Challenges of Integration of Princely states

Published on 29 Sep 2025

The challenge of integration of the over 500 princely states (widely reported to be 565) which made up the British Indian empire was one of the biggest challenges for the newly independent country. The constitutional status of the princely states was left in ambiguity by Cabinet mission.

To take up issue of princely states, a new States department was set up on 27th June with Sardar Vallabhai Patel as the minister-in-charge and V P Menon as his secretary. A draft Instrument of accession whereby the states would agree to transfer control of defence, foreign affairs and communications to the Congress government with Patel appealing to states to accede to the Indian Union and join the Constituent Assembly. 

• Religious dichotomy between ruling class and populace

• Junagarh: It was ruled by a Muslim Nawab over a mostly Hindu population. The initial accession to Pakistan was reversed through a plebiscite, with Junagarh residents decisively choosing to merge with India.

• Bhopal: Bhopal, with a primarily Hindu population and a Muslim ruler, initially sought independence. The Nawab, aligned with the Muslim League, eventually signed the Instrument of Accession with India after persuasion by Viceroy Mountbatten.

• Powerful states seeking independent existence

• Travancore: Dewan C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer initially sought an independent sovereign state with separate relations with India and Pakistan.

• Issue of Mughal vassal states

• Hyderabad:  The Nizam and the paramilitary group known as the 'Razakars,' which fueled communal tensions, were ultimately subdued through police action, known as Operation Polo, on September 13, 1948.

• States seeking to take advantage of the situation

• Jodhpur: The border state sought favourable terms from Pakistan but ultimately acceded to India after receiving assurances of arms, grain imports, and the safety of a Hindu state within Muslim Pakistan.

• The Unique case of Kashmir

• Kashmir: Hari Singh, the Hindu ruler of Muslim-majority Kashmir, joined India for protection against Pathan invaders. India agreed to establish an interim government under Sheikh Abdullah and conduct a future plebiscite.

After acceding, the new states were asked to integrate i.e., to dissolve their status as independent entities and merge with the Union of India. This was achieved by the offer of a Privy Purse (an annual allowance in perpetuity) to Indian princes which was fixed based on various factors like revenue earned, antiquity of ruling dynasty etc. The royals were also allowed to retain their titles, ancestral property and palaces.

Important princely states which were integrated before independence

• Baroda, the first chiefdom to join the constituent assembly as early as February 1947.

• Bikaner, another early state to sign the instrument of accession mainly on account of its Dewan, the celebrated historian K M Panikkar

• Travancore, in July 1947 after consent from the king of Travancore following pressure from State people’s organization.

• Bhopal, on the eve of independence

• Jodhpur on 11th August 1947

Thus, most states except for Hyderabad, Junagarh, Kashmir, French owned territories in Puducherry and Portuguese territories in Goa had acceded to India before independence

Tags:
History & Culture

Keywords:
Challenges of Integration of Princely states States department Sardar Vallabhai Patel V P menon Instrument of accession Junagarh plebiscite Bhopal Travancore Dewan C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer Hyderabad Nizam Razakar Jodhpur Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah Privy Purse Baroda Bikaner

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 1

Topics:
Post-Independence Consolidation