| Surguja State | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princely State of British India | |||||||||
| 1613–1948 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
 Surguja State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India | |||||||||
| Capital | Ambikapur | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• 1901 | 15,770 km2 (6,090 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1901 | 351,011 | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1613 | ||||||||
| 1948 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Surguja State was one of the main princely states of Central India during the period of the British Raj, even though it was not entitled to any gun salute. Formerly, it was placed under the Central India Agency, but in 1905 it was transferred to the Eastern States Agency.
The state spread over a vast mountainous area inhabited by many different people groups such as the Gond, Bhumij, Oraon, Panika, Korwa, Bhuiya, Kharwar, Munda, Chero, Rajwar, Nagesia and Santal.[1] Its former territory lies in the present-day state of Chhattisgarh and its capital was the town of Ambikapur, now the capital of Surguja district.