Central India Agency

The Central India Agency was a political unit of British India, which covered the northern half of present-day Madhya Pradesh state. The Central India Agency was made up entirely of princely states, which were under native rulers. The agency was bordered by the Central Provinces and Berar to the south; the Chota Nagpur princely states to the east, which were transferred from Bengal to the Central Provinces and Berar in 1905; the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh to the north; Rajputana to the northwest; and Bombay Presidency to the west and southwest. Lalitpur District, part of the United Provinces, split the Central India Agency into eastern and western portions.

The Central India Agency was created in 1854, by amalgamating several smaller political units which formerly reported to the Governor-General of India. The agency was overseen by a political agent who oversaw the affairs of the princely states on behalf of the Governor-General. The headquarters of the agent were at Indore.

History

British hegemony over states of Central India began in 1802 , when several states in the Bundelkhand and Bagelkhand regions came under British control at the conclusion of the Treaty of Bassein between the British and the Maratha - Peshwa Bajirao II . British control of Bundelkhand expanded at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1805 . The remaining states , including Gwalior , Indore , Bhopal and a number of smaller states in the regions of Malwa , Nimar , and Bundelkhand...
Read More