Bargarh district is an administrative district of the state of Odisha in eastern India. Bargarh town is the district headquarters. The district was separated from the erstwhile Sambalpur district on 1 April 1993.
In ancient times, Bargarh was part of Dakshina Kosala, along with much of western Odisha and the plains of Chhattisgarh. The region most likely belonged to the pre-Maghadan Empire of Mahapadmananda. However, there is no mention of the territory in Mauryan inscriptions, so it is not known whether the Mauryas controlled Dakshina Kosala. After the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, Dakshina Kosala was ruled by the Chedis. He comes from Dakshina Kosala and Kharavela's ancestors came to Kalinga. Dakshina Kosala was most likely part of the Kharavela empire. After Kharevala, the Megha dynasty ruled the region. In the 4th century AD, the Allahabad inscription records that Samudra Gupta defeated Mahendra of Kosala, which roughly corresponds to the present-day plains of Chhattisgarh and western Odisha. Although Kosala was not annexed to the Gupta Empire, it remained within the Gupta sphere of influence, as evidenced by the presence of Gupta coins in the region.
In the 6th century, the Sarabhpuriyas of Sarabha (now identified as Sirpur in present-day Chhattisgarh) rose to prominence. Its territory included the present-day Bargarh district as well as parts of Kalahandi. They were succeeded by the Panduvamshis, whose king, Tivaradeva, attempted to expand east from Kosala to Utkala, now on the Odisha coast. Although he failed, he retained control of Kosala, including Bargarh. In the last decades of the 9th century, the somavamshis ruled present-day Kosala. Janamejaya expanded his domain to the south and east and defeated the Kalachuris. His son Yayati was blocked by the Kalachuris when he attempted to expand north and west of Kosala, but Bargarh was within his kingdom. The Somavamshis were defeated during Rajendra Chola's northern expedition. In the chaos that followed, Yayati II stabilized the kingdom, which corresponded to modern Odisha. His son repulsed Kalachuri's invasions during his reign, but the kingdom soon collapsed. Kosala fell to the Telugu Choda, who had helped a rival king defeat the Somvamshis. The Telugu Cholas were soon driven out by the Kalachuris. A branch of the Rashtrakutas became rulers of Bargarh and were vassals of the Kalachuris. During Kalachuri's reign, a copper plate was issued, circa 1131, mentioning the city of Vagharakotta which some scholars associate with Bargarh. The Kalachuris soon began a long struggle with the Gangas of Utkala, which ended 100 years later, when the Gangas expelled the Kalachuris around 1211.
