Rajasthan Day is celebrated on March 30, marking the day the state was created by unifying 22 princely states and chiefships. Rajasthan’s story of foundation is intriguing.

Formation of Rajasthan

• At the time of Independence, Rajasthan was almost wholly contained in the Rajputana Agency, a political office of the British Indian Empire.
• The Rajputana Agency consisted of 22 princely states and estates.
• Less than 22 months after Independence, all 22 had assimilated to form what would become India’s largest state.
• However, modifications were made to the boundaries after the State Reorganisation Act (1956), giving Rajasthan its present shape.

Challenges of Princely States

(1) Rajputana Agency

• The Rajputana Agency spanned roughly 330,330 sq. km, with an agent under the Governor-General in charge, residing at Mount Abu.
• All the princely states and estates in the agency (22 in total) were ruled by Hindu rulers with the exception of Tonk (which had a Muslim ruler).

(2) The Matsya Union

• The States Ministry believed that four princely states – Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli – at the eastern edge of the erstwhile Rajputana Agency had “natural, racial and economic affinities” with each other.
• Thus, the Matsya Union was inaugurated on March 18, 1948.

(3) Rajasthan Union in South-East Rajputana

• Ten princely states, with Udaipur (also known as Mewar) being the largest, wanted to form a union.
• An idea to merge these into Madhya Bharat was also floated but did not go through.
• Another idea to merge these states into the much larger Udaipur was proposed by the Maharana of Udaipur, Bhupal Singh Bahadur.
• However, this was not agreeable to the other princely states. Hence, on March 25, 1948, the nine other states came together to form the Rajasthan Union.
• Within three days after its formation, Udaipur decided to join this union.

(4) Greater Rajasthan

• The four largest princely states – Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer – still remained independent.
• The alternative, backed by Patel, was to merge all four states into the newly formed Rajasthan Union.
• Greater Rajasthan was officially inaugurated by Patel on March 30, 1949 – the date still celebrated as Rajasthan Day.

Modifications by the State Reorganisation Commission

• The State Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was formed in 1953 to recommend new state boundaries to the government, in response to demands for states based on linguistic lines.
• The SRC’s recommendations, with some modifications, were implemented in the State Reorganisation Act of November 1, 1956.
• For Rajasthan, this brought some minor changes, including the integration of Ajmer as a district within Rajasthan, given its linguistic, cultural, and geographical links to the state.
• Abu Road Taluk, a taluk of the Sirohi district of southern Rajasthan, was also integrated into Rajasthan after being sliced and included in the Bombay State.
• The enclave of Sunel in Rajasthan’s southeastern edge was received from Madhya Pradesh in exchange for the enclave of Sironj, due to administrative reasons.

Conclusion

• Overall, the state of Rajasthan was created through a complex process of merger and integration of various princely states and chiefships.
• Today, Rajasthan is the largest state in India in terms of land area, covering 342,239 square kilometers, and is known for its rich cultural heritage, majestic forts and palaces, vibrant festivals, and diverse cuisine that attract visitors from all over the world.

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