Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Thetford Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh

Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh

A bronze sculpture of last Sikh maharaja of the Punjab, outside the English estate where he once lived.

Thetford, England

Added By
Mark Lovesey
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Tucked away behind some trees on Butten island in the center of Thetford sits an imposing statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh maharaja and ruler of the kingdom of the Punjab.

Maharaja Duleep Singh was born in Lahore, in modern-day Pakistan, on September 6, 1838. His father Ranjit Singh was the first Sikh Maharaja of the Punjab and Sikh Empire, in modern-day eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. After his father’s death, a series of successors were killed. Finally, Duleep Singh was declared Maharaja at just five years old.

The British, through their agents in the East India Company, were quick to exploit the unstable situation in the Punjab and after two Anglo-Sikh wars, the Company took control of the region. The Maharaja, just 10 years old at the time, was forced to sign the 1849 Treaty of Lahore and surrender his lands and the prized Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria, which is now part of the British Crown Jewels.

Exiled to England in 1854, Duleep Singh was introduced to the British court where he became a favourite of Queen Victoria, who would eventually become Godmother to several of his children.

He spent the following years traveling around Europe with various dignitaries, but after the death of his mother and his mentor Sir John Login, he returned to England.

In 1863, Maharaja Duleep Singh bought (or the India Office purchased for him) a 17,000-acre country estate at Elveden on the border between Norfolk and Suffolk, close to Thetford. He enjoyed living at Elveden Hall and remodeled the house into a palace, where lived the life of a British aristocrat. He subsequently restored the church, cottages, and school, transforming the run-down estate into an efficient game preserve. It was here that he gained his reputation as the fourth-best shot in England. After seasons of poor farming in the 1870s, a downturn in the Maharajah’s personal fortunes, and political tensions in government, the Maharajah left Elveden for Paris in 1886 after being denied permission to return to his homeland in the Punjab.

Maharaja Duleep Singh ran up large expenses and after his death in 1893, the Elveden estate was sold off by the executors to Edward Cecil Guinness to pay for his debts. Today, Elveden is owned by The 4th Earl of Iveagh, the head of the Guinness brewing family.

Related Tags

Colonialism Memorials History Statues

Know Before You Go

The statue was unveiled by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1999 and is available to visitors at all times.

Community Contributors

Added By

Snowdrop68

Edited By

Steve 55

  • Steve 55

Published

September 6, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://statues.vanderkrogt.net/object.php?record=gbee020
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duleep_Singh
  • https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/duleep-singh/#gs.3ifthq
Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh
Butten Island
Riverside Walk
Thetford, England, IP24 2BG
United Kingdom
52.412816, 0.747142
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Thetford Warren Lodge

Thetford, England

miles away

The Devil's Punchbowl

Norfolk, England

miles away

Grime's Graves

Lynford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Thetford

Thetford

England

Places 2

Nearby Places

Thetford Warren Lodge

Thetford, England

miles away

The Devil's Punchbowl

Norfolk, England

miles away

Grime's Graves

Lynford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Thetford

Thetford

England

Places 2

Related Places

  • Washington, D.C.

    Churchill and Mandela Call and Response

    When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

  • Pigafetta Memorial

    Vicenza, Italy

    Antonio Pigafetta Memorial and Birthplace

    A memorial to the Vicentine who survived and documented Magellan's circumnavigation of the world.

  • Framingham, Massachusetts

    The Old Field of 1800

    Two stone markers honor the Nipmuc people who first settled here millennia ago.

  • Everard t’Serclaes Monument

    Brussels, Belgium

    Everard t'Serclaes Monument

    A shining memorial to a Belgian hero is said to bring luck to anyone who touches it.

  • Camp Entrance

    Stroumpi, Cyprus

    Polemi Concentration Camp

    The site of a prison camp where Cypriot resistance fighters were held in the 1950s.

  • Halle (Saale), Germany

    Anton Wilhelm Amo Monument

    The monument honors the first (and for a long time, only) African-born philosopher to teach at a German university.

  • The “Hijo del árbol de la Noche Triste” with its statue of Hernan Cortes.

    Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico

    Son of the Tree of the Night of Sorrows

    A sapling of the legendary tree where conquistador Hernán Cortés sat and wept after an Aztec uprising.

  • Robert the Bruce (left) and William Wallace (right) stand guard at the gates.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    William Wallace and Robert the Bruce Statues

    Overlooked by many, the two famous Scottish warriors guard the main gate of Edinburgh Castle.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.