Ambikapur

Ambikapur was the seat of Surguja, a state of forested hills on the Chota Nagpur plateau. Its rulers belonged to the Raksel family, whose authority extended over a country inhabited by Gond, Kol and other communities. Hills, sal forests and river valleys gave the state a distinct position between the plains of Chhattisgarh and the uplands to the north.

Local tradition connects the rise of the Raksel house to Palamau. It tells that Man Singh, dispossessed there by the Chero chief Bhagwant Rai in 1613, took control of Surguja. In 1758 a Maratha army crossed the eastern part of the state and compelled its ruler to acknowledge tribute. Amar Singh, who became ruler in 1820, later received the title of Maharaja. Surguja remained a regional principality amid the changing claims of larger powers.