Q: How many princely states existed in India at the time of independence (1947)?
A: 562
Q: Who led the integration of princely states after independence?
A: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Q: Who assisted Sardar Patel in integration?
A: V.P. Menon
Q: What post did Sardar Patel hold during integration?
A: Deputy Prime Minister & Home Minister of India
Q: What was V.P. Menon’s designation?
A: Secretary, Ministry of States
Q: Who was the last Governor-General of independent India during integration?
A: Lord Mountbatten
Q: Which legal document was signed by princely states to join India?
A: Instrument of Accession
Q: The Instrument of Accession gave India control over which subjects?
A: Defence, External Affairs, and Communications
Q: What additional agreement was signed by rulers for full merger?
A: Merger Agreement
Q: What was the main policy adopted for integration?
A: Persuasion and diplomacy
Q: When did the integration process start?
A: August 1947
Q: Which two states initially created difficulty in accession?
A: Hyderabad and Junagadh
Q: Which princely state first acceded to India?
A: Bikaner
Q: Who described Sardar Patel as the “Bismarck of India”?
A: Lord Mountbatten
Q: Who called V.P. Menon “Architect of Indian Unity”?
A: Jawaharlal Nehru
Q: Which princely state wanted to join Pakistan despite being Hindu majority?
A: Junagadh
Q: Who was the Nawab of Junagadh?
A: Nawab Mahabat Khan
Q: When did India take military action in Junagadh?
A: November 1947
Q: How was Junagadh’s issue finally resolved?
A: Through a plebiscite (people voted to join India)
Q: Which ruler of Kashmir delayed accession initially?
A: Maharaja Hari Singh
Q: When did Jammu & Kashmir sign the Instrument of Accession?
A: 26 October 1947
Q: Why did Kashmir accede to India?
A: Due to tribal invasion from Pakistan
Q: The accession of Kashmir was accepted by whom?
A: Governor-General Lord Mountbatten
Q: Which princely state refused to join either India or Pakistan, aiming for independence?
A: Hyderabad
Q: Who was the ruler (Nizam) of Hyderabad during 1947?
A: Mir Osman Ali Khan
Q: Hyderabad’s military organization supporting independence was?
A: Razakars
Q: Who led the Razakars?
A: Qasim Razvi
Q: What was the Indian military operation against Hyderabad called?
A: Operation Polo
Q: When was Operation Polo launched?
A: September 13, 1948
Q: When did Hyderabad officially join India?
A: September 17, 1948
Q: Which princely state had a French Governor during integration?
A: Pondicherry
Q: When did Pondicherry merge de facto with India?
A: 1954
Q: When did Pondicherry merge de jure (legally) with India?
A: 1962
Q: Which Portuguese territories were integrated later by force?
A: Goa, Daman & Diu
Q: When was Goa liberated by Indian forces?
A: December 19, 1961
Q: Smaller princely states were merged to form?
A: Unions of States
Q: Which princely states formed the United State of Kathiawar (Saurashtra)?
A: 200+ small states in Gujarat
Q: United State of Kathiawar formed in?
A: February 1948
Q: Which states formed the United State of Travancore-Cochin?
A: Travancore and Cochin
Q: When was Travancore-Cochin formed?
A: July 1949
Q: Which states merged to form Madhya Bharat?
A: Gwalior, Indore, and others
Q: Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) included how many states?
A: 8 princely states
Q: When was PEPSU formed?
A: July 1948
Q: Which states merged to form Rajasthan?
A: Rajput princely states
Q: Rajasthan formation completed in?
A: March 1950
Q: Which state was the last to join the Indian Union in 1975?
A: Sikkim
Q: Sikkim became a full Indian state in?
A: 1975 (36th Constitutional Amendment)
Q: Who was the Chogyal (ruler) of Sikkim before merger?
A: Palden Thondup Namgyal
Q: Which Indian PM finalized Sikkim’s integration?
A: Indira Gandhi
Q: French colonies like Chandernagore were merged through?
A: Popular plebiscite
Q: The princely states’ rulers were given privy purses – what were these?
A: Annual allowances in return for surrendering power
Q: Privy purses were abolished in which year?
A: 1971
Q: Who abolished privy purses?
A: Indira Gandhi
Q: The abolition of privy purses required which Constitutional Amendment?
A: 26th Amendment Act (1971)
Q: Sardar Patel’s efforts are compiled in which book by V.P. Menon?
A: The Story of the Integration of the Indian States
Q: Who was the Governor-General during Hyderabad’s integration?
A: C. Rajagopalachari
Q: What did the term “Standstill Agreement” mean?
A: Temporary maintenance of pre-existing administrative arrangements
Q: Which princely states signed Standstill Agreements before accession?
A: Hyderabad, Kashmir, Junagadh
Q: Who was the first Indian Governor-General during integration?
A: C. Rajagopalachari
Q: The integration of princely states is known as a tribute to whose leadership?
A: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
| State / Region | Ruler / Leader | Event / Agreement | Year | Outcome / Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bikaner | Maharaja Sadul Singh | First to accede | Aug 1947 | Joined India voluntarily |
| Junagadh | Nawab Mahabat Khan | Accession to Pakistan → Plebiscite | Nov 1947 | Voted to join India |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Maharaja Hari Singh | Instrument of Accession | Oct 26, 1947 | Joined India after invasion |
| Hyderabad | Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan | Operation Polo | Sep 1948 | Annexed into India |
| Travancore | C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar (Dewan) | Agreement with Cochin | Jul 1949 | Formed Travancore–Cochin |
| Cochin | Raja of Cochin | Merged with Travancore | Jul 1949 | Part of Kerala (1956) |
| Gwalior & Indore | Maharaja Scindia & Holkar | Union of Madhya Bharat | 1948 | Later merged into MP (1956) |
| Patiala, Nabha, Jind etc. | Various Rulers | PEPSU (Patiala & East Punjab States Union) | Jul 1948 | Later merged into Punjab |
| Rajput States (Jaipur, Jodhpur, etc.) | Rajput Rulers | Union of Rajasthan | Mar 1949–50 | Complete integration by 1950 |
| Kathiawar States | Many small rulers | United State of Saurashtra | Feb 1948 | Later became part of Gujarat |
| Baroda | Maharaja Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad | Merger agreement | 1949 | Integrated into Bombay State |
| Mysore | Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar | Voluntary accession | 1947 | Became part of Karnataka |
| Bhopal | Nawab Hamidullah Khan | Initially resisted | 1949 | Later acceded to India |
| Manipur | Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh | Signed Instrument of Accession | Sep 1949 | Merged with India |
| Tripura | Maharani Kanchanprabha Devi | Merger Agreement | Oct 1949 | Became part of India |
| Pondicherry | French Governor | De facto merger | 1954 | De jure merger in 1962 |
| Chandernagore | French Territory | Plebiscite | 1949 | Joined West Bengal |
| Goa, Daman & Diu | Portuguese Rule | Operation Vijay | Dec 1961 | Liberated and merged with India |
| Sikkim | Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal | 36th Amendment | 1975 | Became 22nd state of India |