Article 370 of the Constitution

The princely states comprised almost half of the Indian territories in the subcontinent at the time of the proclamation of 1858 by the British colonial powers and their princes enjoyed full sovereignty in the internal matters subject only to the paramountcy of the British Crown. These territories together were referred to as “Indian India” in contrast to the rest of India, which by now had come to be known as “British India”—the territories directly administered by the British Crown.

The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was one such state of the “Indian India” ruled by the Dogra lineage of kings under British paramountcy. The history of this ruling family is chronicled by Kalhana in his well-known classic—Rajatarangini (12th century CE)— meaning the “River of Kings” written in Sanskrit verse and widely credited as the first book of “history” of the region. Maharaja Hari Singh of this lineage was the ruler of “Jammu and Kashmir” during the turning point of the state’s history in 1947.