ABSTRACT
Mayo College, founded in 1875 and located in Ajmer, Rajasthan, owes its name to Richard Bourke, Earl of Mayo and Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872. Though presently admission to the school is open to all who can pay and it functions much like several other Indian public schools, it was originally established for a very specific clientele. The idea for an exclusive school for the princes of Rajputana was first put forward in 1869 by Colonel Walter, the Political Agent of Bharatpur state, 1 and gained the support of Lord Mayo soon after. Mayo College (‘Mayo’) was one of the five institutions in India known as Chiefs’ Colleges. These were charged with the duty of ‘providing for the sons of the ruling classes such an education as will fit them for the discharge of their responsibilities to their subjects’. 2 The other four were Rajkumar College (Rajkot), the Daly College (Indore), Aitchison College (Lahore), and Raipur College (Orissa).
