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. The district of Lalitpur, part of the United Provinces, split the Central India Agency into eastern and western portions.

The agency was overseen by an agent who oversaw the affairs of the princely states on behalf of the Governor-General of India. The princely states, 147 in all, varied greatly in size, and were answerable to one of seven political charges. These were:

• Bagelkhand Agency, the easternmost charge, which was established in March 1871, when it was separated from Bundelhkand agency. It consisted of twelve states, including:
  • Rewa, the largest state in Bagelhkand
  • Maihar
  • Nagode
  • Sohawal
• Bundelkhand Agency, which was bounded by Bagelkand to the east, the United Provinces to the north, Lalitpur district to the west, and the Central Provinces to the south. It included 9 states, 13 estates and the pargana of Alampur belonging to Indore state. The most important states were:
  • Orchha
  • Panna
  • Samthar
  • Charkhari
  • Chhatarpur
  • Datia
  • Bijawar
  • Ajaigarh
• Gwalior state, the largest state in the Central India Agency which had its own resident.
• Bhopal agency, 11,653 sq. mi., which included
  • Bhopal
  • Khilchipur
  • Raigarh
• Indore residency, which included most of Indore state.
• Malwa agency, 8919 sq. mi,, which included parts of Gwalior, Tonk and Indore, and the states of
  • Dewar, senior and junior states
  • Jaora
  • Ratlam
  • Sitamau
  • Sailana
• Bhopawar agency, which included
  • Dhar
  • Barwani
  • Jhabua
  • Ali Rajpur
  • Jobat

Upon India's independence in 1947, the rulers of the princely states acceded to India. The Bagelkhand and Bundelkand agencies became the new state Vindhya Pradesh, and the Gwalior, Bhopal, Malwa, and Bhopawar agencies and Indore residency became the new state of Madhya Bharat. In 1956, the states of Vindhya Pradesh and Madhya Bharat were merged into the state of Madhya Pradesh, which had been created out of the former Central Provinces and Berar in 1950.