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The British imperial dream had far more consequences than just the expansion of the empire. It left many lives destroyed, kingdoms stolen and people homeless with nowhere to go. Among these was Chikka Veerarajendra, the last Raja of Kodagu (Coorg) who was deposed by the British on 24 April 1834 CE after losing the Coorg War against the East India Company.Under the orders of army officer James Stuart Fraser, the kingdom was annexed to British India and the king was taken as a political prisoner to Benaras. For 14 years, he lived there and finally in 1852, he travelled to London with his 11-year-old daughter Gouramma to demand that the British government return his ancestral wealth and that his daughter be provided carte and a secure future under Christianity.The Governor-General at the time, Lord Dalhousie and the directors of the East India Company gave the father-daughter the permission to travel to England, making them the first Indian royals to set foot in England.
The company hoped that the voluntary conversion of the princess would improve its sagging image in Britain.
A British-Indian princess
Princess Victoria Gouramma was a natural socialite and reported as being elegant, jovial and doted upon by the queen.
On 30 June 1852, in Queen Victoria's private chapel at Buckingham Palace, London, Gowramma was baptised in the presence of the Queen, her family, senior officials of the Government, and the Directors of the East India Company. Soon after the baptism, Queen Victoria presented Gowramma with an autographed Bible and announced herself as the godmother to the Indian princess.
She further astonished everyone by lending her name ‘Victoria’ to Gowramma.
Princess Victoria Gowramma of Coorg, as she came to be known, was the first Indian royal to embrace Christianity. In her Journal, Queen Victoria wrote: "He has come here with the intention of leaving his little girl, to be brought up as a Christian, which is a great step. […] The daughter […] is nearly 11, a dear, pretty little girl."The young princess was taken under the care of Major and Mrs Drummond, an army couple who educated her and familiarised her with Western ideologies.
Princess Victoria Gouramma was a natural socialite and reported as being elegant, jovial and doted upon by the queen.
A marriage for the books
She found love with a 50-year-old army colonel John Campbell.
In the hopes of furthering Christianity in India, Queen Victoria decided to become a matchmaker, as per C P Belliappa in his book 'Victoria Gouramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg'. Here entered Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was another one of the queen's adopted godchildren and was exiled to Britain at the age of 15, converting to Christianity in 1853.
The Palace attempted to bring the Princess and Maharaja together in marriage, but since neither was attracted to the other, they ended up becoming siblings with the Maharaja calling the Princess his 'honorary sister', as per a report by The Better India.This is when the princess became disillusioned with the Royal Family, instead finding love with a 50-year-old army colonel John Campbell. As she kept up pretences in her social inside, the princess's health was deteriorating secretly.
She often coughed up blood and was weak.Meanwhile, her marriage was falling apart due to Campbell's gambling habits and his interest in her wealth. In 1861, Princess Gouramma gave birth to her daughter, Edith and became a single mother with her husband maintaining the role in just the title.Despite being a part of the royal family, Queen Victoria's adopted godchildren lived as 'outsiders' owing to their skin colour.
According to historians, the princess was barred from meeting her own father by the Queen who claimed he would "corrupt" her with his "native, heathen influence." Braving a life of upheaval and struggle, the princess succumbed to tuberculosis in 1864, a few months short of her 23rd birthday.
Today, her grave stands dilapidated in the Brompton Cemetery in London. While her great-great-grandson resides in Australia with his family.Princess Victoria Gouramma remains forgotten in the pages of history books, but once, her life was lived strongly and courageously in the halls of Buckingham Palace.
