India Map 1948 CE — Historical Map & Timeline

Who ruled India in 1948 CE?

In 1948 CE, power in the subcontinent was shared among 6 major states and dynasties. Dates are conventional estimates.

• Republic of India
  Union of India: 28 states and 8 union territories today. Independent from 15 August 1947; a republic since 26 January 1950. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — India · Read: Independence and Partition, 1947
• Hyderabad State (Nizams)
  Deccan; capital Hyderabad. Asaf Jahi Nizams, the most populous princely state, integrated into India in 1948. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Hyderabad historical state India
• Kingdom of Mysore
  Southern Karnataka. Wodeyar kingdom, independent of Vijayanagara from about 1610; under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan from 1761 to 1799. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Wadiyars
• Mewar (Sisodia Rajputs)
  Southern Rajasthan; capitals Chittor, later Udaipur. Rajput kingdom of Rana Kumbha, Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap; a princely state under British paramountcy from 1818, merged into Rajasthan in 1949. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Udaipur (historical state)
• Portuguese India (Goa, Daman and Diu)
  Goa and coastal enclaves. Goa was taken in 1510 and remained Portuguese until 1961. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Goa
• Travancore
  Southern Kerala. Kingdom of Marthanda Varma; merged into Travancore-Cochin in 1949. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Travancore

What happened in India around 1948 CE?

• 1943 CE: Azad Hind government proclaimed
• 1946 CE: Cabinet Mission proposes a transfer
• 17 August 1947: Boundary awards are published. The announcement of the boundaries followed independence, deepening uncertainty in the affected areas. Source: The National Archives — Partition of British India
• 30 Jan 1948: Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi was shot while walking to his evening prayer meeting at Birla House on 30 January 1948, after spending his final months opposing communal violence. His death confronted the new republic with the loss of its most influential advocate of non-violence. Source: Gandhi Smriti: Chronology of Mahatma Gandhi
• 1949–50: The Constitution creates a democratic republic. Adopted in 1949 and effective from 26 January 1950, the Constitution established parliamentary government, federal institutions and justiciable fundamental rights. It has been amended repeatedly while remaining the republic’s legal framework. Source: Legislative Department: Constitution of India
• 1950 CE: Constitution comes into force
• 1951–52: Universal suffrage begins at extraordinary scale. India’s first general election put constitutional universal adult suffrage into practice on an extraordinary scale despite widespread poverty and limited literacy. Election administration has since become one of the world’s largest recurring democratic exercises. Source: Election Commission of India: First General Election

Major Historical Milestones in 1948 CE

• 1948 CE: Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated; Operation Polo integrates Hyderabad

Historical Events & Sourced Records (1948 CE)