Indian Princely Armies Deployed Abroad

I'm reading the history Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India by Lawrence James and there are accounts of the rulers of the princely states in colonial India complaining they have nothing to do but go to parties and the like because they cannot make war on their neighbors anymore.

Thing is, although the British imposed internal peace in India and elsewhere, they certainly had wars aplenty elsewhere.

Why not have the princes and their armies to go fight elsewhere, if they are so martially-inclined? Their armies were probably more primitive than European armies of the time, but they might fight use in Africa (the Boer War or the wars against the Afro-Arab slavers) or China (putting down the Boxer Rebellion).
 

Japhy

Banned
Did the Princely state armies deploy during the World War? I would Imagine it wouldn't be that hard to do in the event that the British Equip and Arm them
 
The Bikaner Camel Corps fought in the World Wars. It fought in the Middle East, maybe in Italy, but I'm not sure on the last part. I'm not sure how many other Princely armies were used, but I know that there were others.

I wonder, though, how the Indian independence movement would be affected if the defense of India at Imphal and Kohima was performed almost exclusively by soldiers of the princely armies.
 
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