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The Kashmir Timeline

Maharaja Hari Singh

The last Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

Maharaja Hari Singh photograph

Photo: Georges Devred · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Hari Singh ruled at the moment of Partition. He delayed choosing between India and Pakistan, and in October 1947, facing an armed invasion, signed the Instrument of Accession to India. He left the state in 1949 and died in Bombay in 1961.

Facts

  • He introduced laws that made primary education compulsory and banned child marriage in the state.