Central India Agency - States

States

The princely states in the area of the Agency, 148 in all, varied greatly in size. Eleven states held treaty relations with the British Government, and were known as the treaty states: Gwalior state, Indore, Bhopal, Dhar State, the two Dewas States, Jaora, Orchha, Datia, Samthar, and Rewa. The 31 sanad states had direct relations with the British Government, but not by treaty. These states, in Bundelkhand and Bagelkhand, were granted deeds (sanads) confirming rulers in possession of their states, in return for the rulers signing a written bond of allegiance (ikrarnama) to the British. The remaining smaller states and estates were known as mediatized or guaranteed states. Mediatized states were under the authority of a larger state, with the relationship between the states arranged through British mediation. Guaranteed states, found only in Malwa, were states under the authority of larger states, in which the British guaranteed whatever rights existed at the time of British occupation of the region at the conclusion of the Pindari War.

The princely states were closely related to one of several political officers, which were rearranged a number of times in the history of the Agency. Upon the British withdrawal from India in 1947, the political offices consisted of Indore Residency and the Bundelkhand, Bhopal, and Malwa Agencies.