RAIGARH

city, northwestern Madhya Pradesh state, central India, just west of the Kelo River, a tributary of the Mahanadi. The city was capital of the former Raigarh princely state. A major rail junction, it has industries such as jute milling and handloom weaving. In the surrounding region, rice, oilseeds, and pulses are the chief crops, and forestry and beekeeping are important. Coal, limestone, iron-ore, and bauxite deposits are worked. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 89,166. historic region of western India, immediately south of Bombay, formerly a princely state of the Chhattisgarh states. Though part of the Konkan coastal plain, its terrain undulates with rugged transverse hills reaching from the steep scarp slopes of the Sahyadri Hills of the Western Ghats (east) to bluffs on the Arabian Sea coast (west). The coastal bluffs are separated by seasonal river valleys that support most of the area's agriculture. Rice and coconuts are the major crops, and fishing and salt manufacture are important along the coast. The Raigarh area of the Konkan coast had established foreign trading ports with Greece as early as the 3rd century BC. It contains several ancient Buddhist cave temples at Pal, Kol, Kuda, Kondane, and Ambivli and the Saivae caves on Elephanta Island. In the 17th century it became a Maratha stronghold. During the late 20th century there was considerable population migration to Bombay, and the northern parts of the area were rapidly industrialized. Paper pulp, chemical, and engineering works are the predominant industries. Khopoli and Panvel are the main industrial centres, and Alibag is a major city. The noted resort of Matheran and the fort of Rayagad (King's Fort) are located in the area.