Gwalior (State)
Gwalior | |||||
1761-1948 | |||||
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Capital | Gwalior | ||||
Form of government | Princely state (21 rounds salute) | ||||
surface | 68,291 km² | ||||
population | 4,006,159 (1941) | ||||
founding | 1761 | ||||
resolution | June 15, 1948 | ||||
State religion: Hinduism. Dynasty: Scindia |
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Map by Gwalior 1956 | |||||
Postcard from Gwalior Post (1886) |
Gwalior was one of the princely states of the Marathas in the Malwa region in central India , which the Peshwa of Pune wrested from the empire of the Grand Mogul of Delhi in 1724 . The Marathan general Ranoji Sindhia (Scindia) was appointed viceroy of this region and founded the Sindhia dynasty . In 1731 he made Ujjain his capital. His son Jayapa (1745–59) conquered the Gwalior fortress in 1751 . After the defeat of Peshwa in the Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Marathas fell apart and the generals founded de facto independent princely states. Mahadji Sindhia (1761-94) became the actual founder of the Sindhia state with the capital Gwalior through further conquests (with interruptions since 1766). He became the most powerful prince in North India. In 1792 he was even able to put the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II back on the throne. His successor Daulatrao Sindhia (1794-1827) was less happy. In the final phase of the Marathas he had to submit to the British and in the Peace of Sarji Anjangaon in 1803, in return for recognition of his state under British protection, cede all conquests in Gujarat and between Jamuna and Ganges .
In 1921, 43 dwarf states, which as tribute-paying vassals had been independent since the 19th century, were reintegrated. In 1941 Gwalior had an area of 67,400 km² and 4 million inhabitants. The Sindhia state was annexed to India on June 15, 1948 and joined the Princely Union of Madhya Bharat on June 16, of which the Rajpramukh (head of state) was Maharajah George Jivajirao Scindia (see History of India ). On November 1, 1956, all princely states of the Union were dissolved and incorporated into the state of Madhya Pradesh .
Gwalior had his own state post from 1885 to 1950. Since Gwalior had signed a convention with the British Indian Post, the British India stamps were used with the country's name and coat of arms printed on it.
See also
literature
- William Barton: The princes of India . With a Chapter on Nepal. Nisbet, London 1934, (Reprinted edition. Cosmo, New Delhi 1983).
- Andreas Birken : Philatelic Atlas of British India. CD-ROM. Birken, Hamburg 2004.
- Ian Copland: The princes of India in the endgame of empire, 1917-1947 (= Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society. 2). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1997, ISBN 0-521-57179-0 .
- Vijay K. Gupta: A Handbook on Gwalior Postal History and Stamps. (1837-1950). Gupta, Delhi 1980.
- George B. Malleson: An historical sketch of the native states of India. Longmans, Green & Co., London 1875, ( digitized version ).
- Paul E. Roberts: India (= A Historical Geography of the British Dominions. Vol. 7, Part. 1-2). 2 volumes (Vol. 1: History to the End of the East India Company. Vol. 2: History under the Government of the Crown. ). Clarendon Press, Oxford 1916-1923, (Reprinted edition: Historical Geography of India. 2 volumes. Printwell, Jaipur 1995).
- Joseph E. Schwartzberg (Ed.): A historical atlas of South Asia (= Association for Asian Studies. Reference Series. 2). 2nd impression, with additional material. Oxford University Press, New York NY et al. 1992, ISBN 0-19-506869-6 .