Dewan
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Dewan (also known as diwan, sometimes spelled devan or divan) designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A dewan was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the elite families in the history of Mughal and post-Mughal India and held high posts within the government.
Etymology
The word is Persian in origin and was loaned into Arabic. The original meaning was "bundle (of written sheets)", hence "book", especially "book of accounts," and hence "office of accounts," "custom house," "council chamber". The meaning of the word, divan "long, cushioned seat" is due to such seats having been found along the walls in Middle Eastern council chambers. It is a common surname among Sikhs in Punjab.[1]
Council
The word first appears under the
The divan of the ]
In 19th-century
In
Indian subcontinent
Mughal Empire
During the effective rule of Mughal India, the Dewan served as the chief revenue officer of a province.[2]
Later, when most vassal states gained various degrees of
Exceptionally, a ruler was himself titled Dewan or a loftier variation, notably:
- in Beri-Bundelkhand
- in Dhurwai
- in Jaso (Jassu) and in Bandhora (which was split from the former c. 1750)
- in Rai Bahadur
- in Junagadh, where Shah Nawaz Bhutto was the prime minister of the former princely state.
- Diwan Sahib or Diwan Bahadur in Garrauli State
Maratha period
As a title used in various Early Modern Indian states, Diwan denoted the highest officials in the court after the king; the suffix -ji is added as a mark of respect in India.[3] In the major Maratha states of Baroda (ruled by the Gaekwad), Gwalior (ruled by Scindias or Shinde), Indore (ruled by Holkar), and Nagpur (ruled by Bhonsle, but not from the Chhatrapati Shivaji family), the highest officer after the king was called the Diwan.
One of the examples – Shrimant Diwan/Rao Bahadur Atmaram Kulkarni, was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Maratha
Among Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab and Bengal
Dewan, Diwan, Divan, or Deo was the hereditary title borne by the
Diwan also became a surname of high-caste Hindus or Sikhs in the
Chhattisgarhi Rajput-Brahmins
There is also a community with the surname Diwan found in Chhattisgarh, near the Bilaspur and Janjgir-Champa regions. This is a Brahmin-Rajput community descendant from Deo Brahmin-Rajputs who migrated from Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh. The males in this community take the title Dhar (e.g., Mohan Dhar Diwan, a high-ranked member of Vishwa Hindu Parishad). They had a fight with the royal family of Ratanpur, defeated the king, and started ruling the Ratanpur estate.
Diwani in British India
After the
Diwani in French India
In
Nepal
The document dated
References
- ^ "Divan | Origin and meaning of divan by Online Etymology Dictionary".
- ISSN 2321-2357.
- ^ "The Meaning of the Term "Ji" in the Indian Culture: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar". 6 May 2014.
- ^ Campbell, Lawrence Dundas (ed), Asiatic Annual Register for 1802, or A View of the History of Hindustan and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia, London, J. Debrett, 1803, footnote pp.97-100, Miscellaneous Tracts [1]
- ^ a b Definition per James Mill (1826): "Dewan, Duan: place of assembly. Native minister of the revenue department; and chief justice, in civil causes, within his jurisdiction; receiver-general of a province. The term is also used, to designate the principal revenue servant under a European collector, and even of a Zemindar. By this title, the East India Company are receivers-general of the revenues of Bengal, under a grant from the Great Mogul"..."Dewanny, Duannee: the office, or jurisdiction of a Dewan" (Mill, James, The History of British India, Vol. 1 (of 6), 3rd Edition, London, 1826, Glossary [2])
- ISBN 0-415-30787-2. "Chapter 7: Company Raj and Indian Society 1757 to 1857, Reinvention and Reform of Tradition."
- ^ Regmi 1975, p. 272.
Books
- Regmi, D.R. (1975), Modern Nepal, vol. 1, Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, ISBN 0883864916