Maharaja Jagatjit Singh (1872–1949) of the erstwhile princely state of Kapurthala (now in Punjab) was known for his love of Europe, particularly France. The longest-serving king in the history of the British Raj, he was a committed Francophile and had visions to transform Kapurthala into the "Paris of Punjab". Among the privileges enjoyed by other Indian Maharajas, he was entitled to marry several times — Jagatjit Singh married six times. Two of his wives were Europeans: Rani Prem Kaur Sahiba (née Anita Delgado), a Spanish flamenco dancer, and Tara Devi (née Eugenia Marie Grossupovai) (1911–1946), a Czech actress and dancer.
Tara Devi was Jagatjit Singh's sixth wife, and they married in 1942. She was born in Vienna, Austria, to actress Maria Eleanora Grossup. In his book Maharani, Diwan Jarmani Dass, who claimed to have been a minister in the royal families of Patiala and Kapurthala, states that she was the illegitimate daughter of a Hungarian count. Her guardian was Dr. Leon Pistol.
Tara Devi was a popular actress and dancer, and in 1935, the renowned Burgtheater in Vienna signed a three-year contract with her. Nina (as she liked to call herself) was selected to play Anitra in Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt. The Maharaja of Kapurthala, who was well-travelled, came across her performance in 1936. It had been eight years since his divorce from his Spanish wife. Even though he was 42 years her senior, the Maharaja was besotted with her beauty. He pursued her and convinced her to marry him. According to an article published in the Sydney edition of The World’s News on August 23, 1947, it is reported, “On the opening night, she received an ovation from the crowd, and a huge bouquet of roses from the Maharaja of Kapurthala, who had been admiring the dancer from his box.”
They eventually married, but it was an unhappy union. They separated in 1945, and she was unable to leave for the United States of America. For a month, she lived at New Delhi’s Maidens Hotel, according to Abhilash Gaur on his blog Life of Rani Tara Devi of Kapurthala. On December 6, 1946, she tragically fell to her death from the Qutub Minar. She is buried at the Nicholson Cemetery in New Delhi.