Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)

This article is about the administration of the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. For the history, see Kashmir § History.

Jammu and Kashmir
1846–1952
Top: Flag of Jammu and Kashmir (1846‍–‍1936) Bottom: Flag of Jammu and Kashmir (1936‍–‍1953) Coat of arms
Jammu and Kashmir in 1946
Status	Princely state
Capital	Srinagar Jammu
Common languages	Kashmiri, Dogri, Ladakhi, Balti, Shina, Pahari-Pothwari
Religion	Islam (majority), Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
Government	Monarchy
Maharaja
• 1846–1857	Gulab Singh (first)
• 1925–1952	Hari Singh (last)
Dewan
• 1917–1921	Daljit Singh (first)
• 1948–1952	Sheikh Abdullah (last)
History
• End of the First Anglo-Sikh War and formation of the state	1846
• End of British Crown Suzerainty	15 Aug 1947
• Beginning of the First Kashmir War	22 Oct 1947
• Accession to the Indian Union	26–27 Oct 1947
• End of First Kashmir War (cession of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan)	1 January 1949
• Constitutional state of India	17 November 1952
• Disestablished	1952
Today part of	Disputed; see Kashmir conflict

Jammu and Kashmir, also known as Kashmir and Jammu, ^[1] was a princely state in a subsidiary alliance with the British East India Company from 1846 to 1858 and under the paramountcy (or tutelage ^{[2] [3]} ) of the British Crown, from 1858 until the Partition of India in 1947, when it became a disputed territory, now administered by three countries: China, India, and Pakistan. ^{[4] [5] [6]} The princely state was created after the First Anglo-Sikh War, when the East India Company, which had annexed the Kashmir Valley, ^[7] from the Sikhs as war indemnity, then sold it to the Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh, for 75 lakh rupees.

At the time of the partition of India and the political integration of India, Hari Singh, the ruler of the state, delayed making a decision about the future of his state. However, an uprising in the western districts by the Gilgit Scouts against Hari Singh supported by informal militias from the neighbouring Northwest Frontier Province, and the Pakistani army personnel, forced his hand. On 26 October 1947, Hari Singh acceded ^[8] to India in return for the Indian military being airlifted to Kashmir to counter the invasion by tribal militias from Pakistan, which were assisted by the Pakistani government and military leadership. ^{[9] [10]} The western and northern districts now known as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan passed to the control of Pakistan with the support of Gilgit Scouts, ^[11] while the remaining territory stayed under Indian control, later becoming the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. ^[12] India and Pakistan defined a cease-fire line dividing the administration of the territory with the intercession of the United Nations which was supposed to be temporary but still persists. ^{[13] [14]}

Administration

Map of Kashmir showing the borders of the princely state in dark red.

According to the census reports of 1911, 1921 and 1931, the administration was organised as follows: ^{[15] [16]}

• Jammu province: Districts of Jammu, Jasrota (Kathua), Udhampur, Reasi and Mirpur.
• Kashmir province: Districts of Kashmir South (Anantnag), Kashmir North (Baramulla) and Muzaffarabad.
• Frontier districts:Wazarats of Ladakh and Gilgit.
• Internal jagirs: Poonch, Bhaderwah and Chenani.

In the 1941 census, further details of the frontier districts were given: ^[15]

• Ladakh wazarat: Tehsils of Leh, Skardu and Kargil.
• Gilgit wazarat: Tehsils of Gilgit and Astore
• Frontier illaqas: (under the Gilgit Agency) Punial, Ishkoman, Yasin, Kuh-Ghizer, Hunza, Nagar, Chilas.

Prime ministers (Jammu & Kashmir)

#	Name	Took office	Left office
1	Raja Sir Daljit Singh	1917	1921
2	Raja Hari Singh	1925	1927
3	Sir Albion Banerjee	January 1927	March 1929
4	G. E. C. Wakefield	1929	1931
5	Hari Krishan Kaul [17]	1931	1932
6	Elliot James Dowell Colvin [17]	1932	1936
7	Sir Barjor J. Dalal	1936	1936
8	Sir N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar	1937	July 1943
9	Kailash Narain Haksar	July 1943	February 1944
10	Sir B. N. Rau	February 1944	28 June 1945
11	Ram Chandra Kak	28 June 1945	11 August 1947
12	Janak Singh	11 August 1947	15 October 1947
13	Mehr Chand Mahajan	15 October 1947	5 March 1948
14	Sheikh Abdullah	5 March 1948	9 August 1953

Demographics

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1873	1,534,972 [a]	—
1891	2,543,952	+65.7%
1901	2,905,578	+14.2%
1911	3,158,126	+8.7%
1921	3,320,518	+5.1%
1931	3,646,243	+9.8%
1941	4,021,616	+10.3%
Sources: Census in British India

Population of Jammu & Kashmir Princely State by Province (1873–1941)

Census Year	Jammu Province		Kashmir Province		Frontier Regions		Jammu & Kashmir Princely State
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
1873 [a] [18]	938,641	61.15%	491,846	32.04%	104,485	6.81%	1,534,972	100%
1891 [18]	1,439,543	56.59%	949,041	37.31%	155,368	6.11%	2,543,952	100%
1901 [19]	1,521,307	52.36%	1,157,394	39.83%	226,877	7.81%	2,905,578	100%
1911 [20]	1,597,865	50.6%	1,295,201	41.01%	265,060	8.39%	3,158,126	100%
1921 [21]	1,640,259	49.4%	1,407,086	42.38%	273,173	8.23%	3,320,518	100%
1931 [22]	1,788,441	49.05%	1,569,218	43.04%	288,584	7.91%	3,646,243	100%
1941 [23]	1,981,433	49.27%	1,728,705	42.99%	311,478	7.75%	4,021,616	100%

Religion

Map of India according to religious affiliations in various regions in 1909

Religious groups in Jammu & Kashmir Princely State (British India era)

Religious group	1891 [18]		1901 [19]		1911 [20]		1921 [21]		1931 [22]		1941 [23]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	1,793,710	70.51%	2,154,695	74.16%	2,398,320	75.94%	2,548,514	76.75%	2,817,636	77.28%	3,101,247	77.11%
Hinduism	691,800	27.19%	689,073	23.72%	690,390	21.86%	692,641	20.86%	736,222	20.19%	809,165	20.12%
Buddhism	29,608	1.16%	35,047	1.21%	36,512	1.16%	37,685	1.13%	38,724	1.06%	40,696	1.01%
Tribal	16,615	0.65%	—	—	—	—	—	—	134	0%	51	0%
Sikhism	11,399	0.45%	25,828	0.89%	31,553	1%	39,507	1.19%	50,662	1.39%	65,903	1.64%
Jainism	593	0.02%	442	0.02%	345	0.01%	529	0.02%	597	0.02%	910	0.02%
Christianity	218	0.01%	422	0.01%	975	0.03%	1,634	0.05%	2,263	0.06%	3,509	0.09%
Zoroastrianism	9	0%	11	0%	31	0%	7	0%	5	0%	29	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	10	0%
Others	0	0%	60	0%	0	0%	1	0%	0	0%	95	0%
Total population	2,543,952	100%	2,905,578	100%	3,158,126	100%	3,320,518	100%	3,646,243	100%	4,021,616	100%
Note: The Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir includes the contemporary administrative divisions of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Jammu Province

Including Jammu District, Kathua District, Udhampur District, Reasi District, Mirpur District, Chenani Jagir, and Poonch Jagir.

Religious groups in the Jammu Province of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (1891–1941)

Religious group	1891 [18]		1901 [19]		1911 [20]		1921 [21]		1931 [22]		1941 [23]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	797,459	55.4%	876,599	57.62%	953,293	59.66%	989,644	60.33%	1,091,021	61%	1,215,676	61.35%
Hinduism	631,225	43.85%	626,177	41.16%	626,439	39.2%	626,806	38.21%	665,246	37.2%	722,835	36.48%
Sikhism	5,926	0.41%	13,113	0.86%	16,659	1.04%	21,627	1.32%	29,282	1.64%	38,566	1.95%
Buddhism	4,293	0.3%	4,831	0.32%	452	0.03%	442	0.03%	507	0.03%	522	0.03%
Jainism	593	0.04%	439	0.03%	345	0.02%	528	0.03%	591	0.03%	901	0.05%
Christianity	46	0%	145	0.01%	672	0.04%	1,207	0.07%	1,753	0.1%	2,788	0.14%
Zoroastrianism	1	0%	0	0%	5	0%	5	0%	0	0%	23	0%
Tribal	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	41	0%	29	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0%
Others	0	0%	3	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	93	0%
Total population	1,439,543	100%	1,521,307	100%	1,597,865	100%	1,640,259	100%	1,788,441	100%	1,981,433	100%

Kashmir Province

Including Baramulla District (Kashmir North District), Anantnag District (Kashmir South District), and Muzaffarabad District.

Religious groups in the Kashmir Province of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (1891–1941)

Religious group	1891 [18]		1901 [19]		1911 [20]		1921 [21]		1931 [22]		1941 [23]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	883,099	93.05%	1,083,766	93.64%	1,217,768	94.02%	1,324,403	94.12%	1,478,287	94.21%	1,615,478	93.45%
Hinduism	60,316	6.36%	60,682	5.24%	62,414	4.82%	64,594	4.59%	69,296	4.42%	85,580	4.95%
Sikhism	5,473	0.58%	12,637	1.09%	14,772	1.14%	17,742	1.26%	21,190	1.35%	27,034	1.56%
Christianity	145	0.02%	244	0.02%	218	0.02%	341	0.02%	339	0.02%	555	0.03%
Zoroastrianism	8	0%	11	0%	26	0%	2	0%	5	0%	6	0%
Jainism	0	0%	2	0%	0	0%	1	0%	3	0%	9	0%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	3	0%	2	0%	5	0%	10	0%
Tribal	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	93	0.01%	20	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	10	0%
Others	0	0%	52	0%	0	0%	1	0%	0	0%	2	0%
Total population	949,041	100%	1,157,394	100%	1,295,201	100%	1,407,086	100%	1,569,218	100%	1,728,705	100%

Frontier Regions

Including Ladakh District, Astore District, Gilgit Leased Area, and Gilgit Agency.

Religious groups in the Frontier Regions of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (1891–1941)

Religious group	1891 [18]		1901 [19]		1911 [20]		1921 [21]		1931 [22]		1941 [23]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	113,152	72.83%	194,330	85.65%	227,259	85.74%	234,467	85.83%	248,328	86.05%	270,093	86.71%
Buddhism	25,315	16.29%	30,216	13.32%	36,057	13.6%	37,241	13.63%	38,212	13.24%	40,164	12.89%
Tribal	16,615	10.69%	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0%	2	0%
Hinduism	259	0.17%	2,214	0.98%	1,537	0.58%	1,241	0.45%	1,680	0.58%	750	0.24%
Christianity	27	0.02%	33	0.01%	85	0.03%	86	0.03%	171	0.06%	166	0.05%
Sikhism	0	0%	78	0.03%	122	0.05%	138	0.05%	190	0.07%	303	0.1%
Jainism	0	0%	1	0%	0	0%	0	0%	3	0%	0	0%
Zoroastrianism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0%
Others	0	0%	5	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Total population	155,368	100%	226,877	100%	265,060	100%	273,173	100%	288,584	100%	311,478	100%

See also

• List of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)
• Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir
• Dogra dynasty
• Jammu and Kashmir Bodyguard Cavalry

References

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3. Ganguly, Sumit; Hagerty, Devin T. (2005), Fearful Symmetry: India-Pakistan Crises in the Shadow of Nuclear Weapons, Seattle and New Delhi: University of Washington Press, and Oxford University Press, p. 22, ISBN   0-295-98525-9, ... the problem of the 'princely states'. These states had accepted the tutelage of the British Crown under the terms of the doctrine of 'paramountcy' under which they acknowledged the Crown as the 'paramount' authority in the subcontinent.
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8. 1st Edition Cold War in the High Himalayas The USA, China and South Asia in the 1950s By S. Mahmud Ali Copyright 1999( When tribal Pathan militias from Pakistan's North-West Frontiers joined Sudhan Pathan rebels fighting for freedom, Hari Singh fled to Jammu and reportedly signed a letter of accession to India.) Page 19
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14. "Ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir - A line on fire" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
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17. Copland, Ian (1981), "Islam and Political Mobilization in Kashmir, 1931–34", Pacific Affairs, 54 (2): 228–259, doi:10.2307/2757363, JSTOR   2757363
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21. "Census of India 1921. Vol. 22, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. p. 15. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25430177 . Retrieved 3 November 2024.
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Notes

1. According to the 1891 census report, population enumeration during the 1873 census was noted to have not been reliable. ^[18]

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This article incorporates text from the Imperial Gazetteer of India , a publication now in the public domain.