![]() Resident of British India The British Resident, who was a senior official of the British administration, was positioned in the capital of the Princely States of India. The Resident officially served as a diplomat but was also responsible for keeping the ruler to maintain the association and alliance. The Residencies of British India primarily was developed as a system of indirect rule which was vigilantly managed and administered by the British Resident. The role and function of the Resident included intervening in succession disputes, forming diplomatic alliances with other states and advising in governance. Further more the Resident also had to ensure that the native ruler did not retain military forces, but only for internal policing. The British Residents also tried to develop and improve the princely states by propagation of European concept and philosophy of progressive government. Development of Residencies of British India ![]() The continuance of the British indirect rule on the Indian princely states allowed the British government to focus their resources on the economically significant areas that were under the direct control of the British. It also obscured the effectual loss of autonomy and independence of the native States in their external relations. The British Resident was a permanent reminder of the auxiliary relationship between the native ruler and the British authorities. The Residency was the materialization of this, which was a complex of structures, buildings and land that was improved according to the aesthetic standards of the British. The Residencies of British India were a symbol of power because of its position within the state's capital. In several cases, the rulers of the particular princely states even paid for the construction of these Residencies in order to depict their support and allegiance to the British. The Baroda Residency, the Gwalior Residency, the Mewar Residency, the Indore Residency and the Persian Gulf Residency were some of the most prominent Residencies of British India. |