Before Indian independence, present-day Chhattisgarh state was divided between the Central Provinces and Berar, a province of British India, and a number of princely states in the north, south, and east, which were part of the Eastern States Agency.
The northern portion of the state, comprising present-day Koriya, Surajpur,Surguja, Jashpur, and Raigarh districts, was divided among the six princely states of Chang Bhakar, Jashpur, Koriya,Surajpur, Raigarh, Surguja, and Udaipur.