India was split into two sets of territories prior to its independence in 1947, with one under direct British administration and the other under the suzerainty of the British Crown. Their hereditary rulers continued to have authority over their internal affairs in both sets of territory. The latter comprised 562 princely states with various revenue-sharing agreements with the British, frequently based on their size, population, and regional circumstances

National Integration, Regionalism, Pudukottai, V.P. Menon, Ramanathapuram