Theme 24Part D · After 1947
Integration and reorganisation
1947 to 2019 · princely states, French and Portuguese India, and linguistic States
Independence left India in pieces: some 565 princely states, French and Portuguese enclaves, and provinces drawn for British convenience. This theme maps how the pieces were put together in 1947 to 1949, how the last European pockets left, and how the States were redrawn from 1956 onwards.
Event 11947 to 1949
Integrating the princely states
In August 1947 there were about 565 princely states, covering two fifths of the subcontinent. With British paramountcy lapsing, each was in theory free. Vallabhbhai Patel and his secretary V. P. Menon, at the new States Department (July 1947), brought almost all of them into India before 15 August by an Instrument of Accession on defence, foreign affairs and communications.
Swipe the map sideways to see all of it.
Persuasion, patriotism and pressure: by 15 August all but a handful of the states inside India's borders had acceded. Travancore, Bhopal and Jodhpur held out longest among the large ones but signed.
The Nawab of Junagadh, a small state with a Hindu majority, surrounded by Indian territory, accedes to Pakistan. Its people revolt, Indian forces take over, and a plebiscite (February 1948) votes overwhelmingly for India.
The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir hesitates. When tribal raiders from Pakistan invade (22 October 1947), he signs the Instrument of Accession (26 October) and Indian troops are flown to Srinagar. India takes the matter to the UN (January 1948); a ceasefire comes on 1 January 1949.
The Nizam wants independence; the Razakars of Qasim Razvi terrorise the state, and the communist led Telangana rising is under way. After a standstill agreement fails, India's Operation Polo (13 to 17 September 1948) ends in four days, and Hyderabad joins India.
- 1948 Small states merged into provinces (the Orissa and Chhattisgarh states, January 1948) or grouped into unions: Saurashtra, Matsya, Vindhya Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union).
- 1948 to 1949 Rajasthan formed in stages; Travancore Cochin (1949).
- 1950 The Constitution groups the units into Part A (former provinces), Part B (former princely states and unions, under a Rajpramukh), Part C (chief commissioners' provinces) and Part D (Andaman and Nicobar) States.
- 1971 The 26th Amendment ends the princes' privy purses.
Event 21950 to 1961
The French and the Portuguese leave
Two European powers still held pockets of Indian territory after 1947.
Swipe the map sideways to see all of it.
Chandernagore votes to join India (1949) and is transferred in 1950. Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam are handed over de facto on 1 November 1954 and de jure in 1962.
Volunteers free Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1954). Portugal refuses to negotiate on Goa; satyagrahis are shot in 1955. On 18 to 19 December 1961, Operation Vijay ends Portuguese rule in Goa, Daman and Diu in less than two days.
Event 31948 to 2019
Reorganisation of States
The Congress had promised linguistic provinces since Nagpur (1920). After independence its leaders hesitated, fearing division, until a death forced their hand.
- 1948 Dar Commission advises against linguistic states.
- 1949 JVP Committee (Jawaharlal, Vallabhbhai, Pattabhi) agrees: not now.
- 15 Dec 1952 Potti Sriramulu dies after a 56 day fast for a Telugu state.
- 1 Oct 1953 Andhra State is formed, capital Kurnool.
- 1953 to 1955 The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali, K. M. Panikkar, H. N. Kunzru) reports.
- 1956 States Reorganisation Act: 14 States, 6 Union Territories.
Swipe the map sideways to see all of it.
The States Reorganisation Act (in force 1 November 1956) creates 14 States and 6 Union Territories largely on linguistic lines, following the Fazl Ali Commission. Goa is still Portuguese.
After the Samyukta Maharashtra and Mahagujarat agitations, Bombay State is split into Maharashtra and Gujarat (1 May 1960).
Nagaland (1963); Haryana carved from Punjab, with Chandigarh a Union Territory (1966); Himachal Pradesh a State (1971); Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura States (1972).
Sikkim becomes a State after a referendum (1975). Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa become States (1987).
Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand (2000); Telangana (2014); Jammu and Kashmir reorganised into two Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (2019).
Brighter colours mark the units new in each step. Union Territories and small States are not all labelled.
Who's who8 people
People
Vallabhbhai Patel
States Department
Iron Man of India.
V. P. Menon
States Department
Secretary; author of The Integration of the Indian States.
Hari Singh
Jammu and Kashmir
Signed the accession, 26 October 1947.
Osman Ali Khan
Nizam of Hyderabad
Held out until Operation Polo.
Mahabat Khan III
Nawab of Junagadh
Acceded to Pakistan, then fled.
Qasim Razvi
Razakars
Leader of the Nizam's militia.
Potti Sriramulu
Andhra
Died fasting for a Telugu state (1952).
Fazl Ali
SRC
Chairman of the States Reorganisation Commission.
Key terms7
Terms
- Instrument of Accession
- The document by which a ruler joined India on defence, foreign affairs and communications.
- Standstill agreement
- Temporary agreement keeping existing arrangements in place.
- Operation Polo
- Police action in Hyderabad, September 1948.
- Operation Vijay
- Liberation of Goa, December 1961.
- Rajpramukh
- Head of a Part B State formed from princely states.
- Privy purse
- Payment to former rulers, ended in 1971.
- SRC
- States Reorganisation Commission (1953 to 1955).