in Hindustan, a British collectorate of the presidency of Bombay, bounded on the N. by the territory of Holkar, on the E. and S. by portions of the Nizam's dominions, and on the W. by Guzerat. It is situated between N. Lat. 21.22°, and has an area of 9311 square miles. This district may be described as a valley or basin traversed by the River Taptice, which flows from E. to W., and flanked on the N. by the Saupsoora range of mountains, on the S. by the range on which are the fort of Chandore and the ghant of Adjunta, and on the S.W. by the Syadree range. On the S.E. the boundary surface is but slightly elevated. According to the census of 1851, the population of Khandesh amounts to 778,112. Khandesh was governed in the beginning of the fifteenth century by independent sovereigns, who, claiming descent from the Khalif Omar, resided at Ascergbur; but, towards the close of the sixteenth century, it was subdued by Akbar, and annexed to the Mogul empire. Shah Jehan, in 1634, made a new arrangement, adding some districts to Candesh, and constituting the whole a soolah or province of his empire. During the contests for power and dominion between the families of the Maharatta chiefs Holkar and Scindia at the commencement of the present century, Khandesh was reduced to the state of a desert; and, on the final overthrow of the Peishwa, in 1818, it was annexed to the British dominions. The Bheel chiefs, trusting to their mountainous and jungly recesses, for some time continued refractory. They were dislodged from many of their retreats by the vigilance of British officers, who were long engaged in this harassing warfare; but in 1825 it was determined to adopt a more conciliatory line of conduct, and the province, in a short time, was restored to a state of perfect tranquillity. The district was combined with that of Ahmednagar until 1849, when it was detached and formed into a separate zillah.