The S.A. Sudhalkar report of 1945 is associated with which of the following Princely State ?

Correct — option (1), Jodhpur.

RPSC's final key associates the S.A. Sudhalkar report of 1945 with Jodhpur, the princely state of Marwar.

In 1945, Jodhpur was still a princely state under Maharaja Umaid Singh. Its popular organisations included the Jodhpur Praja Mandal, formed in 1934, and the Marwar Lok Parishad, formed in 1938, both by Jai Narayan Vyas with others.

Jodhpur joined the rest of Rajasthan only later, as one of four states that joined the union to form Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949.

The idea to remember: the 1945 Sudhalkar report belongs to Jodhpur (Marwar), not to Mewar (Udaipur).

Why the others are wrong

• (2)
  Bikaner — RPSC's key links the Sudhalkar report to Jodhpur, not Bikaner.

  Bikaner was a separate Rathore state. It joined Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949, together with Jodhpur, Jaipur and Jaisalmer, so the two states entered the union at the same stage.

• (3)
  Udaipur — Udaipur was the capital of Mewar, a different state from Marwar, whose capital was Jodhpur.

  Udaipur also joined at a different stage of integration: on 18 April 1948, forming the United State of Rajasthan, almost a year before Jodhpur.

• (4)
  Jaipur — RPSC's key links the report to Jodhpur, not Jaipur.

  Jaipur's place in integration is different: its ruler, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, became Rajpramukh when Greater Rajasthan was formed in 1949. RPSC's 2023 key calls him the first Rajpramukh of Rajasthan, although the earlier unions of 1948 had the rulers of Kota and Udaipur as Rajpramukh.

Before 1948, most of Rajputana was divided among princely states, each with its own ruler and administration. A report, reform or popular organisation of that period usually belongs to one particular state.

Marwar and Mewar are different states with similar names. Marwar is the Rathore state whose capital was Jodhpur; Mewar is the Sisodia state whose capital was Udaipur.

Integration came in stages, so the same states can also be sorted by when they joined.

Key facts

• RPSC's final key links the 1945 report of S.A. Sudhalkar to the princely state of Jodhpur.
• Jai Narayan Vyas formed the Jodhpur Praja Mandal in 1934 and the Marwar Lok Parishad in 1938.
• Udaipur joined on 18 April 1948, forming the United State of Rajasthan.
• Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer joined to form Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949.
• Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur became Rajpramukh of Greater Rajasthan in 1949; the 1948 unions had the rulers of Kota and then Udaipur as Rajpramukh.

Common traps

• Swapping Marwar and Mewar: Marwar is Jodhpur, Mewar is Udaipur.
• Mixing up integration stages: Udaipur joined in April 1948, almost a year before Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer.
• Reversing Jodhpur's organisations: the Jodhpur Praja Mandal (1934) came before the Marwar Lok Parishad (1938).

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2023 and 2018 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following princely states was NOT among those that joined to form Greater Rajasthan on 30 March 1949?

  • (a)Jodhpur
  • (b)Bikaner
  • (c)Udaipur
  • (d)Jaisalmer
  Answer(3) — Udaipur had already joined on 18 April 1948, forming the United State of Rajasthan. Options (1), (2) and (4) joined, with Jaipur, on 30 March 1949.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Marwar Lok Parishad, formed in 1938, was active in which princely state?

  • (a)Jodhpur
  • (b)Bikaner
  • (c)Jaipur
  • (d)Udaipur
  Answer(1) — Marwar is Jodhpur, and Jai Narayan Vyas formed the Lok Parishad there. Options (2), (3) and (4) were separate states with their own popular organisations; option (4) is the capital of Mewar, not Marwar.