In ancient and early modern times, India consisted of independent princely states often at war with one another. At times, an individual ruler would conquer a domain of imperial proportions and establish a dynasty. For example, Chandragupta Maurya established the Mauryan dynasty in the fourth century B.C., and Babur established the Mogul dynasty in the 16th century A.D. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain gained control of India. The British ruled part of India directly, but left other Indian lands in the hands of autonomous princes. Great Britain granted India independence in 1947. The newly established Indian state tolerated princely prerogatives for 10 years and then passed legislation that brought all princely authorities to an end.
Beginning with Mahmud of Ghazni in the 10th century A.D., Muslim rulers established themselves in a considerable portion of predominantly Hindu India. As a result, religious friction prevailed in 1047. This prompted Great Britain to divide Indian land into two independent states: India and Muslim Pakistan. The autonomous princes had to decide which state they wanted to join.
Shortly after India received its independence, Kashmir suffered a military invasion from Pakistan, ostensibly without the authorization of the Pakistani government. To obtain help, Hari Singh, the princely ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, opted to join the state of India, and formalized his agreement by signing an official document called the "Instrument of Accession." Upon this document, India bases its claim that the real map of India includes the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has taken control of the northern part of Kashmir, which includes two regions: Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Moreover, China has occupied another portion of Kashmir called Aksai Chin, as well as a sparsely populated area of Kashmir called the Shaksam Valley. While Indian authorities claim that all these regions belong to India, the map of India published by the U.S. Department of State does not include these regions in its Indian map. The map does indicate the unsettled state of the boundary by drawing a broken line between northern and southern Kashmir. It also notes that India claims the Aksai Chin region.