INDIA
SALUTE STATES
In Mughal times, Court rank was based on the military commands held by individuals. This would change from time to time as they were promoted, demoted, executed or expired. The system was fluid and arbitrary, no defined order of precedence prevailing. British rule united India into one political unit for the first time in history. Communications expanded, international contacts grew, and interaction between the rulers, as well as, between the rulers and the central government increased enormously. The need for a universal order of precedence became necessary, so a system based on gun salutes gradually came into vogue.
The more important rulers received salutes ranging from 21 guns, for the largest territorial rulers, to 3 guns for some minor sheikhs on the Arabian coast. Each descending step being two guns less than the preceding rank: 21-guns, 19-guns, 17-guns, etc. Rank was loosely based on the "prestige" of the state or ruler concerned; this could be territorial size, military might, or lineage. Some princes, who were personally influential or important beyond the size or prestige of their individual states, could be granted additional guns as a personal distinction. This privilege was also granted to certain princes who were not necessarily territorial rulers, such as, the Aga Khan. Other rulers, particularly those with widely recognised ancient lineage, were be granted additional guns on a local basis, within their own territories only.
Army and naval units throughout the British Empire fired these salutes on all formal occasions.
The gun salutes enjoyed by the states that eventually acceded to the Dominion of India as they stood on the eve of independence on 14th of August 1947, were:
Hereditary salutes of 21-guns:
H.E.H. the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar
H.H. the Maharaja of Mysore
H.H. the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir
H.H. the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda
H.H. the Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior
Hereditary salutes of 19-guns (21-guns local):
H.H. the Nawab of Bhopal
H.H. the Maharaja Holkar of Indore
H.H. the Maharana of Udaipur
Hereditary salutes of 19-guns:
H.H. the Maharaja of Kolhapur
H.H. the Maharaja of Travancore
Hereditary salutes of 17-guns (19-guns personal):
H.H. the Maharaja of Kotah
Hereditary salutes of 17-guns (19-guns local):
H.H. the Maharaja of Bharatpur
H.H. the Maharaja of Bikaner
H.H. the Maharao of Cutch
H.H. the Maharaja of Jaipur
H.H. the Maharaja of Jodhpur
H.H. the Maharaja of Patiala
Hereditary salutes of 17-guns:
H.H. the Maharao of Bundi
H.H. the Maharaja of Cochin
H.H. the Maharaja of Karauli
H.H. the Maharaja of Rewa
H.H. the Nawab of Tonk
Hereditary salutes of 15-guns (17-guns personal):
H.H. the Maharaj Rana of Dholpur
Hereditary salutes of 15-guns (17-guns local):
H.H. the Maharaja of Alwar
Hereditary salutes of 15-guns:
H.H. the Maharawal of Banswara
H.H. the Maharaja of Datia
H.H. the Maharaja of Dewas - Senior
H.H. the Maharaja of Dewas - Junior
H.H. the Maharaja of Dhar
H.H. the Maharawal of Dungarpur
H.H. the Maharaja of Idar
H.H. the Maharaja of Jaisalmer
H.H. the Maharaja of Kishangarh
H.H. the Maharaja of Orchha
H.H. the Maharawat of Partabgarh
H.H. the Nawab of Rampur
H.H. the Maharaja of Sikkim
H.H. the Maharao of Sirohi
Hereditary salutes of 13-guns (15-guns personal and local):
H.H. the Maharaja of Jind
H.H. the Nawab of Junagadh
H.H. the Maharaja of Kapurthala
Hereditary salutes of 13-guns (15-guns local):
H.H. the Maharaja of Benares
H.H. the Maharaja of Bhavnagar
H.H. the Maharaja of Nabha
H.H. the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar
H.H. the Maharaja of Ratlam
Hereditary salutes of 13-guns:
H.H. the Maharaja of Cooch Behar
H.H. the Maharaja Raj Sahib of Dhrangadhra-Halvad
H.H. the Nawab of Jaora
H.H. the Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar
H.H. the Nawab of Palanpur
H.H. the Maharaja Rana Sahib of Porbandar
H.H. the Maharaja of Rajpipla
H.H. the Maharaja of Tripura
Hereditary salutes of 11-guns (13-guns local):
H.H. the Nawab of Janjira
Hereditary salutes of 11-guns:
H.H. the Maharaja of Ajaigarh
H.H. the Raja of Ali Rajpur
H.H. the Nawab of Baoni
H.H. the Maharana of Barwani
H.H. the Maharaja of Bijawar
H.H. the Nawab of Cambay
H.H. the Raja of Chamba
H.H. the Maharaja of Charkhari
H.H. the Maharaja of Chhatarpur
H.H. the Raja of Faridkot
H.H. the Maharaja of Gondal
H.H. the Raja of Jhabua
H.H. the Raja of Bilaspur
H.H. the Nawab of Maler Kotla
H.H. the Raja of Mandi
H.H. the Raja of Manipur
H.H. the Maharaja of Morvi
H.H. the Raja of Narsinghgarh
H.H. the Maharaja of Panna
H.H. the Raja of Pudukkottai
H.H. the Nawab of Radhanpur
H.H. the Raja of Rajgarh
H.H. the Raja of Sailana
H.H. the Raja of Samthar
H.H. the Maharaja of Sirmur
H.H. the Raja of Sitamau
H.H. the Raja of Suket
H.H. the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal
H.H. the Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner
Hereditary salutes of 9-guns (11-guns personal):
H.H. the Maharaol of Baria
H.H. the Raja of Dharampur
H.H. the Raja of Sangli
Personal salute of 11-guns:
H.H. the Aga Khan
Hereditary salute of 9-guns (11-guns local):
H.H. the Raja of Savantwadi
Hereditary salutes of 9-guns:
The Nawab of Balasinor
The Nawab of Banganapalle
The Maharaja of Bansda
The Raja of Baraundha
The Raja of Bhor
The Raja of Chhota Udepur
The Maharana of Danta
The Thakore Sahib of Dhrol
The Maharaja of Jawhar
The Maharaja of Kalahandi
The Raja of Khilchipur
The Thakore Sahib of Limbdi
The Nawab of Loharu
The Maharana of Lunawada
The Raja of Maihar
The Maharaja of Mayurbhanj
The Raja of Mudhol
The Raja of Nagod
The Thakore Sahib of Palitana
The Maharaja of Patna
The Thakore Sahib of Rajkot
The Nawab of Sachin
The Raja of Sant
The Raja of Shahpura
The Maharaja of Sonepur
The Maharana of Wadhwan
Personal salute of 9-guns:
The Raja of Bashahr
Some of the rulers listed here were granted increased gun salutes in 1948. The Hindu Maharana of Udaipur was raised to first place in the Order of Precedence, displacing the Muslim Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar, and the 9-gun states were granted the hereditary style of Highness. However, it has not been possible to obtain complete details for all the rulers from sources available in England.
| AGA KHAN | AHMADNAGAR | AJAIGARH |
| ALI RAJPUR | ALWAR | BALASINOR |
| BANGANAPALLE | BANSDA | BANSWARA |
| BAONI | BARAUNDHA | BARIA |
| BARODA | BARWANI | BASHAHR |
| BENARES | BHARATPUR | BHAVNAGAR |
| BHOPAL | BHOR | BIJAWAR |
| BIKANER | BILASPUR | BUNDI |
| CAMBAY | CHAMBA | CHARKHARI |
| CHHATARPUR | CHHOTA UDEPUR | COCHIN |
| COOCH BEHAR | CUTCH | DANTA |
| DATIA | DEWAS-Senior | DEWAS-Junior |
| DHAR | DHARAMPUR | DHOLPUR |
| DHRANGADHRA | DHROL | DUNGARPUR |
| FARIDKOT | GONDAL | GWALIOR |
| HYDERABAD | IDAR | INDORE |
| JAIPUR | JAISALMER | JAMMU & KASHMIR |
| JANJIRA | JAORA | JAWHAR |
| JHABUA | JHALAWAR | JIND |
| JODHPUR | JUNAGADH | KALAHANDI |
| KAPURTHALA | KARAULI | KHILCHIPUR |
| KISHANGARH | KOLHAPUR | KOTAH |
| LIMBDI | LOHARU | LUNAWADA |
| MAIHAR | MALERKOTLA | MANDI |
| MANIPUR | MAYURBHANJ | MORVI |
| MUDHOL | MYSORE | NABHA |
| NAGOD | NARSINGARH | NAWANAGAR |
| ORCHHA | PALANPUR | PALITANA |
| PANNA | PARTABGARH | PATIALA |
| PATNA | PORBANDAR | PUDUKKOTTAI |
| RADHANPUR | RAJGARH | RAJKOT |
| RAJPIPLA | RAMPUR | RATLAM |
| REWA | SACHIN | SAILANA |
| SAMTHAR | SANGLI | SANT |
| SAWANTWADI | SHAHPURA | SIKKIM |
| SIRMUR | SIROHI | SITAMAU |
| SONEPUR | SUKET | TEHRI GARHWAL |
| TONK | TRAVANCORE | TRIPURA |
| UDAIPUR (Mewar) | WADHWAN | WANKANER |
| NON-SALUTE | PENSIONERS | VASSALS | ZAMINDARS | MAIN |