Princely States of India: A Guide to Chronology and Rulers

The Princely States of India represented the acme of the British imperial policy of indirect rule, whereunder the "traditional" ruling classes were expected to assume the burden of administration. By independence in 1947 the government recognized nearly 600 entities varying from the size of the United Kingdom to several that consisted of a single village. In providing a carefully assembled chronology of the leaders of the 290 most significant states, the author makes available a new and valuable tool for all scholars of South Asia, as well as Sikkim and Bhutan, in the colonial period.