Lord Dalhousie served as Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856 and introduced major administrative, educational, military, and infrastructure reforms while expanding British territorial control.

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• Lord Dalhousie, born in Scotland in 1812, became Governor-General of India in 1848 and is often described as the “Maker of Modern India” for his transformative reforms.
• He implemented the 1854 Wood’s Dispatch, which laid the foundation of modern education in India and promoted universities in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
• Administrative reforms included appointing provincial authorities such as Lieutenant Governors and Commissioners to improve governance and strengthen control over newly acquired territories.
• Infrastructure development accelerated under Dalhousie through the introduction of India’s first railway line between Bombay and Thane in 1853.
• He established the Telegraph Department, expanded postal services through the Post Office Act 1854, and created the Public Works Department for infrastructure projects.
• Military reforms included strengthening British forces, creating new regiments, integrating Gurkha soldiers, and reorganizing military establishments across strategic regions.
• The Doctrine of Lapse allowed the British to annex princely states lacking a natural male heir, leading to the annexation of Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur, and other territories.
• Major events during his tenure included the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Second Anglo-Burmese War, and the controversial annexation of Awadh in 1856.