Rajnandgaon, city, west-central Chhattisgarh state, east-central India. It lies in a region of fertile farmland in the western part of the Chhattisgarh Plain and is drained by several small tributaries of the Seonath River, which flows just to the south of the city.
Rajnandgaon was ruled by a dynasty of Hindu caretakers (mahants) and Gond rajas (chiefs). Succession was by adoption. The last ruler, Ghasi Das, was recognized as a feudal chief by the British government in 1865 and was granted a sanad, or right of adoption. Later the British conferred the title of raja to the ruling mahant. Rajnandgaon was the capital of the former Raj Nandgaon princely state, which merged with Durg district in 1948.
The contemporary city is a major road and rail junction and is a centre for trade and the manufacture of cotton textiles. Rice and oilseed milling and chemical manufacturing are important. There are several colleges (including a law college) affiliated with Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University. Pop. (2001) city, 143,770; (2011) city, 163,114.
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