Princely state

This article is about states ruled by princes in the British Raj, the Republic of India and Pakistan. For the global concept, see Principality.

A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to a subsidiary alliance and the suzerainty or paramountcy of the British crown.

In 1920, Congress (party) under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi declared swaraj (self-rule) for Indians as its goal and asked the princes of India to establish responsible government. Jawaharlal Nehru played a major role in pushing Congress to confront the princely states and declared in 1929 that "only people who have the right to determine the future of the States must be the people of these States". In 1937, the Congress won in most parts of British India (not including the princely states) in the provincial elections, and started to intervene in the affairs of the states. In the same year, Gandhi played a major role in proposing a federation involving a union between British India and the princely states, with an Indian central government. In 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.

At the time of the British withdrawal, 565 princely states were officially recognized in the Indian subcontinent, apart from thousands of zamindari estates and jagirs. In 1947, princely states covered 40% of the area of pre-independence India and constituted 23% of its population. The most important states had their own British political residencies: Hyderabad of the Nizams, Mysore, Pudukkottai and Travancore in the South, Jammu and Kashmir, and Indore in Central India. The most prominent among those – roughly a quarter of the total – had the status of a salute state, one whose ruler was entitled to a set number of gun salutes on ceremonial occasions.

The princely states varied greatly in status, size, and wealth; the premier 21-gun salute states of Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir were each over 200,000 km² (77,000 sq mi) in size. In 1941, Hyderabad had a population of over 16 million, while Jammu and Kashmir had a population of slightly over 4 million. At the other end of the scale, the non-salute principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km² (19 sq mi), with a population of just below 3,000. Some two hundred of the lesser states even had an area of less than 25 km² (10 sq mi).

History

1765–1805 map of India, shown with a territorial division between Hindus, Muslims and the British

Political subdivisions of the Indian Empire in 1909 with British India (pink) and the princely states (yellow)

The princely states at the time of Indian independence were mostly formed after the disintegration of the Mughal empire. Many Princely states had a foreign origin due to the long period of external migration to India. Some of these were the rulers of Hyderabad (Turks), Bhopal (Afghans) and Janjira (Abyssinian). Among the Hindu kingdoms, most of the rulers were Kshatriya. Only the Rajput states and a scattering of South Indian kingdoms could trace their lineage to the pre-Mughal period.

British relationship with the princely states

India under the British Raj (the "Indian Empire") consisted of two types of territory: British India and the native states or princely states. In its Interpretation Act 1889, the British Parliament adopted the following definitions:

(4.) The expression "British India" shall mean all territories and places within Her Majesty's dominions which are for the time being governed by Her Majesty through the Governor-General of India or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India.
(5.) The expression "India" shall mean British India together with any territories of any native prince or chief under the suzerainty of Her Majesty exercised through the Governor-General of India, or through any governor or other officer subordinate to the Governor-General of India.

In general the term "British India" had been used (and is still used) also to refer to the regions under the rule of the East India Company in India from 1774 to 1858.

The British Crown's suzerainty over 175 princely states, generally the largest and most important, was exercised in the name of the British Crown by the central government of British India under the Viceroy; the remaining approximately 400 states were influenced by Agents answerable to the provincial governments of British India under a governor, lieutenant-governor, or chief commissioner. A clear distinction between "dominion" and "suzerainty" was supplied by the jurisdiction of the courts of law: the law of British India rested upon the legislation enacted by the British Parliament, and the legislative powers those laws vested in the various governments of British India, both central and local; in contrast, the courts of the princely states existed under the authority of the respective rulers of those states.

Princely status and titles

Sayajirao Gaekwad III, The Maharaja of Baroda State

The Indian rulers bore various titles including Maharaja or Raja ("king"), Sultan, Nawab, Emir, Raje, Nizam, Wadiyar (used only by the Maharajas of Mysore, meaning "lord"), Agniraj Maharaj for the rulers of Bhaddaiyan Raj, Chogyal, Nawab ("governor"), Nayak, Wāli, Inamdar, Saranjamdar and many others. Whatever the literal meaning and traditional prestige of the ruler's actual title, the British government translated them all as "prince", to avoid the implication that the native rulers could be "kings" with status equal to that of the British monarch.

An old image of the British Residency in the city of Quilon, Kerala

More prestigious Hindu rulers (mostly existing before the Mughal Empire, or having split from such old states) often used the title "Raja", or a variant such as Raje, Rai, Rana, Babu, Rao, Rawat, or Rawal. Also in this 'class' were several Thakurs or Thai ores and a few particular titles, such as Sardar, Mankari, Deshmukh, Sar Desai, Istamuradar, Saranjamdar, Raja Inamdar, etc. The most prestigious Hindu rulers usually had the prefix "maha-" ("great", compare for example "grand duke") in their titles, as in Maharaja, Maharana, Maharao, etc. This was used in many princely states including Mewar, Travancore and Cochin. The state of Travancore also had queens regent styled Maharani, applied only to the sister of the ruler in Kerala.

Muslim rulers almost all used the title "Nawab" (the Arabic honorific of naib, "deputy") originally used by Mughal governors, who became de facto autonomous with the decline of the Mughal Empire, with the prominent exceptions of the Nizam of Hyderabad & Berar, the Wali/Khan of Kalat and the Wali of Swat. Other less usual titles included Darbar Sahib, Dewan, Jam, Mehtar (unique to Chitral) and Mir (from Emir).

The Sikh princes concentrated at Punjab usually adopted titles when attaining princely rank. A title at a level of Maharaja was used.

There were also compound titles, such as (Maha)rajadhiraj, Raj-i-rajgan, often relics from an elaborate system of hierarchical titles under the Mughal emperors. For example, the addition of the adjective Bahadur (from Persian, literally meaning "brave") raised the status of the titleholder one level.

Furthermore, most dynasties used a variety of additional titles such as Varma in South India. This should not be confused with various titles and suffixes not specific to princes but used by entire (sub)castes. This is almost analogous to Singh title in North India.

Precedence and prestige

The actual importance of a princely state could not be read from the title of its ruler, which was usually granted (or at least recognized) as a favor, often in recognition for loyalty and services rendered to the British Raj. Although some titles were raised once or even repeatedly, there was no automatic updating when a state gained or lost real power. In fact, princely titles were even awarded to holders of domains (mainly jagirs) and even taluqdars and zamindars, which were not states at all. Most of the zamindars who held princely titles were in fact erstwhile princely and royal states reduced to becoming zamindars by the British East India Company. Various sources give significantly different numbers of states and domains of the various types. Even in general, the definition of titles and domains are clearly not well-established.

An 1895 group photograph of the eleven-year-old Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, ruler of the princely state of Mysore in South India, with his brothers and sisters. In 1799, his grandfather, then aged five, had been granted dominion of Mysore by the British and forced into a subsidiary alliance. The British later directly governed the state between 1831 and 1881

The Govindgarh Palace of the Maharaja of Rewa. The palace which was built as a hunting lodge later became famous for the first white tigers that were found in the adjacent jungle and raised in the palace zoo

The Nawab of Junagarh Bahadur Khan III (seated centre in an ornate chair) shown in an 1885 photograph with state officials and family

Photograph (1900) of the Maharani of Sikkim. Sikkim was under the suzerainty of the Provincial government of Bengal; its ruler received a 15-gun salute

In addition to their titles, all princely rulers were eligible to be appointed to certain British orders of chivalry associated with India, the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India and the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. Women could be appointed as "Knights" (instead of Dames) of these orders. Rulers entitled to 21-gun and 19-gun salutes were normally appointed to the highest rank, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India.

Many Indian princes served in the British Army, the Indian Army, or in local guard or police forces, often rising to high ranks; some even served while on the throne. Many of these were appointed as an aide-de-camp, either to the ruling prince of their own house (in the case of relatives of such rulers) or to British monarchs. Many saw active service, both on the subcontinent and on other fronts, during both World Wars.

Apart from those members of the princely houses who entered military service and who distinguished themselves, a good number of princes received honorary ranks as officers in the British and Indian Armed Forces. Those ranks were conferred based on several factors, including their heritage, lineage, gun-salute (or lack of one) as well as personal character or martial traditions. After the First and Second World Wars, the princely rulers of several of the major states, including Gwalior, Patiala, Nabha, Faridkort, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jammu and Kashmir and Hyderabad, were given honorary general officer ranks as a result of their states' contributions to the war effort.

• Lieutenant/Captain/Flight Lieutenant or Lieutenant-Commander/Major/Squadron Leader (for junior members of princely houses or for minor princes)
• Commander/Lieutenant-Colonel/Wing Commander or Captain/Colonel/Group Captain (granted to princes of salute states, often to those entitled to 15-guns or more)
• Commodore/Brigadier/Air Commodore (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to gun salutes of 15-guns or more)
• Major-General/Air Vice-Marshal (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to 15-guns or more; conferred upon rulers of the major princely states, including Baroda, Kapurthala, Travancore, Bhopal and Mysore)
• Lieutenant-General (conferred upon the rulers of the largest and most prominent princely houses after the First and Second World Wars for their states' contributions to the war effort.)
• General (very rarely awarded; the Maharajas of Gwalior and Jammu & Kashmir were created honorary Generals in the British Army in 1877, the Maharaja of Bikaner was made one in 1937, and the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1941)

It was also not unusual for members of princely houses to be appointed to various colonial offices, often far from their native state, or to enter the diplomatic corps.

Salute states

Main article: Salute state

HH Maharaja Sir Jayaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior State, General Sir Henry Daly (Founder of The Daly College), with British officers and Maratha nobility (Sardars, Jagirdars & Mankaris) in Indore, Holkar State, c. 1879

The gun salute system was used to set unambiguously the precedence of the major rulers in the area in which the British East India Company was active, or generally of the states and their dynasties. As heads of a state, certain princely rulers were entitled to be saluted by the firing of an odd number of guns between three and 21, with a greater number of guns indicating greater prestige. Generally, the number of guns remained the same for all successive rulers of a particular state, but individual princes were sometimes granted additional guns on a personal basis. Furthermore, rulers were sometimes granted additional gun salutes within their own territories only, constituting a semi-promotion. The states of all these rulers (about 120) were known as salute states.

After Indian Independence, the Maharana of Udaipur displaced the Nizam of Hyderabad as the most senior prince in India, because Hyderabad State had not acceded to the new Dominion of India, and the style Highness was extended to all rulers entitled to 9-gun salutes. When the princely states had been integrated into the Indian Union their rulers were promised continued privileges and an income (known as the Privy Purse) for their upkeep. Subsequently, when the Indian government abolished the Privy Purse in 1971, the whole princely order ceased to be recognised under Indian law, although many families continue to retain their social prestige informally; some descendants of the rulers are still prominent in regional or national politics, diplomacy, business and high society.

At the time of Indian independence, only five rulers – the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Maharaja of Mysore, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir state, the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda and the Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior – were entitled to a 21-gun salute. Six more – the Nawab of Bhopal, the Maharaja Holkar of Indore, the Maharaja of Bharatpur, the Maharana of Udaipur, the Maharaja of Kolhapur, the Maharaja of Patiala and the Maharaja of Travancore – were entitled to 19-gun salutes. The most senior princely ruler was the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was entitled to the unique style Exalted Highness and 21-gun salute. Other princely rulers entitled to salutes of 11 guns (soon 9 guns too) or more were entitled to the style Highness. No special style was used by rulers entitled to lesser gun salutes.

As paramount ruler, and successor to the Mughals, the British King-Emperor of India, for whom the style of Majesty was reserved, was entitled to an 'imperial' 101-gun salute—in the European tradition also the number of guns fired to announce the birth of an heir (male) to the throne.

Non-salute states

Coinage of king Manak Pal (1772-1804), Princely State of Karauli. Karauli mint. Struck in the name of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Dated 1784-5 CE

There was no strict correlation between the levels of the titles and the classes of gun salutes, the real measure of precedence, but merely a growing percentage of higher titles in classes with more guns. As a rule the majority of gun-salute princes had at least nine, with numbers below that usually the prerogative of Arab Sheikhs of the Aden protectorate, also under British protection.

There were many so-called non-salute states of lower prestige. Since the total of salute states was 117 and there were more than 500 princely states, most rulers were not entitled to any gun salute. Not all of these were minor rulers – Surguja State, for example, was both larger and more populous than Karauli State, but the Maharaja of Karauli was entitled to a 17-gun salute and the Maharaja of Surguja was not entitled to any gun salute at all.

A number of princes, in the broadest sense of the term, were not even acknowledged as such. On the other hand, the dynasties of certain defunct states were allowed to keep their princely status – they were known as political pensioners, such as the Nawab of Oudh. There were also certain estates of British India which were rendered as political saranjams, having equal princely status. Though none of these princes were awarded gun salutes, princely titles in this category were recognised as a form of vassals of salute states, and were not even in direct relation with the paramount power.

Largest princely states by area

Eleven largest princely states in terms of area

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941		Present State	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler
Jammu and Kashmir	84,471	4,021,616	including Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu), Ladakh, and Punch (mostly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu and Buddhist minority)	Jammu and Kashmir	Maharaja, Dogra, Hindu	21
Hyderabad State	82,698	16,338,534	(mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim population)	Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka	Nizam, Turkic, Muslim	21
Khanate of Kalat	73,278	250,211	(chiefly Muslim)	Balochistan, Pakistan	Khan or Wali, Baloch, Muslim	19
Jodhpur State	36,071	2,125,000	(mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim population)	Rajasthan	Maharaja, Rathore, Hindu	17
Kingdom of Mysore	29,458	7,328,896	(Chiefly Hindu, with pockets of Muslim populations)	Karnataka	Wodeyar dynasty; Maharaja; Kannadiga; Hindu Kshattriya (Urs/Arasu in Kannada)	21
Gwalior State	26,397	4,006,159	(chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	Madhya Pradesh	Maharaja, Maratha, Hindu	21
Bikaner State	23,317	936,218	(chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim minority)	Rajasthan	Maharaja, Rathore, Hindu	17
Bahawalpur State	17,726	1,341,209	(Chiefly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu and Sikh minority)	Punjab (Pakistan)	Nawab Amir, Abbasid, Muslim	17
Jaisalmer State	16,100	76,255	(Chiefly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim population)	Rajasthan	Maharaja, Bhati, Hindu	15
Jaipur State	15,601	2,631,775	(Chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	Rajasthan	Maharaja, Kachhwaha, Hindu	17
Bastar State	13,062	306,501	(Chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim population)	Chhattisgarh	Maharaja, Kakatiya - Bhanj, Hindu	-

Doctrine of lapse

Main article: Doctrine of lapse

A controversial aspect of East India Company rule was the doctrine of lapse, a policy under which lands whose feudal ruler died (or otherwise became unfit to rule) without a male biological heir (as opposed to an adopted son) would become directly controlled by the company and an adopted son would not become the ruler of the princely state. This policy went counter to Indian tradition where, unlike Europe, it was far more the accepted norm for a ruler to appoint his own heir.

The doctrine of lapse was pursued most vigorously by the Governor-General Sir James Ramsay, 10th Earl (later 1st Marquess) of Dalhousie. Dalhousie annexed seven states, including Awadh (Oudh), whose Nawabs he had accused of misrule, and the Maratha states of Nagpur, Jhansi, Satara, Sambalpur, and Thanjavur. Resentment over the annexation of these states turned to indignation when the heirlooms of the Maharajas of Nagpur were auctioned off in Calcutta. Dalhousie's actions contributed to the rising discontent amongst the upper castes which played a large part in the outbreak of the Indian mutiny of 1857. The last Mughal badshah (emperor), whom many of the mutineers saw as a figurehead to rally around, was deposed following its suppression.

In response to the unpopularity of the doctrine, it was discontinued with the end of Company rule and the British Parliament's assumption of direct power over India.

Imperial governance

Main articles: Agencies of British India and Residencies of British India

Photograph (1894) of the 19-year-old Shahaji II Bhonsle Maharajah of Kolhapur visiting the British resident and his staff at the Residency

By treaty, the British controlled the external affairs of the princely states absolutely. As the states were not British possessions, they retained control over their own internal affairs, subject to a degree of British influence which in many states was substantial.

By the beginning of the 20th century, relations between the British and the four largest states – Hyderabad, Mysore, Jammu and Kashmir, and Baroda – were directly under the control of the governor-general of India, in the person of a British resident. Two agencies, for Rajputana and Central India, oversaw twenty and 148 princely states respectively. The remaining princely states had their own British political officers, or Agents, who answered to the administrators of India's provinces. The agents of five princely states were then under the authority of Madras, 354 under Bombay, 26 of Bengal, two under Assam, 34 under Punjab, fifteen under the Central Provinces and Berar and two under the United Provinces.

Chamber of Princes meeting in March 1941

The Chamber of Princes (Narender Mandal or Narendra Mandal) was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of the King-Emperor to provide a forum in which the rulers could voice their needs and aspirations to the government. It survived until the end of the British Raj in 1947.

By the early 1930s, most of the princely states whose agencies were under the authority of India's provinces were organised into new Agencies, answerable directly to the governor-general, on the model of the Central India and Rajputana agencies: the Eastern States Agency, Punjab States Agency, Baluchistan Agency, Deccan States Agency, Madras States Agency and the Northwest Frontier States Agency. The Baroda Residency was combined with the princely states of northern Bombay Presidency into the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency. Gwalior was separated from the Central India Agency and given its own Resident, and the states of Rampur and Benares, formerly with Agents under the authority of the United Provinces, were placed under the Gwalior Residency in 1936. The princely states of Sandur and Banganapalle in Mysore Presidency were transferred to the agency of the Mysore Resident in 1939.

Principal princely states in 1947

The native states in 1947 included five large states that were in "direct political relations" with the Government of India. For the complete list of princely states in 1947, see lists of princely states of India.

In direct relations with the central government

Five large princely states in direct political relations with the Central Government in India

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Baroda State	13,866	3,343,477 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	323.26	Maharaja, Maratha, Hindu	21	Resident at Baroda
Hyderabad State	82,698	16,338,534 (mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority)	1582.43	Nizam, Turkic, Muslim	21	Resident in Hyderabad
Jammu and Kashmir	84,471	4,021,616 including Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu), Ladakh, and Punch (mostly Muslim, with sizeable Hindu and Buddhist populations)	463.95	Maharaja, Dogra, Hindu	21	Resident in Jammu & Kashmir
Kingdom of Mysore	29,458	7,328,896 (chiefly Hindu, with sizeable Muslim populations)	1001.38	Wodeyar (means Owner in Kannada) and Maharaja, Kannadiga, Hindu	21	Resident in Mysore
Gwalior State	26,397	4,006,159 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	356.75	Maharaja, Maratha, Hindu	21	Resident at Gwalior
Total	236,890	35,038,682	3727.77

Central India Agency, Gwalior Residency, Baluchistan Agency, Rajputana Agency, Eastern States Agency

88 princely states forming the Central India Agency

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Indore State	9,341	1,513,966 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	304.9	Maharaja, Maratha, Hindu	19 (plus 2 local)	Resident at Indore
Bhopal	6,924	785,322 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	119.82	Nawab(m)/Begum(f), Afghan, Muslim	19 (plus 2 local)	Political Agent in Bhopal
Rewah	13,000	1,820,445 (chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)	65	Maharaja, Baghel Rajput, Hindu	17	Second largest state in Baghelkhand
85 smaller and minor states (1941)	22,995 (1901)	2.74 million (chiefly Hindu, 1901)	129 (1901)
Total	77,395 (1901)	8.51 million (1901)	421 (1901)

42 princely states forming the Eastern States Agency

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Cooch Behar	1,318	639,898 (chiefly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu population)	91	Maharaja, Koch (Kshattriya), Brahmo	13	Resident for the Eastern States
Tripura State	4,116	513,010 (chiefly Vaishnavite, with a sizeable Sanamahi minority)	54	Maharaja, Tripuri, Vaishnavite (Kshattriya)	13	Resident for the Eastern States
Mayurbhanj State	4,243	990,977 (chiefly Hindu)	49	Maharaja, Kshattriya, Hindu	9	Resident for the Eastern States
39 smaller and minor states (1941)	56,253	6,641,991	241.31
Total	65,930	8,785,876	435.31

Gwalior Residency (two states)

Two states under the suzerainty of the Resident at Gwalior, Gwalior having direct relations with the central government.

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Rampur	893	464,919 (chiefly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu population in 1931)	51	Nawab, Jat, Muslim	15	Political Agent at Rampur
Benares State	875	391,165 (chiefly Hindu, 1931)	19	Maharaja, Bhumihar Brahmin, Hindu	13 (plus 2 local)	Political Agent at Benares
Total	1,768	856,084 (1941, approx.)	70

23 princely states forming the Rajputana Agency, with the Resident for Rajputana at Abu

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Udaipur (Mewar)	13,170	1,926,698 (chiefly Hindu and Bhil)	107	Maharana, Sisodia Rajput, Hindu	19 (plus 2 personal)	Political Agent for the Mewar and Southern Rajputana States
Jaipur	15,610	3,040,876 (chiefly Hindu)	188.6	Maharaja, Kachwaha Rajput, Hindu	17 (plus 2 personal)	Political Agent at Jaipur
Jodhpur (Marwar)	36,120	2,555,904 (chiefly Hindu)	208.65	Maharaja, Rathor Rajput, Hindu	17	Political Agent for the Western States of Rajputana
Bikaner	23,181	1,292,938 (chiefly Hindu)	185.5	Maharaja, Rathor Rajput, Hindu	17	Political agent for the Western States of Rajputana
17 salute states, 1 chiefship, 1 zamindari	42,374	3.64 million (chiefly Hindu, 1901)	155 (1901)
Total	128,918 (1901)	9.84 million (1901)	320 (1901)

Three princely states forming the Baluchistan Agency

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Kalat	73,278	250,211 (chiefly Muslim)	21.3	Khan or Wali, Baloch, Muslim	19	Political Agent in Kalat
Las Bela	7,132	68,972 (chiefly Muslim)	6.1	Jam, Baloch, Muslim		Political Agent in Kalat
Kharan	14,210	33,763 (chiefly Muslim)	2	Nawab, Baloch, Muslim		Political Agent in Kalat
Total	94,620	352,946	29.4

Other states under provincial governments

Madras (5 states)

5 states under the suzerainty of the Provincial Government of Madras

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1901	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Travancore	7,091	2,952,157 (chiefly Hindu and Christian)	100	Maharaja, Kshatriya-Samanthan, Hindu	21 (including two guns personal to the then ruler)	Resident in Travancore and Cochin
Cochin	1,362	812,025 (chiefly Hindu and Christian)	27	Raja, Samanta-Kshatriya, Hindu	17	Resident in Travancore and Cochin
Pudukkottai	1,100	380,440 (chiefly Hindu)	11	Raja, Kallar, Hindu	11	Collector of Trichinopoly (ex officio Political Agent)
2 minor states (Banganapalle and Sandur)	416	43,464	3
Total	9,969	4,188,086	141

Bombay (354 states)

354 states under the suzerainty of the Provincial Government of Bombay

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1901	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Kolhapur	2,855	910,011 (chiefly Hindu)	48	Maharaja", Chhtrapati "Maratha, Hindu	19	Political Agent for Kolhapur
Cutch	7,616	488,022 (chiefly Hindu)	20	Maharao, Jadeja Rajput, Hindu	17	Political Agent in Cutch
Junagarh	3,284	395,428 (chiefly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim population)	27	Nawab, Pathan, Muslim	11	Agent to the Governor in Kathiawar
Navanagar	3,791	336,779 (chiefly Hindu)	31	Jam Sahib, Jadeja Rajput, Hindu	11	Agent to the Governor in Kathiawar
349 other states	42,165	4,579,095	281
Total	65,761	6,908,648	420

Central Provinces (15 states)

15 states under the suzerainty of the Provincial Government of the Central Provinces

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1901	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Kalahandi	3,745	284,465 (chiefly Hindu)	4	Raja, Kshatriya, Hindu	9	Political Agent for the Chhattisgarh Feudatories
Bastar	13,062	306,501 (chiefly animist)	3	Raja, Kshatriya, Hindu		Political Agent for the Chhattisgarh Feudatories
13 other states	12,628	1,339,353 (chiefly Hindu)	16		11
Total	29,435	1,996,383	21

Punjab (45 states)

45 states under the suzerainty of the Provincial Government of the Punjab

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Bahawalpur State	16,434	1,341,209 (chiefly Muslim)	335	Nawab, Daudputra, Muslim	17	Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur
Patiala State	5,942	1,936,259 (chiefly Sikh)	302.6	Maharaja, Sikh	17 (and 2 personal)	Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur
Nabha State	947	340,044 (chiefly Sikh)	38.7	Maharaja, Sikh	13 (and 2 local)	Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur
Jind State	1,299	361,812 (chiefly Sikh)	37.4	Maharaja, Sikh	13 (and 2 personal)	Political Agent for Phulkian States and Bahawalpur
Kapurthala State	645	378,380 (chiefly Sikh)	40.5	Maharaja, Ahuluwalia, Sikh	13 (and 2 personal)	Commissioner of the Jullundur Division (ex officio Political Agent)
Faridkot State	638	199,283 (chiefly Sikh)	22.7	Raja, Sikh	11	Commissioner of the Jullundur Division (ex officio Political Agent)
Garhwal State	4,500	397,369 (chiefly Hindu)	26.9	Maharaja, Rajput Hindu	11	Commissioner of Kumaun (ex officio Political Agent)
Khayrpur State	6,050	305,387 (chiefly Muslim)	15 (plus 2 local)	Mir, Talpur Baloch, Muslim	37.8	Political Agent for Khairpur
25 other states	12,661 (in 1901)	1,087,614 (in 1901)	30 (in 1901)
Total	36,532 (in 1901)	4,424,398 (in 1901)	155 (in 1901)

Assam (26 states)

26 states under the suzerainty of the Provincial Government of Assam

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1941	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Manipur	270.3	512,069 (chiefly Hindu and animist)	19	Raja, Kshatriya, Hindu	11	Political Agent in Manipur
25 Khasi States	3,778	213,586 (chiefly Khasi and Christian)	~1 (1941, approx.)			Deputy Commissioner, Khasi and Jaintia Hills
Total	12,416	725,655	20 (1941; approx.)

Burma

See also: Shan States and Wa States

Burma (52 states)

52 states in Burma: all except Kantarawadi, one of the Karenni States, were included in British India until 1937

Name of princely state	Area in square miles	Population in 1901	Approximate revenue of the state (in hundred thousand rupees)	Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler	Gun-salute for ruler	Designation of local political officer
Hsipaw (Thibaw)	5,086	105,000 (Buddhist)	3	Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist	9	Superintendent, Northern Shan States
Kengtung	12,000	190,000 (Buddhist)	1	Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist	9	Superintendent Southern Shan States
Yawnghwe	865	95,339 (Buddhist)	2.13	Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist	9	Superintendent Southern Shan States
Mongnai	2,717	44,000 (Buddhist)	0.5	Sawbwa, Shan, Buddhist		Superintendent Southern Shan States
5 Karenni States	3,130	45,795 (Buddhist and animist)	0.035	Sawbwa, Karenni, Buddhist		Superintendent Southern Shan States
44 other states	42,198	792,152 (Buddhist and animist)	8.5
Total	67,011	1,177,987	13.5

State military forces

Main article: Indian State Forces

The armies of the princely states were bound by many restrictions that were imposed by subsidiary alliances. They existed mainly for ceremonial use and for internal policing, although certain units designated as Imperial Service Troops, were available for service alongside the regular Indian Army upon request by the British government.

According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV 1907, p. 85,

Since a chief can neither attack his neighbour nor fall out with a foreign nation, it follows that he needs no military establishment which is not required either for police purposes or personal display, or for cooperation with the Imperial Government. The treaty made with Gwalior in 1844, and the instrument of transfer given to Mysore in 1881, alike base the restriction of the forces of the State upon the broad ground of protection. The former explained in detail that unnecessary armies were embarrassing to the State itself and the cause of disquietude to others: a few months later a striking proof of this was afforded by the army of the Sikh kingdom of Lahore. The British Government has undertaken to protect the dominions of the Native princes from invasion and even from rebellion within: its army is organised for the defence not merely of British India, but of all the possessions under the suzerainty of the King-Emperor.

In addition, other restrictions were imposed:

The treaties with most of the larger States are clear on this point. Posts in the interior must not be fortified, factories for the production of guns and ammunition must not be constructed, nor may the subject of other States be enlisted in the local forces. ... They must allow the forces that defend them to obtain local supplies, to occupy cantonments or positions, and to arrest deserters; and in addition to these services they must recognise the Imperial control of the railways, telegraphs, and postal communications as essential not only to the common welfare but to the common defence.

The Imperial Service Troops were routinely inspected by British army officers and had the same equipment as soldiers in the British Indian Army. Although their numbers were relatively small, the Imperial Service Troops were employed in China and British Somaliland in the first decade of the 20th century, and later saw action in the First World War and Second World War .

Political integration of princely states

In 1920, Congress under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi declared that attainment of swaraj for Indians was its goal. It asked "all the sovereign princes of India to establish full responsible government in their states". Gandhi assured the princes that Congress will not intervene in internal affairs of the princely states. Congress reiterated their demand at 1928 Calcutta Congress, "This Congress assures the people of the Indian States of its sympathy with and support in their legitimate and peaceful struggle for the attainment of full responsible government in the States."

Jawaharlal Nehru played a major role in pushing Congress to confront the princely states. In his presidential address at Lahore session in 1929, Jawaharlal Nehru declared: "The Indian states cannot live apart from the rest of the (sic) India". Nehru added he is "no believer in kings or princes" and that "the only people who have the right to determine the future of the States must be the people of these States. This Congress which claims self-determination cannot deny it to the people of the states."

After the Congress's electoral victory in 1937 elections, protests, sometimes violent, and satyagrahas against the princely states were organised and were supported by the Congress's ministries. Gandhi fasted in Rajkot State to demand "full responsible government" and added that "the people" were "the real rulers of Rajkot under the paramountcy of the Congress". Gandhi termed this protest as struggle against "the disciplined hordes of the British empire". Gandhi proclaimed that the Congress had now every right to intervene in "the states which are the vassals of the British". In 1937, Gandhi played a major role in formation of federation involving a union between British India and the princely states with an Indian central government.

In 1939, Nehru challenged the existence of the princely states and added that "the states in modern India are anachronistic and do not deserve to exist." In July 1946, Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India.

Hindu Mahasabha took funding from the princely states and supported them to remain independent even after the independence of India. V. D. Savarkar particularly hailed the Hindu dominated states as the 'bedrock of Hindu power' and defended their despotic powers, referring to them as the 'citadels of organised Hindu power'. He particularly hailed the princely states such as Mysore State, Travancore, Oudh and Baroda State as 'progressive Hindu states'.

The era of the princely states effectively ended with Indian independence in 1947; by 1950, almost all of the principalities had acceded to either India or Pakistan. The accession process was largely peaceful, except in the cases of Jammu and Kashmir (whose ruler decided to accede to India following an invasion by Pakistan-based forces, resulting in a long-standing dispute between the two countries), Hyderabad State (whose ruler opted for independence in 1947, followed a year later by the invasion and annexation of the state by India), Junagarh and its vassal Bantva Manavadar (whose rulers acceded to Pakistan, but were annexed by India), and Kalat (whose ruler declared independence in 1947, followed in 1948 by the state's accession to Pakistan).

India

Main article: Political integration of India

At the time of Indian independence on 15 August 1947, India was divided into two sets of territories, the first being the territories of "British India", which were under the direct control of the India Office in London and the governor-general of India, and the second being the "princely states", the territories over which the Crown had suzerainty, but which were under the control of their hereditary rulers. In addition, there were several colonial enclaves controlled by France and Portugal. The integration of these territories into Dominion of India, that had been created by the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British Parliament, was a declared objective of the Indian National Congress, which the Government of India pursued over the years 1947 to 1949. Through a combination of tactics, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V. P. Menon in the months immediately preceding and following the independence convinced the rulers of almost all of the hundreds of princely states to accede to India. In a speech in January 1948, Vallabhbhai Patel said:

As you are all aware, on the lapse of Paramountcy every Indian State became a separate independent entity and our first task of consolidating about 550 States was on the basis of accession to the Indian Dominion on three subjects. Barring Hyderabad and Junagadh all the states which are contiguous to India acceded to Indian Dominion. Subsequently, Kashmir also came in... Some Rulers who were quick to read the writing on the wall, gave responsible government to their people; Cochin being the most illustrious example. In Travancore, there was a short struggle, but there, too, the Ruler soon recognised the aspiration of his people and agreed to introduce a constitution in which all powers would be transferred to the people and he would function as a constitutional Ruler.

Although this process successfully integrated the vast majority of princely states into India, it was not as successful in relation to a few states, notably the former princely state of Kashmir, whose Maharaja delayed signing the instrument of accession into India until his territories were under the threat of invasion by Pakistan, and the state of Hyderabad, whose ruler decided to remain independent and was subsequently defeated by the Operation Polo invasion.

Having secured their accession, Sardar Patel and V. P. Menon then proceeded, in a step-by-step process, to secure and extend the central government's authority over these states and to transform their administrations until, by 1956, there was little difference between the territories that had formerly been part of British India and those that had been princely states. Simultaneously, the Government of India, through a combination of diplomatic and economic pressure, acquired control over most of the remaining European colonial exclaves on the subcontinent. Fed up with the protracted and stubborn resistance of the Portuguese government; in 1961 the Indian Army invaded and annexed Portuguese India. These territories, like the princely states, were also integrated into the Republic of India.

As the final step, in 1971, the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India withdrew recognition of the princes as rulers, took away their remaining privileges, and abolished the remuneration granted to them by privy purses.

As per the terms of accession, the erstwhile Indian princes received privy purses (government allowances), and initially retained their statuses, privileges, and autonomy in internal matters during a transitional period which lasted until 1956. During this time, the former princely states were merged into unions, each of which was headed by a former ruling prince with the title of Rajpramukh (ruling chief), equivalent to a state governor. In 1956, the position of Rajpramukh was abolished and the federations dissolved, the former principalities becoming part of Indian states. The states which acceded to Pakistan retained their status until the promulgation of a new constitution in 1956, when most became part of the province of West Pakistan; a few of the former states retained their autonomy until 1969 when they were fully integrated into Pakistan. The Indian government abolished the privy purses in 1971, followed by the government of Pakistan in 1972.

In July 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India. In January 1947, Nehru said that independent India would not accept the divine right of kings. In May, 1947, he declared that any princely state which refused to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state. There were officially 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent in 1947, but the great majority had contracted with the British viceroy to provide public services and tax collection. Only 21 had actual state governments, and only four were large (Hyderabad State, Mysore State, Jammu and Kashmir State, and Baroda State). They acceded to one of the two new independent countries between 1947 and 1949. All the princes were eventually pensioned off.

Pakistan

Main article: Princely states of Pakistan

During the period of the British Raj, there were four princely states in Balochistan: Makran, Kharan, Las Bela and Kalat. The first three acceded to Pakistan. However, the ruler of the fourth princely state, the Khan of Kalat Ahmad Yar Khan, declared Kalat's independence as this was one of the options given to all princely states. The state remained independent until it was acceded on 27 March 1948. The signing of the Instrument of Accession by Ahmad Yar Khan, led his brother, Prince Abdul Karim, to revolt against his brother's decision in July 1948, causing an ongoing and still unresolved insurgency.

Bahawalpur from the Punjab Agency joined Pakistan on 5 October 1947. The princely states of the North-West Frontier States Agencies. included the Dir Swat and Chitral Agency and the Deputy Commissioner of Hazara acting as the Political Agent for Amb and Phulra. These states joined Pakistan on independence from the British.

See also

• Flags of Indian princely states
• Political integration of India
• List of princely states of British India (by region)
• List of Indian monarchs
• Praja Mandal
• Salute state
• Indian feudalism
• Indian honorifics
• Ghatwals and Mulraiyats
• Jagirdar
• List of Maratha dynasties and states
• List of Rajput dynasties and states
• Maratha Empire
• Oudh Bequest
• Rajputana
• Zamindar

Bibliography

• Bangash, Yaqoob Khan (2016). "A Princely Affair: The Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan, 1947–1955". Oxford University Press Pakistan. ISBN 9780199407361
• Bhagavan, Manu. "Princely States and the Hindu Imaginary: Exploring the Cartography of Hindu Nationalism in Colonial India" Journal of Asian Studies, (Aug 2008) 67#3 pp 881–915 in JSTOR
• Bhagavan, Manu. Sovereign Spheres: Princes, Education and Empire in Colonial India (2003)
• Copland, Ian (2002), Princes of India in the Endgame of Empire, 1917–1947, (Cambridge Studies in Indian History & Society). Cambridge and London: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 316, ISBN 978-0-521-89436-4.
• Ernst, W. and B. Pati, eds. India's Princely States: People, Princes, and Colonialism (2007)
• Harrington, Jack (2010), Sir John Malcolm and the Creation of British India, Chs. 4 & 5., New York: Palgrave Macmillan., ISBN 978-0-230-10885-1
• Jeffrey, Robin. People, Princes and Paramount Power: Society and Politics in the Indian Princely States (1979) 396pp
• Kooiman, Dick. Communalism and Indian Princely States: Travancore, Baroda & Hyderabad in the 1930s (2002), 249pp
• Markovits, Claude (2004). "ch 21: "Princely India (1858–1950)". A history of modern India, 1480–1950. Anthem Press. pp. 386–409. ISBN 978-1-84331-152-2.
• Ramusack, Barbara (2004), The Indian Princes and their States, The New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge and London: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 324, ISBN 978-0-521-03989-5
• Pochhammer, Wilhelm von India's Road to Nationhood: A Political History of the Subcontinent (1973) ch 57 excerpt
• Zutshi, Chitralekha (2009). "Re-visioning princely states in South Asian historiography: A review". Indian Economic & Social History Review. 46 (3): 301–313. doi:10.1177/001946460904600302. S2CID 145521826.

Gazetteers

• Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. II (1908), The Indian Empire, Historical, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxxv, 1 map, 573. online
• Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. III (1907), The Indian Empire, Economic (Chapter X: Famine, pp. 475–502, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxxvi, 1 map, 520. online
• Imperial Gazetteer of India vol. IV (1907), The Indian Empire, Administrative, Published under the authority of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India in Council, Oxford at the Clarendon Press. Pp. xxx, 1 map, 552. online

External links

• Sir Roper Lethbridge (1893). The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled or Decorated, of the Indian Empire (Full text). Macmillan And Co., New York.
• Exhaustive lists of rulers and heads of government, and some biographies.
• India, Order Book, released as part of a response from Passport Office, UK to a request made using WhatDoTheyKnow, accessed 17 October 2023.