Page:White Paper on Indian States (1950).pdf/66

 no reason why these States should not integrate and pool their resources to form a sizeable and economically stable unit of the Union of India.

140. The principle of integration of the two States was accepted when a deputation consisting of the Premiers and Ministers of Travancore and Cochin and representatives of the Congress organisation in the two States met the Hon'ble Minister for States on April 1, 1949 and recommended the integration of the two States. Since, in both these States, Legislatures elected on the basis of adult franchise were functioning and the Ministries of the two States were responsible to their respective Legislatures the views expressed by the deputation were taken to reflect the popular wishes in the matter. An announcement accepting the principle of integration was accordingly made in a Press Communique issued on April 2, 1949. Another Press Communique was issued on April 4, 1949 announcing the appointment of a Committee to examine and report on the problems connected with the integration. Shri V. P. Menon, Adviser, Ministry of States, visited these States in May 1949 and as a result of the negotiations conducted by him with the Rulers and the Governments of the two States, the Covenant (Appendix XLII) for the formation of a Union of the two States was finalised and executed by the Rulers in May 1949 and the Union was inaugurated on July 1, 1949.

141. One of the special features of the Covenant is the arrangement in respect of Devaswoms—Hindu temples—and property attached to them in the two States including the temple of Shri Padmanabhaswami the tutelary dietydeity [sic] of the ruling family of Travancore. In Travancore alone, apart from this important shrine, on the maintenance of which the State was spending over Rs. 1 million per annum, there are 348 major Devaswoms and 1123 minor Devaswoms. Large revenues are derived by the State from the properties which were attached to these Devaswoms and provision was made by the State for the maintenance of Devaswoms, from time to time, at varying figures. Hindu opinion in the State was unanimous that not only should the continued payment of the existing allotments for the maintenance of Devaswoms be guaranteed but that adequate compensation should also be given in respect of the properties of the Devaswoms taken over by the State since 1912, and the profits derived from them. The annual contribution thus claimed ranged from rupees ten to twenty millions. The Covenant now provides for a fixed contribution of Rs. 5.1 millions for the maintenance of Devaswoms in Travancore out of which a sum of Rs. 600,000 is to be contributed towards the maintenance of the Shri Padmanabhaswami temple.