Estella97P at 20:23, 2 March 2024

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{{Short description|Division of the Central Provinces of British India}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
|conventional_long_name =Berar Division
|common_name =Berar Division
|nation = [[British India]]
|status_text = [[Divisions of British India|Division of British India]]
|era =
|year_start = 1903
|date_start =
|event_start= Creation of the division
|year_end = 1947
|date_end =
|event_end= [[Independence of India]]
|event1 =
|date_event1 =
|p1 =Berar Province
|s1 =Amravati Division
|flag_p1 = Asafia flag of Hyderabad State.svg
|flag_s1 = Flag of India.svg
|image_flag =British Raj Red Ensign.svg
|image_coat =
|image_map =Central Provs 1909.jpg
|image_map_caption = 1909 map of the Central Provinces with Berar Division in light pink.
|capital = [[Ellichpur]] (Achalpur)
|stat_area1 = 28,515
|stat_year1 =1881
|stat_pop1 = 2,672,673
|footnotes = {{EB1911|wstitle=Berar}}
|native_name=|demonym=|today=}}
[[File:Map of the Hyderabad princely state (1909).svg|thumb|260px|[[Hyderabad State]] (dark green) and Berar (light green), not a part of Hyderabad State but also the Nizam's Dominion between 1853 and 1903.]]
The '''Berar Division''', formerly [[Berar Province]], was one of the former administrative divisions of the [[Central Provinces and Berar]] of [[British India]]. [[Ellichpur]] (Achalpur) was the capital and the administrative headquarters of the division.

The Berar Division had an area of 28,515 km² with a population of 2,672,673 in 1881. The main mountain chains in the area were the [[Satpura]] and the [[Ajanta range]]s, and the main rivers the [[Tapti River|Tapti]], the [[Purna River (tributary of Tapti)|Purna]], the [[Wardha River|Wardha]], the [[Penganga River|Penganga]], and the [[Pranhita]].<ref>Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, et al. (1908). ''[[Imperial Gazetteer of India]]'', Volume 6. 1908-1931; Clarendon Press, Oxford.</ref> It was located in present-day [[Maharashtra]] state of [[India]].

==History==
[[Berar Province]], formerly ruled by the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]], was administered by the British after 1853, although the Nizam retained formal sovereignty over the province. Through an agreement signed on 5 November 1902, Nizam [[Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI|Nawab Mir Sir Mahbub Ali Khan]] leased Berar permanently to the British against an annual payment of 25 [[lakh]] (2.5 million) rupees. Lord Curzon decided to merge Berar with the [[Central Provinces]], and this was proclaimed on 17 September 1903. Thus the [[Central Provinces and Berar]] was born by a Residency Order, dated the 30 September 1903, and the administration of Berar was placed under the Chief Commissioner of the Central Provinces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/BULDHANA/his_british%20period.html|title=Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Buldhana district-History-British Period|publisher=Buldhana District Gazetteer website|accessdate=2009-03-25|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006221954/http://www.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/BULDHANA/his_british%20period.html|archivedate=2008-10-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After October 1, 1903, the administration of the province was placed under the commissioner-general for the Central Provinces as the 'Berar Division'. On 24 October 1936, with the establishment of the legislative assembly of the 'Central Provinces and Berar' the Central Provinces became '[[Central Provinces and Berar]]' when it was fully merged with Berar, although Berar Division remained under the nominal sovereignty of Hyderabad.<ref>Olson, James S. and Robert Shadle, eds. ''Historical Dictionary of the British Empire, Vol. 1.'' Greenwood Publishing Group, UK 1996. P. 227.</ref>

Following the [[independence of India]] in 1947, the Central Provinces and Berar became a province of India, and in 1950 became the Indian [[states and territories of India|state]] of [[Madhya Pradesh]]. In 1956, the Indian states were reorganized along linguistic lines, and Berar and Nagpur became part of [[Bombay state|Bombay State]]. In 1960, Bombay State was split along linguistic lines, and the southern, [[Marathi language|Marathi-speaking]] portion of the state, including Berar Division, became the new state of [[Maharashtra]].

==Territory==
Berar consisted of one Division with a Commissioner. It was under the administrative authority of the Chief Commissioner for the Central Provinces, but administered separately from the other divisions until 1936.

In 1904, there were twelve municipalities in Berar, including [[Amraoti]], [[Akola]], [[Ellichpur]], [[Washim|Basim]], [[Yavatmal|Yeotmal]], [[Khamgaon]], [[Shegaon]], [[Akot]], and four more.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V07_417.gif Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 7, page 411 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library]</ref>
After the [[Independence of India]] it became the [[Amravati division|Amravati Division]] of the state of [[Maharashtra]].

===Districts===
The Berar Division included the five districts of [[Ellichpur District|Ellichpur]] (Achalpur), [[Wun District|Wun]] (Wani), [[Akola district|Akola]], [[Buldana district|Buldana]] (Buldhana) and [[Basim district|Basim]] (Washim) in 1905. It was later rearranged into the following four districts:
*[[Amravati district|Amraoti]] (Amravati)
*[[Yeotmal District|Yeotmal]] (Yavatmal)
*[[Akola district|Akola]]
*[[Buldana district|Buldana]] (Buldhana)

==See also==
*[[Central Provinces and Berar]]
*[[Berar Province]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{coord|20|55|N|77|45|E|region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki|display=title}}
{{Divisions of British India}}
{{Berar}}

[[Category:Divisions of British India]]

Berar Division - Revision history

Estella97P at 20:23, 2 March 2024