city, south-central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. Situated at a major road and rail junction, it is heavily engaged in cotton trade and coal shipping. Cotton ginning and sawmilling are the chief industries. The city was constituted a municipality in 1867. It has several colleges affiliated with the University of Sagar. A mining school is just northwest at Barkuhi. The city is famous locally for its pottery and for the manufacture of zinc and brass ornaments, as well as water flasks.

The surrounding area comprises chiefly a central plateau of the Satpura Range, which rises in the northwest to rugged hills. The plateau slopes toward the Nagpur Plain in the south. The southern and eastern parts of the plateau include the fertile Chaurai wheat plain. The Nagpur Plain is a rich cotton and jowar area and is the richest and most populous part of the region. The Wainganga, Pench, and Kanhan rivers drain the area. Oilseeds and sunn (Indian hemp) are other important crops; cattle breeding is extensive on the plateau. Coal, manganese, bauxite, and marble deposits are worked. Near Chhindwara lies Deogarh, the old capital of the Gond dynasty. Pop. (2001) city, 122,247.