Chhattisgarh Division was a former administrative division of British India, which encompassed the upper Mahanadi River

Mahanadi River

The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...

 basin, in the central part of present-day Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....

 state of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Chattisgarh Division was occupied by the Bhonsle

Bhonsle

The Bhonsle were a prominent clan within the Maratha clan system who served as rulers of several states in India.The most prominent member of the clan was Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire...

 Marathas and incorporated into the Kingdom of Nagpur in the 18th century. The Kingdom of Nagpur was annexed to British India in 1853, becoming Nagpur Province

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...

. In 1861 Nagpur Province was merged with the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories

Saugor and Nerbudda Territories

The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories was a region of British India, located in central part of present-day Madhya Pradesh state in central India. It includes the present-day districts of Sagar , Damoh, Jabalpur, and Narsinghpur...

 to form the Central Provinces

Central Provinces

The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur....

. Chhattisgarh Division included three districts, Raipur

Raipur District

Raipur district is a district in the Chhattisgarh state of India. Raipur is the administrative headquarter of the district. The district is rich in mineral resources. There are many wild life sanctuaries and sight seeing places worth visiting...

, Bilaspur

Bilaspur District, Chhattisgarh

Bilaspur district is a district of the Chhattisgarh state of India. Bilaspur city is the headquarters of the district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Chhattisgarh , after Raipur and Durg.- Etymology :...

, and Sambalpur

Sambalpur District

Sambalpur District is a district in the western part of state of Orissa, India. The historic city of Sambalpur is the district headquarters.The district is located in the Mahanadi River basin. It has a total area of 6,702 square kilometers, of which almost 60% of the district is covered in dense...

. It was bounded on the north by the Chhota Nagpur states, on the east by the Orissa Tributary States

Orissa Tributary States

The Orissa Tributary States are a group of former princely states of British India, now part of the present-day Indian state of Orissa.The Orissa Tributary States were located in the hilly region of eastern Orissa, on the border with Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand states...

, and on the south by the princely states of Bastar

Bastar

* Bastar state, a state founded in the 15th century that later became a princely state of British India* Bastar district, an administrative district of Chhatisgarh state in central India...

 and Kanker

Kanker

Kanker is a city and a municipality in Kanker District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.-Geography:Kanker is located at . It has an average elevation of 388 metres .-Demographics:...

, and on the west by Nagpur

Nagpur Division

Nagpur Division is one of six administrative divisions of Maharashtra State in India. Nagpur is the easternmost division in the state, with an administrative headquarters in the city of Nagpur...

 and Jabalpur

Jabalpur Division

Jabalpur Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh state of India. Jabalpur is the administrative headquarters of the division...

 divisions and the princely states of Kawardha

Kawardha

Kawardha is a city and a municipality in Kabirdham district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Kabirdham district. Kawardha is also known for the "Temple of Bhoramdeo."-Geography:...

, Khairagarh

Khairagarh

Khairagarh is a town and a nagar palika in Rajnandgaon District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Administered by a nagar panchayat, Khairagarh city is facilitated by primary health centers, schools and a wide network of roads and railway tracks...

, and Nandgaon

Nandgaon

Nandgaon may refer to:* Nandgaon Khandeshwar, town and a tehsil in Amravati subdivision, Maharashtra, India* Nandgaon, Maharashtra, a town in Nashik district of Maharashtra, India...

, Sambalpur District was transferred to Bengal Province in 1905.