Presbyterian army surgeon and his wife Lady Login took over as his virtual parents.. There are varying accounts however of where he stayed. According to some, he lived in Barlow Castle in a suburb near Mussoorie. The building is now a five-star hotel. In his book ‘India In 1857: Before And After’, Jai Dev Singh writes in the chapter ‘Maharaja Duleep Singh in Mussoorie’, “Underneath the residence of the maharaja was bored a narrow tunnel, a kind of basement with two openings at both ends where the maharaja often used to play ‘hide and seek’ with his friends and it also served the purpose of keeping the bedroom cool. It was under heavy and strict guard from where every word he uttered could be heard... there was sufficient space for a playground in the Manor House, and a part of the estate was leveled to play cricket in which the maharaja took great delight.”
According to historian Gopal Bharadwaj, Sir Login wanted the young king away from the fun and frolic the town was then known for. That is why probably an area far from the town was chosen. Nevertheless, the Raja enjoyed activities like cricket, horse riding, archery and picnics. “While he was there at one such picnic near a waterfall, they encountered a big cobra which the Raja and his attendants bravely scared away,” says Bharadwaj.
Author Ganesh Saili however is of the view that the maharaja was kept at Castle Hill Estate in Landour, now a part of the Survey of India campus. From Mussoorie, he was straight away taken to London in April 1854. Queen Victoria is believed to have taken an immediate fancy to the young king who soon became her “blue eyed boy” and a trophy of sorts to display. Earlier as a child, Duleep Singh had to sign away his kingdom and wealth, including the Koh-i- noor to the Governor General of India, Lord Dalhousie who had it presented to the queen. Later, Queen Victoria is believed to have shown the diamond, which had been cut and significantly reduced in size, to Duleep Singh rendering him “speechless for a long time.” But that is another story.