SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday attended the wedding reception of Rajkumar Martand Singh and Rhea Badal at the historic Amar Mahal Palace in Jammu, joining Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and several prominent political and royal families in celebrating the marriage.
The reception brought together the Dogra royal family of Jammu and Kashmir and the politically influential Badal family of Punjab, in a matrimonial alliance that has also drawn members of several erstwhile royal households from across the country.
Among those attending the reception were the Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, former minister and MLA Sham Lal Sharma, MLA Devyani Singh Rana and BJYM J&K president Arun Prabhat, besides other political leaders and distinguished guests.
Martand Singh is the son of Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh and Yuvrani Chitrangada Raje, while Rhea is the daughter of former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Vinu Badal.
The marriage ceremonies began in New Delhi, where the couple tied the knot in a traditional Sikh Anand Karaj ceremony. The celebrations attracted considerable political and social attention, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the prominent guests attending the wedding-related reception, alongside senior politicians, diplomats and members of several royal families.
The Delhi celebrations brought together the Dogra family, led by former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Dr Karan Singh, and the Badals of Punjab, besides members of the Scindia, Patiala, Gwalior and Rampur-Bushahr royal families.
The matrimonial alliance also adds another link to an already interconnected network of royal families. Chitrangada Raje, Martand Singh’s mother, is the daughter of the late Madhavrao Scindia and sister of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. She is married to Vikramaditya Singh, son of Dr Karan Singh.
The Patiala royal family was represented by members including Princess Jai Inder Kaur, whose Delhi residence hosted one of the wedding-related receptions. The Rampur-Bushahr royal family of Himachal Pradesh and the Gwalior Scindia family were also represented at the celebrations.
Following the Anand Karaj, the Jammu and Kashmir royal family held a traditional Grah Pravesh ceremony at its New Delhi residence, presided over by the Maharaja of Kashmir, the groom’s grandfather. Dr Karan Singh blessed his grandson and the bride on the occasion.
The celebrations subsequently moved to Jammu, where Amar Mahal Palace hosted the traditional Vadhu Pravesh ceremony, formally welcoming Rhea into the Dogra household.
Describing the occasion as a deeply special moment for the family, Vikramaditya Singh said the ceremony was conducted according to Vedic traditions by Dogra priests, with students of a local Gurukul chanting prayers.
Prayers were offered for the couple’s happiness, harmony and prosperity as the family welcomed its new daughter-in-law into the palace.
The royal guests and relatives were led by the Maharaja and Maharani of Gwalior, the groom’s uncle and aunt, alongside the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Vikramaditya Singh and Chitrangada Raje expressed gratitude to the dignitaries, relatives and well-wishers who attended the reception and other ceremonies and blessed the newly married couple.
The celebrations at Amar Mahal, one of Jammu’s prominent heritage landmarks, marked the culmination of a series of ceremonies that brought together political, royal and social connections spanning Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and central India.
