Baud

Baud, also called Boudh, lies on the Mahanadi in inland Odisha. The river and its tributaries connect the lowlands with forested country and hills farther south. The wider region has a long history: inscriptions place it under Bhanja rulers as part of Khinjali Mandala in the eighth century, and Buddhist images found at Boudh testify to an early Buddhist presence. In later centuries Boudh was the seat of a small ruling state among the inland territories of Odisha. Its lowland settlements and upland communities formed parts of a varied local society, including Khond villages in the state's territory. Maratha forces occupied the region in 1800. After the British defeated the Marathas at Cuttack in 1803, the ruler of Boudh came to terms with them, and British forces occupied Boudh in 1804. The Bhonsla ruler of Nagpur later regained jurisdiction in 1818, reflecting the shifting claims of larger powers over the inland states.