The princely state of Gwalior arose in the early part of the 18th century as one of the constituent states of the Maratha confedaracy. The founder was Ranoji Shinde (later anglicized to Scindia), a local chieftain who distinguished himself as a soldier and received a grant to serve as the governor in his area. He and his successors expanded the state to a position of great strength and influence. This was relatively short-lived, however, as by 1802 the British had established control over central India and Gwalior was forced to give up considerable parts of its territory. Nevertheless, the state still remained relatively large and was one of the only five so-called “21-gun” states at the time of Indian independence. Gwalior was also one of only 9 Princely States that continued to issue its own coinage right up to the time of independence; most others eventually adopted the coinage ofBritish India.