Paper short abstract:

This paper will try to explore the collaborative structures which ultimately led to the development of railways in Princely State of Bahawalpur.

Paper long abstract:

The Railways have been a physical embodiment of British supremacy in the Sub-Continent since their inception in the second half of nineteenth century. Owing to its extraordinary role in the colonization of the prized colony this technological marvel attracted many historians to write extensively on the subject. However the story of Railway development in Princely States is a little told in many of its dimensions. The case of Princely India was a bit different from that of British India where the construction of railroads was determined exclusively by the British while in Princely India the colonial government and railway promoters had to collaborate with technically sovereign rulers. Thus this paper, based on so far untapped body of historical sources, will attempt to open new lines of investigation and to stimulate the historiography of colonial technologies in the region making a case study of Railway development in the State of Bahawalpur. It will try to answer the basic question that how railways were used by the British as lines of penetration into internal affairs of the State.