The Punjab States Agency was an agency of the British Raj. The agency was created in 1921, on the model of the Central India Agency and Rajputana Agency, and dealt with forty princely states in northwest India formerly dealt with by the Province of Punjab.Princely States of India
After 1947, all of the states chose to accede to the Dominion of India, except Bahawalpur, which acceded to the Dominion of Pakistan.
History
After the 1809 Treaty of Amritsar, most Cis-Sutlej states came under British protection. Following the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Treaty of Lahore & Amritsar in 1846, several princely states such as Kapurthala, Jammu and Kashmir, and the hill states between the Beas and Ravi—previously part of the Sikh Empire—also came under British influence and were administered under the Punjab. Chamba was added to Jammu in 1846 but was separated from Jammu and established as a separate state in 1847. Jammu and Kashmir remained under the administration of the Punjab State until 1877, when it was placed under the direct political control of the Government of British India.
While the hill princely states south of the Sutlej came under the suzerainty of the British crown after the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–16 and became known as the Punjab Native States and the Simla Hill States. They later entered into direct diplomatic relations with the British province of Punjab, with the exception of Tehri Garhwal State, which maintained a connection with the United Provinces.
The Punjab States Agency was established in 1921 out of the previous Punjab Native States, which had received advice from the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab Province, and the Simla Hill States, advised by the Deputy Commissioner of Simla district.John Hutchison and JP Vogel, History of Punjab Hill states; Lahore 1933 The agency was created under the direct authority of the Governor General of India, with its headquarters in Shimla.Ramesh Chandra Bisht, International Encyclopaedia Of Himalayas, Vol. 3, p. 104
By 1941, the term "Punjab Hill States" had replaced "Shimla Hill States" in formal usage — particularly in census tables, reports, and statistical summaries. Until the 1941 Census,1941 British India Punjab Province Census Book - 1941 British India Punjab Province Jstor.com there were 18 Punjab Hill States and 16 Punjab States. After Indian Independence in 1947, except Bahawalpur State (which acceded to the Dominion of Pakistan), all others acceded to the new Dominion of India and became part of East Punjab. Today, these regions are part of Punjab (Pakistan) and Punjab, Himachal, Haryana (India).
Princely states survived till 1947
Punjab States Agency & Punjab Hill State
18 Punjab Hill State & 16 Punjab State Noted in 1941 Census
Those 16 Punjab state were Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Kapurthala, Kalsia, Faridkot, Bahawalpur, Maler Kotla, Loharu, Dujana, Pataudi, Bilaspur (Kahlur), Chamba, Mandi, Sirmur (Nahan), Suket. and 18 Punjab hill states were Nalagarh (Hindur), Bashahr, Baghat, Balsan, Beja, Bhajji, Darkoti, Dhami, Jubbal, Keonthal, Kumharsain, Kunihar, Kuthar, Mahlog, Mangal, Sangri, Tharoch.
State by Fall Region
Pakistan
Punjab
Bahawalpur (now in Pakistan), title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 17-guns (later promoted to 21 guns by the Pakistani president)
India
Source:Census of India, 1951: Punjab, Pepsu, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur & Delhi, South Asia Open Archives (SAOA), Center for Research Libraries, JSTOR. Available at Page no.V: https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797139
PEPSU (7 Punjab State & 1 Punjab Hill State)
Patiala, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17-guns (19-guns local) Nabha, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns local) Jind, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns personal and local) Kapurthala, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns Faridkot, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Malerkotla, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Kalsia, title Raja, Non Salute Nalagarh (Hindur), Non Salute Punjab Hill state
Himachal Pradesh (17 Punjab Hill State & 4 Punjab state)
Chamba, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Mandi, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Sirmur (Nahan), title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Suket (Sundarnagar), title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns Bashahr, title Raja, Personal 9 guns-salute(Personal) Punjab Hill state Baghal, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Baghat, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Balsan, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Beja, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Bhajji, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Darkoti, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Dhami, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Jubbal, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Keonthal, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Kumharsain, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Kunihar, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Kuthar, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Mahlog, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Mangal, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Sangri, Non Salute Punjab Hill state Tharoch, Non Salute Punjab Hill state
Bilaspur
Bilaspur (Kahlur), title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns
Merge within surrounded districts of East Punjab
Loharu, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 9-guns added in Hisar District Dujana, title Nawab. added into Rohtak District Pataudi, title Nawab added into Gurgaon District
Today, all of Himachal Pradesh, along with Bilaspur, Nalagarh, and a very small part of Patiala State (its Kandaghat Tehsil part), is part of Himachal Pradesh. All merged states (Dujana, Loharu, Pataudi), most of Kalsia (chachruali etc.) and Jind (including Jind and Dadri), as well as some parts of Patiala (Such as Pinjore, Narwana and Mahendragarh) and Nabha (Bawal), are now part of Haryana. Some parts of Kalsia (such as Dera Bassi, charik) and Jind (like Sangrur, balanwali etc.), most of Patiala and Nabha, and the entire states of Faridkot, Malerkotla, and Kapurthala are now part of Punjab.
Princely States: annexed by Britisher
Jagadhari, tittle sardar, annexed in 1829Source: Page no. 334 - 1908 Imperial-Gazetteer-Of-India-Provincial-Series-Punjab-Vol. I Thanesar, tittle Sardar, annexed in 1832 & 1850 Kaithal, title Bhai ( Maharaja) annexed in 1843
Ladwa State, title Sardar, annexed in 1846Page no. 33 - Ambala District Gazetteers 1923-24 Dialgarth tittle Sardar, annexed in 1852Source: Page no. 222 - 1908 Imperial-Gazetteer-Of-India-Provincial-Series-Punjab-Vol. I Raikot, tittle nawab, annexed in 1854 Mamdot, tittle nawab, annexed in 1855 Bahadurgarh, title Nawab, annexed 1857 Ballabgarh, title Raja, annexed 1857 Farrukhnagar, title Nawab, annexed 1857 Jhajjar, title Nawab, annexed 1857 And Many more.
Transfer
Jammu & Kashmir, formerly included (from 1846) among the Punjab States, was placed under the direct Political control of the Government of British India in 1877.Source: Page No. 99 - 1908 Imperial-Gazetteer-Of-India-Provincial-Series-Punjab-Vol. I
Jagirs Kunjpura, title Nawab Arnauli, title Bhai Karnal, title Nawab Shantiabad, title Sardar Dhanaura, title Sardar Tangaur, title Sardar Jharauli, title Sardar Shamgarh, title Sardar Panipat, title Nawab Shahzadapur, title Sardar Mustafabad, title Sardar Gogripur, title Chaudhary
Historical princely states of the Punjab Hills
Kangra Kangra-Nadaun Jaswan Guler (Haripur) Siba Datarpur Kutlehar Madhopur Nurpur
Simla Hill States Superintendency of the Punjab States Agency Salute states: Bashahr, title Raja, Personal 9 guns-salute
Non-salute states, alphabetically:
Baghal Baghat Balsan Beja Bhajji Darkoti Dhami Jubbal Keonthal Kumharsain Kunihar Kuthar Mahlog Mangal Nalagarh (Hindur) Sangri Tharoch
Dynasties by State The following are the dynasties of respective states of the Punjab Agency:
Salute states, by precedence: Patiala - Sidhu Jat (Phulkian Dynasty) Bahawalpur - Daudpotra Abbasi Jind - Sidhu Jat (Phulkian Dynasty) Kapurthala - Kalal Jat Nabha - Sidhu Jat (Phulkian Dynasty) Bilaspur (Kahlur) - Agrok Rajput Chamba - Agrok Rajput Faridkot - Brar Jat (Phulkian Dynasty) Maler Kotla (Malerkotla) - Sherwani Pathan Mandi - Chandravansi Rajput (Lunar Race) Sirmur (Nahan) - Jadu Bhati Rajput Suket - Chandravansi Rajput (Lunar Race) Loharu - Pathan
Non-salute states, alphabetically : Dujana State - Yusufzai Pathan Mamdot - Hassanzai Pathan Pataudi - Barech Pathan
Annexed States: Bahadurgarh - Barech Pathan Ballabgarh - Tewatia Jat Farrukhnagar - Baluch Jhajjar - Barech Pathan
See also Political integration of India
References