How did Ladakh, an independent kingdom, become part of India?
Ladakh became part of India in 1947 after Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the Instrument of Accession amid a Pakistani-backed tribal invasion. Originally an independent Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, Ladakh was annexed by Jammu's Dogra dynasty in 1834. It became a separate Union Territory on October 31, 2019, after Article 370 was abrogated.