princely state · Indian princely states

Chhatarpur State

1785 CE – 1950 CE (approx.) · capital Chhatarpur

A Bundelkhand state ruled by a Ponwar family, whose lands included the temples of Khajuraho.

Origins

Chhatarpur town was founded by Maharaja Chhatrasal, but around 1785 Soni Shah, a Ponwar who had served the Bundelas, seized it from Chhatrasal's descendants and established his own state. The British confirmed the family's possession by sanad in 1806.

Rule and society

Chhatarpur was an 11-gun salute state of the Bundelkhand Agency ruled by a Maharaja. Its territory included the Chandela temples of Khajuraho. Maharaja Vishwanath Singh is portrayed in J. R. Ackerley's memoir Hindoo Holiday, written after Ackerley served as his secretary in the 1920s.

Decline and legacy

After independence Chhatarpur was merged into Vindhya Pradesh in 1948 and joined Madhya Pradesh in 1956; it is now Chhatarpur district.

Lineage

Chhatarpur StateVindhya Pradesh 1948 CE – 1956 CE

Connections (2)

Chhatarpur State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1806 CE – 1858 CE
Chhatarpur State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chhatarpur State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chhatarpur-state
MLA: “Chhatarpur State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chhatarpur-state. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Chhatarpur State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chhatarpur-state.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chhatarpur State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chhatarpur-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻