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 founded by the nobles or the Viceroys of the foreign invaders. Then there were the newer States, which the British recognised during the final stages of the consolidation of their power.

 

31. Geographically the States were scattered over every portion of the map of India. The yellow and pink map of pre-Partition India showed the Baluchistan States and the States of Kashmir and Sikkim (the last one sometimes shown in pale green to indicate that unlike other States it was under the External Affairs Department) on the frontiers of India. It showed in the north-east Cooch-Behar within the territories of the Bengal Province and the Manipur State surrounded by the territories of the Province of Assam. Southwards in the eastern portion of India the next block of Indian State territory was to be found in a chain of small States, which were known as the Chhattisgarh and Orissa States. Further south figured the States of Hyderabad and Mysore, the latter a unit larger than the Irish Free State and having twice its population. Facing the Indian Ocean farther southwards still were the two densely populated States of Cochin and Travancore. Northwards up the west coast, and both on the coast and inland, were to be found various States mainly of the Maharatta period, the largest of these being Kolhapur. The chain of States ended with the State of Baroda made up of several separate areas to the north of Bombay Presidency. Further to the north-west lay the extremely numerous assemblage of States and Estates included in the Western India States Agency, of which the better known were Kutch, Nawanagar, Bhavnagar and Junagadh. To the north-east of Bombay, separating Bombay and the Central Provinces from the United Provinces, lay the main mass of Central India States which included Gwalior, Indore and Rewa. The northern and north-western portion of Bombay was divided from the Punjab by the wide area of Rajputana States. Among the States of this group, which constituted the largest unit of Indian States, were the important Rajputana States of Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. In the United Provinces were to be found the isolated States of Tehri-Garhwal, Rampur and Benares. To the north-west were the Punjab States including Patiala stretching up to Simla and the States of Jind, Nabha and Kapurthala; and a number of smaller States. Further west appeared the State of Bahawalpur. The State of Khairpur lay in the geographical orbit of Sind. 