In 1950 the Surveyor General of India Brigadier George Frederick Heaney published this map of the New Republic of India. It shows the approximate boundary between India and Pakistan, with the official international boundary not yet demarcated. It also shows the political divisions of India, with various colours differentiating the Governors’ States, Rajpramukh’s States and Centrally Administered States: the map graphically highlights the complexities of Partition. 

The Radcliffe Line
In July 1947 Lord Louis Mountbatten named Sir Cyril Radcliffe as chair of the Boundary Commission appointed to divide the Punjab and Bengal regions between India and Pakistan. The Commission included members of the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. Radcliffe and these officials sought to demarcate the most appropriate boundaries in the Punjab and Bengal areas, aiming to include majority-Muslim and majority-Hindu areas within the Pakistan and Indian territories respectively. However, with the 15 August 1947 deadline looming and little agreement between the two sides, Radcliffe decided to set the final boundaries himself. This border, also known as the Radcliffe Line, left millions of Muslims in India and millions of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan, sparking mass migration and violence.

What were the Rajpramukh States?
When Partition occurred in August 1947, many of the so-called princely states decided to join India and not Pakistan. They came together to form a covenant of states, with a council of rulers headed by a Rajpramukh. They created their own constituent assemblies, with representatives from these bodies sent to the Indian Constituent Assembly. While they were supposed to be independent states, they started to merge with the new Republic of India as it took shape. The Rajpramukhs were allowed to keep their titles and act as governors. This general administrative arrangement was in place until the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, when the princely states were annulled and the position of the Rajpramukh was abolished.

This map is included in the collection of India Office reference maps.

About the India Office Records

The India Office Records is a vast collection of archives relating to the administration of the East India Company (1600–1858) and its successor the India Office (1858–1947). The collection includes hundreds of official publications and records, manuscripts, photographs, maps and private papers. These archives document the complex story of British trade with the East, politics, the development of the British Empire and the road to Indian independence.