Chhattisgarh
British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris
British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris — every date, name and fact in tables for last-minute Prelims and Mains revision.
This one-page sheet covers British rule in Chhattisgarh from the superintendency of 1818 to the merger of the princely states in 1948. For explanations, read British Superintendency, Annexation and the Chhattisgarh Division, Feudatory States and Zamindaris and Administrative Reforms and Railways.
How to use this sheet
Scan top to bottom the week before Prelims. Bold lines are the facts examiners return to most often.
Timeline / Key Facts
Superintendency and Bhonsle Restoration (1817–1853)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| November 1817 | Bhonsle forces under Appa Sahib defeated at Sitabuldi (Third Anglo-Maratha War) |
| 1818–1830 | British superintendency: Chhattisgarh run for the minor Raghuji III by the Nagpur Resident Richard Jenkins |
| First superintendent | Captain Edmund (1818); Dongargarh zamindari revolt |
| Col. P. Vans Agnew (1818–1825) | HQ moved from Ratanpur to Raipur; parganas consolidated under kamavisdars; report of 23 Dec 1820 |
| Sandys (1825–1828) | Lormi and Tarenga taluqas; English calendar in official use |
| Crawford (1828–1830) | Protectorate ended; handback to Bhonsle officials (Krishna Rao Appa) |
| 1830–1853 | Bhonsle rule restored through ziledars at Raipur |
Annexation and the Division (1853–1906)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 11 December 1853 | Raghuji III dies without a natural heir |
| 1854 | Nagpur annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse (Dalhousie); Chhattisgarh a Deputy Commissionership, HQ Raipur |
| 1 February 1855 | Charles Elliot, first Deputy Commissioner, takes charge |
| First tahsils | Raipur, Dhamtari, Ratanpur |
| 10 December 1857 | Veer Narayan Singh, zamindar of Sonakhan, executed at Raipur |
| 2 November 1861 | Central Provinces formed (capital Nagpur); Bilaspur district separated |
| 1862 | Chhattisgarh division, HQ Raipur: Raipur, Bilaspur, Sambalpur |
| 1865 | Sanads to the larger zamindaris, which become feudatory states |
| 1905 | Sambalpur mostly to Bengal; Surguja, Udaipur, Jashpur, Korea, Chang Bhakar from Bengal to CP |
| 1906 | Durg district carved out of Raipur |
| 1903 / 1936 | Berar administered with CP / province renamed CP and Berar |
| 1 April 1933 | Chhattisgarh states under the Eastern States Agency |
Princely States and Zamindaris
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of states | 14 |
| CP feudatories (9) | Bastar, Kanker, Nandgaon, Khairagarh, Chhuikhadan, Kawardha, Sakti, Raigarh, Sarangarh |
| From Bengal, 1905 (5) | Surguja, Udaipur, Jashpur, Korea, Chang Bhakar |
| Largest state | Bastar (Kakatiya line; capital Jagdalpur) |
| Bairagi mahants | Nandgaon, Chhuikhadan |
| Nagvanshi | Khairagarh |
| Raksel / Chauhan | Surguja, Udaipur / Korea, Chang Bhakar |
| 15 December 1947 | Patel and V. P. Menon meet the rulers at Nagpur |
| 1 January 1948 | 14 states merge into CP and Berar |
| New districts, 1948 | Bastar (Bastar + Kanker); Surguja (Surguja + Korea + Chang Bhakar); Raigarh (Raigarh + Sarangarh + Jashpur + Udaipur + Sakti) |
| Zamindari tribute | Takoli (टकोली) |
| Zamindari examples | Sonakhan, Bindranawagarh, Fingeshwar, Korba, Champa, Pendra, Gandai, Thakurtola, Dongargarh |
| Abolition | MP Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals, Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 |
Administration and Railways
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Malguzari | From 1863; village headman made proprietor (malguzar); settlements of about 30 years |
| Settlement reports | Bilaspur: Chisholm (1868); Raipur: Hewitt (1869) |
| Raipur Municipal Committee | 17 May 1867 |
| Rajkumar College | Founded Jabalpur 1882, moved to Raipur 1894 |
| First railway | Nagpur Chhattisgarh Railway, metre gauge, reached Rajnandgaon (Feb 1882) via Dongargarh |
| Bengal Nagpur Railway | Formed 1887; broad gauge and Raipur station 1888 |
| Main line | Nagpur–Asansol via Raipur and Bilaspur, goods from 1 February 1891 |
| Raipur–Dhamtari | Narrow gauge (2 ft 6 in), 1900 |
| SECR zone HQ | Bilaspur, since 2003 |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| 1818: superintendency (protectorate) | 1854: annexation (British territory) | |
| Edmund: first superintendent | Agnew: moved HQ to Raipur | |
| Jenkins: Resident 1818–1830 | Mansel: Resident in 1853 | |
| 1854: annexation year | 1 Feb 1855: Elliot takes charge | |
| 1861: Central Provinces | 1862: Chhattisgarh division | |
| 1905: Sambalpur out, five northern states in | 1906: Durg district | |
| Feudatory state: sanad, own courts, outside British India | Zamindari: inside a British district, pays takoli | |
| Takoli: paid by zamindars | Privy purse: paid to rulers after 1948 | |
| Rajkumar College founded at Jabalpur (1882) | Moved to Raipur (1894) | |
| Metre gauge to Rajnandgaon (1882) | Broad gauge under the BNR (1888) |
Favourite MCQ trap
Watch for four swaps: 1818 offered as the year of annexation (it was 1854), Agnew offered as the first superintendent (it was Edmund), Sonakhan offered as a princely state (it was a zamindari), and 26 January 1950 offered as the merger date (the states merged on 1 January 1948).
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