BALAGHAT

town, south-central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The town lies just east of the Wainganga River and is about 95 miles (155 km) south of Jabalpur. A major road and rail junction, Balaghat is an agricultural trade and manganese-mining centre. Sugar milling is an important industry. The town has two colleges affiliated with the University of Saugar. Balaghat was formerly called Burha and was constituted a municipality in 1877. Rice, millet, and pulses are the chief crops raised in the fertile Wainganga River valley. Pop. (1991) town, 62,178; metropolitan area, 67,151.