The Punjab States Agency was an agency of the

Indian Empire The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. The agency was created in 1921, on the model of the

Central India Agency The Central India Agency was created in 1854, by amalgamating the Western Malwa Agency with other smaller political offices which formerly reported to the Governor-General of India. The agency was overseen by a political agent who maintained ...

and

Rajputana Agency The Rajputana Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire dealing with a collection of native states in Rajputana (now in Rajasthan, northwestern India), under the political charge of an Agent reporting directly to the Governor ...

, and dealt with forty

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

in northwest India formerly dealt with by the Province of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. After 1947, most of the states chose to accede to the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

, the rest to the

Dominion of Pakistan Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...

History

The princely states had come under the

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of the British crown after the

Anglo-Nepalese War The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day Indi ...

of 1814–16 and went on to be known as the Punjab Native States and the Simla Hill States. They later came into direct diplomatic relations with the British province of

, with the exception of

Tehri Garhwal State Garhwal Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 688 CE by Kanak Pal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until ...

, which had a connection instead 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 The Hill States of India were princely states lying in the northern border regions of the British Indian Empire. History During the colonial Raj period, two groups of princely states in direct relations with the Province of British Punja ...

, advised by the Deputy Commissioner of

Simla district Shimla is a district in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Its headquarters is the state capital of Shimla. Neighbouring districts are Mandi and Kullu in the north, Kinnaur in the east, Uttarakhand in the southeast, Solan to the sou ...

. The agency was created under the direct authority of the Governor General of India, with its headquarters in

Shimla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Himachal Pradesh, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the States and union territories of India, northern Indian state of Himachal Prade ...

. After Indian Independence in 1947, the states all acceded to the new

, most of them later becoming part of the new state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

, with

becoming part of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. In 2000, the northern portion of Uttar Pradesh, including the former state of

Tehri-Garhwal Tehri Garhwal is a district in the hill state of Uttarakhand, India. Its administrative headquarters is at New Tehri. The district has a population of 618, 931 (2011 census), a 2.35% increase over the previous decade. It is the 7th ranked dist ...

, became the new state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

Princely states

Punjab States Agency

Salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

s, by precedence : *

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubarak ...

, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17-guns (19-guns local) *

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...

(now in Pakistan), title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 17-guns (later promoted to 21 guns by the Pakistani president) *

Jind Jind is one of the largest and oldest city in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu-Pindara and Ramrai are the main reli ...

, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns personal and local) *

Kapurthala Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buil ...

, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns personal and local) *

Nabha Nabha is a city and municipal council in the Patiala district in the south-west of the Indian state of Punjab. It was the capital of the former Nabha State. Nabha is also a sub-division city which comes under Patiala district. Geography Nabha ...

, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns local) * Kaithal, title Bhai ( Maharaja) Hereditary salute 13-guns (15-guns local) * Bilaspur (Kahlur), title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns *

Chamba Chamba may refer to: People * Gilberto Chamba (born 1961), Ecuadorian serial killer * Jessica Chamba (born 1981), European activist Places Ghana * Chamba, a town in the Northern Region India * Chamba (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Himachal Pradesh ...

, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns * Faridkot, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns * Maler Kotla (Malerkotla), title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 11-guns *

Mandi Mandi may refer to: Places * Mandı, Azerbaijan India * Mandi, Jammu and Kashmir, a town on the Mandi River in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir * Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, a city in Himachal Pradesh ** Mandi State, former princely sta ...

, 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 *

Loharu Loharu (also known as Luharu) is a city, municipal committee and assembly constituency in the Bhiwani district of the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarters of one of the four administrative sub-divisions of the distric ...

, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 9-guns Non-salute states, alphabetically : * Dujana State, title Nawab. * Mamdot, title Nawab *

Pataudi Pataudi is a town and one of the 4 sub-divisions of Gurugram district, in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Haryana, within the boundaries of the National Capital Region of India. Ahirs/Yadav dominate the area. It is located f ...

, title Nawab Annexed States: * Bahadurgarh, title Nawab, annexed 1857 * Ballabgarh, title Raja, annexed 1857 * Farrukhnagar, title Nawab, annexed 1857 * Jhajjar, title Nawab, annexed 1857

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 Jaswan was a precolonial Indian state centred at Rajpur Jaswan, in modern-day Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, commanded by the Jaswal Rajput clan. It was founded in 1170 AD by Raja Purab Chand, a cadet of the Katoch lineage, ancient royal family of ...

* Guler (Haripur) *

Siba Siba or SIBA may refer to: Places * Siba, Luocheng County, Guangxi, China, a town * Siba State, a princely state of India until 1947 * Siba subdistrict, Basra Governorate, Iraq * Šiba, a village in Bardejov District, Slovakia * Siba Castle, ...

* Datarpur * Kutlehar * Madhopur *

Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh Nurpur is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It was formerly part of the Nurpur State since the 11th century AD. The capital of the state was at Pathankot formerly known as Paithan, now in ...

Simla Hill States Superintendency of the Punjab States Agency

Salute states A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

: * Sirmur , title Maharaja, 11 Gun salute * Bashahr, title Raja, Personal 9 guns-salute Non-salute states, alphabetically: * Baghal *

Baghat Baghat was a princely state of the British Raj, located in modern-day Himachal Pradesh. It constituted one of the Simla Hill States. It consisted of three separate parts which were almost entirely surrounded by the larger Patiala territory. The ...

* Balsan * Beja *

Bhajji Pakora () is a spiced fritter originating from the Indian subcontinent. They are sold by street vendors and served in restaurants in South Asia and UK. It consists of items, often vegetables such as potatoes and onions, coated in seasoned g ...

Darkoti Darkoti State was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. Its last ruler signed the accession to the Dominion of India on 15 April 1948. Currently, it is part of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. History Acc ...

* Dhami *

Jubbal Jubbal is a tehsil, town and a nagar panchayat in Shimla district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh which shares its boundary with the state of Uttrakhand towards south-east. Jubbal is recognised as a major apple producing area in Shimla ...

Keonthal Keonthal State, covering an area of 482 km2, was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. Its capital was Junga. Keonthal acceded to India on 15 April 1948. Currently, it is part of the Indian state of Himachal ...

Kumharsain Kumarsain (; ), also known as Kumharsain, is a sub-division, a tehsil and a village in Shimla District in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Formerly under the British Raj, it was the capital of princely state of Kumharsain, which was one o ...

Kunihar Kunihar is a valley town in the Solan district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, which is also known as "Hatkot" and "Choti Vilayat." Kunihar is situated, alongside Kuni Rivulet,a small river or Khad in shape of garland or Har so is th ...

* Kuthar *

Mahlog Mehlog or Mah(i)log was a princely state of India before and during the colonial British Raj. In 1940 it had a population of 8,631 and an area of . The capital city was Patta. On 15 April 1948 Mahlog acceded to the Indian Union. Later it was ...

Mangal Mangal Rajgan (or Manghal, Mangla) is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name *Mangal (singer), Afghan singer *Mangal Bagh (born 1973), Pakistani militant leader *Mangal Dhillon, Indian actor ...

Nalagarh Nalagarh is a city and a municipal committee, near the city of Solan in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Geography Nalagarh is a gateway to Himachal Pradesh in North India, from Shimla, from Delhi and from Chandig ...

(Hindur) * Sangri * Tharoch

Dynasties by State

The following are the dynasties of respective states of the Punjab Agency:

s, by precedence: *

Sidhu Sidhu () is a Punjabi Jat clan found in Punjab.Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

(Phulkian Dynasty) *

- Daudpotra Abbasi *

(Phulkian Dynasty) *

- Kalal

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

( Phulkian Dynasty) * Bilaspur (Kahlur) - Agrok Rajput *

- Agrok Rajput * Faridkot -

Brar Brar () is a Jat clan from the Punjab region. Notable people with the surname, who may or may not be affiliated with the tribe, include: *Sham Singh Attariwala (1790-1846), a Sikh general in the Sikh army of Lahore Darbar. * Sher Singh Attari ...

( Phulkian Dynasty) * Maler Kotla (Malerkotla) - Sherwani Pathan *

- Chandravansi Rajput (Lunar Race) * Sirmur (Nahan) - Jadu Bhatti Rajput * Suket - Chandravansi Rajput (Lunar Race) *

- Pathan Non-salute states, alphabetically : * Dujana State -

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai ( ps, یوسفزی, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ) are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribes of ethnic Pashtuns. They are natively based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to which they migrated to from Sulim ...

Pathan * Mamdot - Hassanzai Pathan *

Barech Barech (also Baraich, Bareach, Barreach) is a Pashtun tribe in southern Kandahar province Kandahār ( ps, ; Kandahār, prs, ; ''Qandahār'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sha ...

Pathan Annexed States: * Bahadurgarh -

Pathan * Ballabgarh - Tewatia Jat * Farrukhnagar - Baluch * Jhajjar -

Pathan

References

{{Coord, 30, 6, N, 77, 10, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Agencies of British India Historical Indian regions 1947 disestablishments in India 1933 establishments in India Government agencies established in 1930