A set of photographs of a woman is doing the rounds on social media with the claim that she is Baroda’s Queen Radhika Raje and she gave up her royal life to become a Jain ‘Sadhvi’.
The photographs are also being shared with the claim that the woman has an M.Tech degree from IIT and she left her lucrative job to become a Sadhvi.
The Logical Indian received a request to verify the claims.
Claim:
Queen Radhika Raje Gaekwad of Baroda adopted Jainism and became a Sadhvi.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
The viral photos were found on the social media accounts of the queen herself.
Below are the social media updates carrying the viral photos:
View this post on Instagram
As you can see, our bags are always packed #lvpdocumentation
A post shared by Radhikaraje Gaekwad (@radhikaraje) on Apr 17, 2019 at 9:04pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
As an ode to the unsung craftsman enduring untold hardships at the face of Covid 19, I share with you another then and now of myself. This time in a Ghatchola saree that I received from my mother in law, Rajmata Shubhanginiraje at my wedding in 2002. Ghatchola is a rich traditional textile of Gujarat and a combination of bandhni (tie and dye) and zari, gifted to the bride by her mother in law. The image on the left was taken in our courtyard in 2009 for @hiblitzindia magazine by @manoj.kesharwani and the one on the right, in January 2020 for a wedding. Of course I’ve worn it many times over the years, nothing feels as good as a traditional handmade textile against your skin! Traditional textiles are timeless and speak of our heritage, let’s support the people that create this magic and nostalgia. @cdsartfoundation @asifembroidery @royal_fables
A post shared by Radhikaraje Gaekwad (@radhikaraje) on Apr 7, 2020 at 9:26pm PDT
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Today paired my shikargah (wild animal motifs) Kanjeevaram with a reversible Benarasi dupatta. The colours and embellishments of our Indian textiles have no match! PS: Thank you @anshukhanna for the dupatta. #nofilter ##kanjeevaramsaree #benarasi #sarinotsorry
A post shared by Radhikaraje Gaekwad (@radhikaraje) on Jan 17, 2020 at 11:25am PST
Further, another picture was found in a report by Jagran’s website herzindagi.com. The report said that Queen Radhika Raje was featured as ‘The Modern Queen’ on the cover of The Millionaire Asia Magazine.
The report says that the Maharani is currently looking after the digitalisation of the assets of the palace. Sources have said that she is a connoisseur of traditional fashion too. The royal family resides in the grand Lakshmi Vilas Palace which is located in the middle of now Vadodara, Gujarat.
The Logical Indian reached out to Radhika Raje Gaekwad regarding the viral claim. She sent her official statement on the issue which can be read below.
According to a report, Maharani Radhika Raje married into the royal family of Baroda in the year 2002. She used to work as a journalist for leading magazines and dailies. Therefore, the claim that she is an engineer from IIT is also false.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
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