Nagpur Province

Nagpur Province was a province of British India that covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh states. It was formed in 1853 when the British annexed the princely state of Nagpur. In 1861 it was merged into the Central Provinces. Nagpur was the capital of the province.

Nagpur Province included the domains of the Maratha Bhonsle Maharajas of Nagpur, powerful members of the Maratha Confederacy who conquered large tracts of central and eastern India in the 18th century. In 1818, at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the Bhonsle Maharaja submitted to British sovereignty, and Nagpur became a princely state of British India. In 1853, on the death of Maharaja Raghoji III without heirs, Nagpur was annexed by the British under the doctrine of lapse. It was administered by a commissioner under the Governor-General of India. The Province included the districts of Chhindwara, Nagpur, Bhandara, Chanda, Wardha, and Balaghat, Durg, Raipur, and Bilaspur.

In 1861, Nagpur Province was merged with the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories were joined with the constitute the new Central Provinces in 1861. The districts of Nagpur, Bhandara, Chada, Wardha, and Balaghat became the Nagpur Division of the new province, while Durg, Raipur, and Bilaspur became the Chhatisgarh Division. Chhindwara District was added to Nerbudda Division.