centres. The Rajputs with all their endless ramifications
form a large portion of the population. Originally invaders, they have
so long held a stake in the soil that they have become almost part of
the indigenous population. The Marwaris hold practically all the trade
of Central India, with the exception of the Bora class of Mahommedans.
They are either Vaishnavite Hindus or else Jains. Their advent into
Central India dates, except in the case of one or two families, from the
time of the Mahratta invasion only. The Jain portion of this community
is very wealthy. The last section, that of the jungle tribes, is mostly
of Dravidian or mixed Aryo-Dravidian origin, these tribes being the
modern representatives of the former rulers and inhabitants of this
country.

The British agent to the governor-general resides at Indore, and there
are British cantonments at Mhow, Neemuch and Nowgong. The whole country
is fairly provided with railways, largely at the expense of Sindhia.

CENTRAL PROVINCES AND BERAR, a province of British India, which was
formed in October 1903 by the amalgamation of the Central Provinces and
the Hyderabad Assigned Districts. The total area of the provinces is
113,281 sq. m., and the population on that area in 1901 was 10,847,325.
As is shown by its name the province is situated in the centre of the
Indian peninsula, comprising a large proportion of the broad belt of
hill and plateau country which separates the plains of Hindustan from
the Deccan. It is bounded on the N. and N.E. by the Central India
states, and along a small strip of the Saugor district by the United
Provinces; on the W. by Bhopal, Indore and the Khandesh district of
Bombay; on the S. by Hyderabad and the large _zamindari_ estates of the
Madras presidency; and on the E. by these latter estates and the
tributary states of Bengal. In October 1905 most of Sambalpur and five
Oriya-speaking hill-states were transferred from the Central Provinces
to Bengal, while the Hindi-speaking states of Chota Nagpur were
transferred from Bengal to the Central Provinces. The province,
therefore, now consists of the five British divisions of Jubbulpore,
Nerbudda, Nagpur, Chhattisgarh and Berar, which are divided into the
twenty-two districts of Saugor, Damoh, Jubbulpore, Mandla, Seoni,
Narsinghpur, Hoshangabad, Nimar, Betul, Chhindwara, Wardha, Nagpur,
Chanda, Bhandara, Balaghat, Raipur, Bilaspur, Amraoti, Akola, Ellichpur,
Buldana and Wun; and the f