BALAGHAT, a district of British India in the Nagpur di vision of the Central Provinces, with an area of 3,557 sq. m. The administrative headquarters are at the town of Burha. It forms the eastern portion of the central plateau which divides the prov ince from east to west. These highlands, formerly known as the Raigarh Bichhia tract, remained desolate and neglected until 1866, when the district of Balaghat was formed. The district comprises: (I) The southern lowlands, a slightly undulating plain, com paratively well cultivated and drained by the Wainganga, Bagh, Deo, Ghisri and Son rivers. (2) The long narrow valley known as the Mau Taluka, lying between the hills and the Wainganga river, and comprising a long, narrow irregular-shaped lowland tract, intersected by hill ranges and peaks covered with dense jungle, and running generally from north to south. (3) The lofty plateau, in which is situated the Raigarh Bichhia tract, comprising irregu lar ranges of hills broken into numerous valleys, and generally running from east to west. The highest point is the Bhainsagat range, about 3,00o ft. The principal rivers in the district are the Wainganga and its tributaries, the Bagh, Nahra and Uskal; a few smaller streams, such as the Masmar, the Mahkara, etc. ; and the Banjar, Halon and Jamunia, tributaries of the Nerbudda, which drain a portion of the upper plateau. A fine Buddhist temple of cut stone, belonging to some remote period, is suggestive of a civilization which had disappeared before historic times. The population in 1931 was 561,602. The Gondia-Jubbulpore line of the Bengal-Nagpur railway traverses the Wainganga valley in the west of the district. See GONDS.