A princely state, also called native state, feudatory state or Indian state (for those states on the subcontinent), was a vassal state under a local or regional ruler in a subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. Though the history of the princely states of the subcontinent dates from at least the classical period of Indian history, the predominant usage of the term princely state specifically refers to a semi-sovereign principality on the Indian subcontinent during the British Raj that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by a local ruler, subject to a form of indirect rule on some matters. In actual fact, the imprecise doctrine of paramountcy allowed the government of British India to interfere in the internal affairs of princely states individually or collectively and issue edicts that applied to all of India when it deemed it necessary. Among the princely states of British India, Hyderabad is the largest princely state latter which dissolved to Indian union by the military operation called OPERATION POLO .BILBARY is the smallest princely state of British india At the time of the British withdrawal, 565 princely states were officially recognised in the Indian subcontinent, apart from thousands of zamindari estates and jagirs. In 1947, princely states covered 40% of area of pre-independence India and constituted 23% of its population. The most important states had their own British Political Residencies: Hyderabad, Mysore and Travancore in the South followed by Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim in the Himalayas, and Indore in Central India. The most prominent among those – roughly a quarter of the total – had the status of a salute state, one whose ruler was entitled to a set number of gun salutes on ceremonial occasions. The princely states varied greatly in status, size, and wealth; the premier 21-gun salute states of Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir were each over 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) in size. In 1941, Hyderabad had a population of over 16 million, while Jammu and Kashmir had a population of slightly over 4 million. At the other end of the scale, the non-salute principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km2 (19 sq mi), with a population of just below 3,000. Some two hundred of the lesser states had an area of less than 25 km2 (10 sq mi). The era of the princely states effectively ended with Indian independence in 1947. By 1950, almost all of the principalities had acceded to either India or Pakistan. The accession process was largely peaceful, except in the cases of Jammu and Kashmir (whose ruler opted for independence but decided to accede to India following an invasion by Pakistan-based forces), Hyderabad (whose ruler opted for independence in 1947, followed a year later by the police action and annexation of the state by India), Junagadh (whose ruler acceded to Pakistan, but was annexed by India). and Kalat (whose ruler declared independence in 1947, followed in 1948 by the state's annexation). As per the terms of accession, the erstwhile Indian princes received privy purses (government allowances), and initially retained their statuses, privileges, and autonomy in internal matters during a transitional period which lasted until 1956. During this time, the former princely states were merged into unions, each of which was headed by a former ruling prince with the title of Rajpramukh (ruling chief), equivalent to a state governor. In 1956, the position of Rajpramukh was abolished and the federations dissolved, the former principalities becoming part of Indian states. The states which acceded to Pakistan retained their status until the promulgation of a new constitution in 1956, when most became part of the province of West Pakistan; a few of the former states retained their autonomy until 1969 when they were fully integrated into Pakistan. The Indian Government formally derecognised the princely families in 1971, followed by the Government of Pakistan in 1972.
A princely state, also called native state, feudatory state or Indian state (for those states on the subcontinent), was a vassal state under a local or regional ruler in a subsidiary alliance with the British Raj. Though the history of the princely states of the subcontinent dates from at least the classical period of Indian history, the predominant usage of the term princely state specifically refers to a semi-sovereign principality on the Indian subcontinent during the British Raj that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by a local ruler, subject to a form of indirect rule on some matters. In actual fact, the imprecise doctrine of paramountcy allowed the government of British India to interfere in the internal affairs of princely states individually or collectively and i

On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status granted to the state of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution through a series of far-reaching measures. The Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, the Hindu-majority Jammu region and the Buddhist-majority Ladakh region were placed under a virtual lockdown with all communication lines cut and political leaders placed under house arrest. President of India Ram Nath Kovind issued a Presidential Order under the power of Article 370, overriding the prevailing 1954 Presidential Order, nullifying all the provisions of autonomy granted to the state. Home Minister Amit Shah introduced a Reorganisation Bill in the Indian Parliament, seeking to divide the state into two union territories to be governed by a Lieutenant Governor. The bills revoking the special status under Article 370 and the region's reorganization was debated and passed by the Rajya Sabha – India's upper house of parliament – on August 5 2019 with 125 (67%) votes in its favour and 61 (33%) against it. On August 6, the bill was debated and passed by the Lok Sabha – India's lower house of parliament – with 370 (86%) votes in its favour and 70 (14%) against it. BBC reported that "According to the constitution, Article 370 could only be modified with the agreement of the 'state government'. But there hasn't been much of a state government in Jammu and Kashmir for over a year now". International human rights groups condemned the revocation resolution. In contrast, the Hindu nationalists celebrated stating that this "could bring peace and investment" to this region. The Buddhist community in Ladakh – the eastern region of Jammu and Kashmir – also cheered and stated they have been long ignored and now they can be "owners of our own destiny".