Lord Dalhousie 1848-1856

Lord Dalhousie 1848-1856

• Shifted the headquarters of Bengal Artillery from Calcutta to Meerut
• Simla was made the permanent headquarters of the army & summer capital
• Formation of Gurkha regiments took place in his reign
• Youngest Governor General of India (36 Years), & also known as

• Father of Indian Telegraph
• Father of Indian Railways
• Father of Indian Postal system
• Father of Indian Engineering Services
• Maker of modern India

• Followed Policy of Annexation viz.

• Annexed Burma via. Second Burmese War
• Annexed Avadh > Offended Muslims & Indian Soldiers (Mostly from Avadh)
• Doctrine of Lapse 
• Annexed Punjab (2^nd Anglo Sikh War)

Doctrine of Lapse

• This policy was based on difference in principle b/w right to inherit property & right to govern.
• Alliance King without heir cannot adopt an heir for kingdom.
• Lapsed Satara, Jaitpur and Sambhalpur, Udaipur, Nagpur, Jhansi, & Awadh in given order
• Annexed states were monitored by chief commissioners with introduction of centralized control called non-regulation system for modern centralized states

Reforms & Developments

Woods Dispatch, 1854

• In 1854, Charles Wood prepared a dispatch on an educational system for India.
• Considered as “Magna Carta of English Education in India”
• This document was the 1^st comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India.

• Asked the Government to assume responsibility for education of the masses, thus repudiating the ‘downward filtration theory’, at least on paper.
• Systematised the hierarchy from vernacular primary schools in villages at bottom, followed by Anglo-Vernacular High Schools and an affiliated college at the district level, and affiliating universities in the presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.
• Recommended English as the medium of instruction for higher studies and vernaculars at school level.
• Laid stress on female and vocational education, and on teachers training.
• Laid down that the education imparted in government institutions should be secular.
• Recommended a system of grants-in-aid to encourage private enterprise.

Charter Act 1853

• Further addition of 6 members to GG council making it a body for legislative purposes.
• 6 members were CJI + sitting judge of SC + 4 representatives from NWFP, Bombay, Madras, Bengal > Addition of local presidencies representation in central legislative council)
• Indian civil services became the open competition & Macalay was made chairman of Indian civil services committee.

⚔️ Expansionist Policies (Doctrine of Lapse)

• Introduced Doctrine of Lapse:

  • Indian princely states without a natural heir were annexed by the British.

  • Notable annexations:

    • Satara (1848)

    • Jhansi (1853)

    • Nagpur (1854)

    • Awadh (1856) (on grounds of maladministration)

• Annexation of Punjab (1849) after the Second Anglo-Sikh War

🛡️ Administrative Reforms

• Introduced centralized governance and civil services reforms

• Established the Public Works Department (PWD)

• Reorganized postal, telegraph, and police services

• Started first Railway line (1853) between Bombay and Thane

🚢 Infrastructure Development

• Boosted railways, roads, telegraphs, and postal networks

• Started Grand Trunk Road extension

• Established telegraph lines connecting major cities

🎓 Educational Reforms

• Implemented Woods Despatch (1854):

  • Laid foundation of modern education system

  • Promoted English as medium of instruction

  • Established universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras (1857)

🔥 Social Reforms

• Supported suppression of Sati, female infanticide, and Thuggee

• Legalized remarriage of Hindu widows (1856) through the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act

📜 Significance

• His policies sowed the seeds of resentment among Indians, which later contributed to the Revolt of 1857

• Known for modernization with imperial intentions

For more updates, explore the Ancient India History. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

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