H.H Maharaja Sir Prabhu Narayan Singh KCIE (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was Bhumihar who was the ruler of Benares State (Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931. Prabhu Narayan Singh would reign for 42 years as Maharaja; in 1891, he was knighted with the KCIE, later becoming an honorary colonel in the Indian Army.
In 1911, he became the first Maharaja of the newly created princely state of Benares, including the parganas of Bhadohi and Keramnagar, Chakia, and Ramnagar, together with certain limited rights within the City of Benares. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1892, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) in 1898, and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) for his services in the First World War in the 1921 New Year Honours. He donated 1300 acres of land to establish famous Banaras Hindu University. He donated land at Kamacha, Varanasi to Dr. Annie Basent for the establishment of Hindu College which she donated for the establishment of BHU. He was a great scholar and well versed in Sanskrit, Persian, and English. Established Iswari Memorial Hospital for reducing mother-child mortality during childbirth. He died in 1931, aged 75, and was succeeded by his only son, Sir Aditya Narayan Singh.
Titles 1855–1889: Maharaj Prabhu Narayan Singh 1889–1891: His Highness Maharajadhiraja Sri Prabhu Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur, Kashi Naresh, Maharaja of Benares 1891–1898: His Highness Maharajadhiraja Sri Sir Prabhu Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur, Kashi Naresh, Maharaja of Benares, KCIE 1898–1919: His Highness Maharajadhiraja Sri Sir Prabhu Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur, Kashi Naresh, Maharaja of Benares, GCIE 1919–1921: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraja Sri Sir Prabhu Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur, Kashi Naresh, Maharaja of Benares, GCIE 1921–1931: Lieutenant-Colonel His Highness Maharajadhiraja Sri Sir Prabhu Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur, Kashi Naresh, Maharaja of Benares, GCSI, GCIE
Honours : Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) – 1898 (KCIE – 1891) Delhi Durbar Gold Medal – 1903 Delhi Durbar Medal (1911) – 1911 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI) – 1921 : Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II – 1926
Footnotes
References Obituary, The Times, 5 August 1931