CHANDA, a district of British India, in the Nagpur division of the
Central Provinces, situated between 19° 7' and 20° 51' N. lat., and 78'
51' and 80° 51' E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the districts of Rai
pur, Bbandara, and Wardlut, on the E. by Bastar and Raipur, on the S. by
Sironcha, and on the W. by the Wardha and Pranlifta rivers, which divide
it from Berar and the Hyderabad territory. Excepting in the extreme west,
hills are thickly dotted over the country, sometimes in detached ranges,
occasionally in isolated peaks rising sheer out from the plain. Towards
the east they increase in height, and form a broad table-land, at places
2000 feet above sea-level. The Wainganga River flows through the district
from north to south, meeting the Wardha River at Seoul, where their
streams unite to form the Pranhita. The census of 1872 returns the total
area of the district at 9700 square miles, and the population at 534,431
souls, residing in 2392 villages and townships, and dwelling in 108,258
houses. Of the total population, 397,540, or 74.39 per cent., are Hindus
; 8176, or 1.52 per cent., Muhammadaus ; 648 or .12 per cent., Buddhists
and Jains ; 89, or •02 per cent., Christians ; and 127,978, or 23.95 per
cent., aboriginal tribes and people returned in the census report under
the heading of "others." Two towns in the district are returned as
containing a population of upwards of 5000 souls ; viz., Chanda,
population 16,233, and Armori, population 5271. Of the total area of the
district, 9700 square miles, only 988 were actually under cultivation in
1873-74, 5200 square miles being returned as cultivable, and 3509 as
uneultivable waste. The principal crops are rice, wheat, oil-seeds,
sugar-cane, and cotton. Within the last few years extensive coal and iron
beds have been discovered, and 20 mines were iu operation in 1873-74. A
branch line of railway will shortly connect the Minch, coal-measures with
the Bombay railway system. Dense woods cover the country. Teak grows
everywhere ; and in the Government forests, in the eastern part of the
district, it attains a large size. The chief manufacture of the district
is cotton cloths, both of coarse and fine quality, which are largely
exported to Western India. Silkworm breeding is largely carried on, and
silk or silk and cotton fabrics are woven. Iron smelting is an important
branch of industry. The district trade is conducted at annual fairs,
which are held at the towns of Chanda, 13handak, Chimur, Markandf, and
Warha, and are numerously attended by visitors from all parts of India.
The sales effected at these fairs in 1868-69 amounted to £152,224.

 Chanda is thickly studded with fine tanks, or rather artificial lakes,
 formed by closing the outlets of small valleys, or by throwing a darn
 across tracts intersected by streams. The broad clear sheets of water
 thus created are often very picturesque in their surroundings of wood
 and rock. The chief architectural objects of interest are the cave
 temples at Bhandak, Winjbasauf, Dewala, and Gliugus ; a rock temple in
 the bed of the Wardha River below Ballalpur ; the ancient temples at
 Markamli, Ambgaon, and elsewhere ; the forts of Wairagarh and Ballalpur
 ; and the old walls of the city of Chanda, its system of water-works,
 and the tombs of the aboriginal Gond kings.
The total revenue of the district in 1873-74 amounted to X38,922,10s., of
which £24,402 or 62.7 per cent., was derived from the land For the
education of the people, 67 schools, attended by 3347 pupils, were either
entirely supported by the state, or were subsidized under the grant-in-
aid rules. For the relief of the sick, 4 charitable dispensaries were
maintained, at which 24,448 persons were treated, at a total cost of
£660, of which £439 was contributed by Government. The annual rainfall at
Chanda town averages 44.67 inches, but in the hilly wooded region to the
east it is considerably higher. The rainy season lasts from the middle of
June to the end of September, From the middle of September to the close
of November fever of a malarious type pervails all over the district.
Cholera and smallpox are also common.