Welcome To INDIA!

VANAKKAM!🙏

Greetings from TAMIL NADU.

This is Pushparaj Speaking...view

Indian States:

  1. Tamil Nadu
  2. Karnataka
  3. Delhi
  4. Odisha
  5. Gujarat
  6. Rajastan
  7. Uttar Pradesh
  8. Assam
  9. Kerala etc...more 👉click here

Pre-independence:

Main articles: Presidencies and provinces of British India, Agencies of British India, Residencies of British India, and Princely state The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by many different ethnic groups throughout its history, each instituting their own policies of administrative division in the region. The British Raj mostly retained the administrative structure of the preceding Mughal Empire. India was divided into provinces (also called Presidencies), directly governed by the British, and princely states, which were nominally controlled by a local prince or raja loyal to the British Empire, which held de facto sovereignty (suzerainty) over the princely states.

Main articles (1947–1950)

Political integration of India, Instrument of Accession, Annexation of Junagadh, and Annexation of Hyderabad Between 1947 and 1950 the territories of the princely states were politically integrated into the Indian union. Most were merged into existing provinces; others were organised into new provinces, such as Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, and Vindhya Pradesh, made up of multiple princely states; a few, including Mysore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, and Bilaspur, became separate provinces. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, made India a sovereign democratic republic. The new republic was also declared to be a "Union of States". The constitution of 1950 distinguished between three main types of states:[citation needed] Part A states, which were the former governors' provinces of British India, were ruled by an elected governor and state legislature. The nine Part A states were: Assam (formerly Assam Province), Bihar (formerly Bihar Province), Bombay (formerly Bombay Province), East Punjab (formerly Punjab Province), Madhya Pradesh (formerly the Central Provinces and Berar), Madras (formerly Madras Province), Orissa (formerly Orissa Province), Uttar Pradesh (formerly the United Provinces), and West Bengal (formerly Bengal Province). The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of princely states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state, and an elected legislature. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India. The Part B states were: Hyderabad (formerly Hyderabad Princely State), Jammu and Kashmir (formerly Jammu and Kashmir Princely State), Madhya Bharat (formerly Central India Agency), Mysore (formerly Mysore Princely State), Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), Rajasthan (formerly Rajputana Agency), Saurashtra (formerly Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency), and Travancore–Cochin (formerly Travancore Princely State and Cochin Princely State). The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners' provinces and some princely states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were: Ajmer (formerly Ajmer-Merwara Province), Bhopal (formerly Bhopal Princely State), Bilaspur (formerly Bilaspur Princely State), Coorg State (formerly Coorg Province), Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kutch (formerly Cutch Princely State), Manipur (formerly Manipur Princely State), Tripura (formerly Tripura Princely State), and Vindhya Pradesh (formerly Central India Agency). The only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the union government.

States reorganisation (1951–1956)

Main articles: Goa liberation movement, Andhra movement, Annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and States Reorganisation Commission Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The French enclave of Chandernagore was transferred to West Bengal in 1954. In the same year Pondicherry, comprising the former French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karikal, Yanaon and Mahé, was transferred to India; this became a union territory in 1962. Also in 1954, pro-India forces liberated the Portuguese-held enclaves of Dadrá and Nagar Aveli, declaring the short-lived de facto state of Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In 1961, India annexed it as the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states. As a result of this act: Madras State retained its name, with Kanyakumari district added to form Travancore–Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956. Kerala was created by merging Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore–Cochin. Mysore State was re-organized with the addition of the districts of Bellary and South Canara (excluding Kasaragod taluk) and the Kollegal taluk of Coimbatore district from the Madras State, the districts of Belgaum, Bijapur, North Canara and Dharwad from Bombay State, the Kannada-majority districts of Bidar, Raichur and Kalaburagi from Hyderabad State and the Coorg State. The Laccadive Islands, Aminidivi Islands and Minicoy Island, which had been divided between the South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State, were united and organised into the union territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, the Marathi-speaking districts of Nagpur division of Madhya Pradesh and the Marathwada region of Hyderabad State. Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer State and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar were transferred to West Bengal.

Post-1956

Main articles: Mahagujarat movement, Punjabi Suba movement, Annexation of Goa, 1967 Goa status referendum, 1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum, Uttarakhand movement, and Telangana movement Bombay State was split into the linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. The former Union Territory of Nagaland achieved statehood on 1 December 1963. The Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a union territory and the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana. Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu in 1969. The north-eastern states of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura were formed on 21 January 1972. Mysore State was renamed Karnataka in 1973. On 16 May 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the Indian Union and the state's monarchy was abolished. In 1987, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram became states on 20 February, followed by Goa on 30 May, while erstwhile union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu's northern exclaves DamĂŁo and Diu became a separate union territory as Daman and Diu. In November 2000, three new states were created, namely: Pondicherry was renamed Puducherry in 2007 and Orissa was renamed Odisha in 2011. Telangana was created on 2 June 2014 from ten former districts of north-western Andhra Pradesh. In August 2019, the Parliament of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which contains provisions to reorganise the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, effective from 31 October 2019. Later that year in November, the Government of India introduced legislation to merge the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli into a single union territory to be known as Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, effective from 26 January 2020.

Indian Forts:

Forts in ancient India

Three major methods were used for the construction of ancient Indian forts. The first consisted of earthen ramparts. Often they were constructed of the sand which was dug out of the ditch surrounding the fort. The second of rubble with earth on the outside which was more sturdy. The third type of construction was with stone and masonry work. The last was the strongest. Often materials from demolished forts were reused in the building of new forts. By 4th Century BCE, fortified cities were common in India. The largest ones were between the city of Mathura (on the Yamuna river) and Magadha (on the Ganges). Another series of forts in the south, was on the Ujjain (on the Narmada) leading into the Deccan. These are inferred by the remains of fort walls and bastions seen on excavation at Rajagriha and at several sites in the Gangetic plain notably Kaushambi. At the latter site huge walls of burnt brick, which look like they have been battered. There are few descriptions of these ancient structures. The most noted is the one by Megasthenes, an ambassador of Seleucus I Nicator to the court of Chandragupta Maurya. He describes Pataliputra as being guarded by a ditch with wooden walls. The fort had 570 towers and 54 gates with colonnaded halls decorated with gold and silver. One such hall has been excavated and is one of the oldest stone structures in India.

Types of ancient Indian forts:

Though most of the structures have been decayed and are lost, India's legacy of ancient forts is seen mostly in the shastras (ancient Indian treatises) and in the reliefs on stupas. On some of the early relief work, the carvings indicate that ancient Indian forts has crenellations, embrasures and sloping walls. The Arthashastra the Indian treatise on military strategy describes six major types of forts differentiated by their major mode of defense: Jala-durga (Water fort) Antardvipa-durga (island fortress): surrounded by natural (sea or river) water bodies. E.g. Murud-Janjira. Sthala-durga (plain fortress): surrounded by artificial moats or irrigated by a river e.g. Deeg Fort, Lohagarh Fort. Dhanvana- or Maru-durga (Desert Fort): Surrounded by an arid area of at least 5 yojanas (73 km). Giri-durga (Hill fort) Prantara-durga: Located on a flat hill summit. E.g. medieval forts such as Chittor, Gwalior and Ranthambore. Giri-parshva-durga: The fortifications and civilian structures extend down to the hill slope (not just the summit). Guha-durga: Located in a valley surrounded by hills, where the outposts and the signal towers are located. Vana-durga (Forest fort): Surrounded by a dense forest over a distance of at least 4 kroshas (14.6 km). Khanjana-durga, built on a fen surrounded by thorny forests. Sthambha-durga, built in the forest among tall trees; lacks sufficient water sources. Mahi-durga (Earthen fort) Mrid-durga: surrounded by earthen walls Parigha-durga: Surrounded by earthen walls, as well as stone or brick walls. The walls are at least 5.4 m high and their width is half of their height. Panka-durga: Surrounded by fens or quicksand Nri-durga (Human fort) Defended by a large number of loyal and experienced warriors. Usually a city fortress, populated by a substantial garrison. Each of these types had its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, according to the Manusmṛti, the forest fort suffers from monkey attacks, the earthen forts get swarmed with rodents, the water forts were plagued by diseases etc. The Manusmṛti considers the Hill fort to be the best defensive structure. Some Sanskrit text consider hill forts to be the abode of gods and hence auspicious. The Mahabharata describes the Human fort as the most effective fortification.