Bhopawar Agency

Bhopawar was an sub-agency of the Central India Agency in British India with the headquarters at the town of Bhopawar , so the name . Bhopawar Agency was created in 1882 from a number of princely states in the Western Nimar and Southern Malwa regions of Central India , which included :-

1. Dhar.
   • including the future independent petty states of : Jamnia , Kali-Baori , Nimkhera & Rajgadh ; which were then under administrative control of Dhar State, also known as Bhumiaite Estates.
   • also including the British guaranteed Fiefdoms (Jagirs) of : Multhan , Kachhi-Baroda , Bakhatgarh & Dhotria ; which always remained under complete suzerainty of Dhar Durbar, also known as Feudatory Estates.
2. Amjhera.
   • The last Raja of Amjhera : Baktawar Singh Rathore revolted against the East India Company during the Mutiny of 1857 , thus he was arrested and blown off by the cannon in Dhar (so was the commander of his army who was also arrested and hanged by the neck in Indore) . The captured territories of Amjhera State were transferred as gift to Gwalior Durbar as a measure of goodwill for his steadfast support to British Government during the revolution thereafter . Hence , the entire State of Amjhera (approx. 800 sq.miles) became Gwalior State's Territory .
3. Jhabua .
   • also including around about seventeen (17) Feudal lords (Jagirdars) who paid direct tribute (nazarana/khillat) to Indore Durbar .
4. Barwani .
5. Alirajpur .
   • including the extinct State of Phulmaal which was incorporated into it earlier as well as Fiefs (Jagirs) of Ondhwa & Sondhwa .
6. Jobat .
7. Mathwar .
8. Kathiwara .
9. Ratanmaal .
   • This state was merged with the state of Baria (Devgadh) in Bombay Province few years before Independence .
10. Indore State Territory's few enclaves like - Petlawad Tehsil , Dahi Jagir , etc. .

When created it had a total area of 7,684 square miles (19,900 km²) , and its population on that area was 547,546 in 1901 . In 1904 certain districts were transferred from this agency to the Indore Residency , created in 1899 , and the area of Bhopawar was thus reduced by 3,283 square miles (8,500 km²) . In 1925 Bhopawar Agency was merged into Malwa Agency , and in 1927 the agency was re-named the Malwa-Bhopawar States Agency , which was re-named again as the Malwa Agency in 1934 .

The other chief towns of this region were :- Badnawar , Kukshi , Manawar & Sardargarh .

After Indian Independence in 1947 , the rulers of the princely states within Malwa-Bhopawar Agency acceded to the Union of India , and the region became part of the new state of Madhya Bharat . Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.