Political integration of India Political integration of India At the time of Indian independence in 1947, India was divided into two sets of territories, one under direct British rule, and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown, with control over their internal affairs remaining in the hands of their hereditary rulers. The latter included 554 princely states, having different types of revenue sharing arrangements with the British, often depending on their size, population and local conditions. In addition, there were several colonial enclaves controlled by France and Portugal. The political integration of these territories into India was a declared objective of the
Gateway of India monument" that represents the city of Mumbai, India. Located opposite the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel. For the British arriving to India, the gateway was a symbol of the "power and majesty" of the British Empire. Though built as a welcome to King George V for his visit of 1911, then an event of grand significance for British India and the British Empire, today serves as a "monumental memento" of British colonial rule over India. Opposite the gateway, stands the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha king who used guerilla warfare to establish the Maratha empire in the