Why did great Britain divide India?

Answer 1

India was a land of many princely states, each with its own monarchy or other form of government. British arrived in India as traders first (that's why it was called the East-India company) and were lured by the rich resources of the country. They noticed how various states fought amongst themselves and saw this as an opportunity to get control over the sub-continent. They employed various tactics and strategies to divide and rule over the country. They weakened the Indian states by making them fight over various differences and then conquered over them by means of their own powerful army.