kingdom · South Asia

Chanda Kingdom

1240 CE – 1751 CE (approx.) · capital Chanda

A Gond kingdom of eastern Maharashtra ruled from Chanda (Chandrapur), whose fortified capital and temples survive.

Origins

Gond chiefs built a kingdom in the Wainganga and Wardha valleys from around the 13th century, traditionally beginning with Kol Bhil or Bhim Ballal Singh at Sirpur. The capital moved to Ballarpur and then, in the 15th and 16th centuries under Khandkya Ballal Shah, to Chanda, where a walled city was laid out.

Rule and society

The Gond kings ruled forested and farming country through Gond and Hindu nobles, and gradually adopted Rajput-style kingship and Hindu temple patronage. The Mahakali temple and the walls of Chandrapur date from this period. The kingdom paid tribute at times to the Bahmani Sultanate and later to the Mughal Empire, while keeping wide local autonomy.

Decline and legacy

In the 18th century the Bhonsle Marathas of Nagpur extended their power over the region, and Chanda was annexed around 1751. It passed with Nagpur to the British in 1853. The Gond rulers survive as part of local memory and architecture.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chanda Kingdom. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanda-kingdom
MLA
“Chanda Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanda-kingdom. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chanda Kingdom.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanda-kingdom.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chanda Kingdom’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chanda-kingdom (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻