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Manu Sharma, Lovely Professional University Unit 14: Map II

Unit 14: Map II Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
14.1 India in 1947
14.2 Indian States and Capitals
14.3 Summary
14.4 Review Questions
14.5 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Understand the geographical map of India in 1947.
• Know about the states and capitals of India.

Introduction
The East India Company had established its control over almost all parts of India by the middle of
the 19th century. There were numerous risings in the first hundred years of British rule in India.
They were, however, local and isolated in character. Some of them were led by the nobility who
were refusing to accept the changing patterns of the time and wanted the past to be restored. But
the risings developed a tradition of resistance offoreign rule, culminating in the 1857 revolt.
The Revolt of 1857, an unsuccessful but heroic effort to eliminate foreign rule, had begun. The
capture of Delhi and the proclamation of Bahadurshah as the Emperor of Hindustan are a positive
meaning to the Revolt and provided a rallying point for the rebels by recalling the past glory of the
imperial city. On May 10,1857, soldiers at Meerut refused to touch the new Enfield rifle cartridges.
The soldiers along with other group of civilians, went on a rampage shouting ‘Maro Firangi Ko’.
They broke open jails, murdered European men and women, burnt their houses and marched to
Delhi. The appearance of the marching soldiers next morning in Delhi was a’signal to the local
soldiers, who in turn revolted, seized the city and proclaimed the 80-year old Bahadurshah Zafar,
as Emperor of India.
Queen Victoria issued a proclamation on November 1, 1858, placing India under direct government
of the Crown.
The Proclamation was called the ‘Magna Carta of Indian Liberty’. The British rule in India was
strongest between 1858 and 1905. The British also started treating India as its most precious
possession and their rule over India seemed set to continue for centuries to come. Because of
various subjective and objective factors which came into existence during this era, the feeling of
nationalism in Indians started and grow.
Although the British succeeded in suppressing the 1857 Revolt, they could not stop the growth of
political awareness in India. The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885. It was
the visible embodiment of the national awakening in the country. Its founder was an Englishman,

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