Eastern States Agency

The Eastern States Agency was a political office during the rule of British Empire in India, which was established on 1st April 1933. The agency administered and managed 42 princely states of India, particularly in the eastern India region. It included the present Indian states of Tripura, West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. These states were organized into the Agency in the year 1933 after a Resident of Britsh India, also known as political agent, was appointed to the Governor General of India. The British Resident also had 2 other Political Agents under his management who were posted in Raipur and Sambalpur. Prior to the formation of the Eastern States Agency in the year 1933, 23 states of the former Orissa Tributary States and Chhota Nagpur States accepted the suzerainty of the British Government of India and were under the dominance and authority of the British provinces of Orissa and Bihar and 16 other states were under control of the Central Provinces and Berar. Cooch Behar and Tripura were reassigned from Bengal Province to the Eastern States Agency on 1st November 1936.

On 1st December 1944, the status of the Eastern States Agency was increased to that of a First Class Residency. These states were merged and grouped into 3 political agencies that were under a British Resident in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The Orissa States Agency was headquartered at Sambalpur, where as the Chhattisgarh States Agency was headquartered at Raipur. The headquarters of the Bengal States Agency was at Calcutta. After India achieved independence and the British withdrawal from the nation in the year 1947, the states acceded to the newly formed Dominion of India, also known as Union of India. At a later period, these states were incorporated into the states of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. In November 2000, the southern region of the state of Bihar and the eastern region of Madhya Pradesh state became the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh respectively.

Princely States of Eastern States Agency
The various princely states of India that were included in the Eastern States Agency were segmented into three parts, namely Orissa States Agency, Chhattisgarh States Agency and Bengal States Agency. Each of these agencies comprised of several princely states, which are mentioned below-

Bengal States Agency
* Tripura
* Mayurbhanj
* Koch Bihar

Chhattisgarh States Agency
* Udaipur
* Surguja
* Sarangarh
* Sakti
* Raigarh
* Patna (Balangir)
* Nandgaon
* Koriya (Korea)
* Khairagarh
* Kawardha
* Kanker
* Kalahandi (Karond)
* Jashpur
* Chhuikhadan
* Changbhakar
* Bastar

Orissa States Agency
* Athgarh
* Bonai
* Hindol
* Gangpur
* Tigiria
* Talcher
* Sonepur
* Seraikela
* Ranpur
* Rairakhol
* Pal Lahara
* Nilgiri
* Nayagarh
* Narsingpur
* Kharsawan
* Dhenkanal
* Keonjhar
* Khandpara
* Daspalla
* Athmallik
* Baudh
* Baramba
* Bamra