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Dewan (also known asdiwan, sometimes spelleddevan ordivan) designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. Adewan was the head of a state institution of the same name (seeDivan). Diwans belonged to the elite families in the history of Mughal and post-Mughal India and held high posts within the government.
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]
The word first appears under theCaliphate ofOmar I (A.D. 634–644). As the Caliphate state became more complicated, the term was extended over all the government bureaus.[citation needed]
Thedivan of theSublime Porte was the council orCabinet of the state. In theOttoman Empire, it consisted of the usually (except in theSultan's presence) presidingGrand Vizier and otherviziers, and occasionally theJanissary Ağa.[citation needed]
In 19th-centuryRomania, theAd hoc Divan was a body which played a role in the country's development towards independence from Ottoman rule.[citation needed]
InMalay (includingIndonesian) and related languages (such asJavanese,Minangkabau, etc.), theborrowed word "dewan" is the standard word for council, as in theDewan Perwakilan Rakyat (or Indonesia's Council of People's Representatives) and Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly of Malaysia), Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives of Malaysia), andDewan Negara (Senate of Malaysia).[citation needed]
During the effective rule ofMughal India, theDewan served as the chief revenue officer of a province.[2]
Later, when most vassal states gained various degrees ofself-determination, the finance — and/or chief minister and leader of manyprincely states (especiallyMuslim, but also manyHindu, includingBaroda,Hyderabad,Mysore,Kochi,Travancore — referred to asDalawa until 1811) became known as adewan.[citation needed]
Exceptionally, a ruler was himself titled Dewan or a loftier variation, notably:
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 majorMaratha 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 MarathaJamkhandi State. In the 19th century, the British Parliament established in British India a supreme court for revenue matters (non-criminal matters) named the "Sudder Dewanny Adawlut", which applied Hindu law.[4][5]
Dewan, Diwan, Divan, or Deo was the hereditary title borne by theChief Minister of the HinduCooch State in theBengal region.
Diwan also became a surname of high-caste Hindus or Sikhs in thePunjab region.
There is also a community with the surnameDiwan found inChhattisgarh, near theBilaspur andJanjgir-Champa regions. This is aBrahmin-Rajput community descendant from Deo Brahmin-Rajputs who migrated fromPurvanchal inUttar Pradesh. The males in this community take the title Dhar (e.g., Mohan Dhar Diwan, a high-ranked member ofVishwa Hindu Parishad). They had a fight with the royal family of Ratanpur, defeated the king, and started ruling the Ratanpur estate.
After theBattle of Buxar, whenBengal was annexed by theEast India Company in 1764, theMughal Emperor granted the Company theDiwani (the right to collect revenue) in Bengal and Bihar in 1765.[6][5] The termDiwani thus referred to British (fiscal)suzerainty over parts of India during the early British Raj.
InFrench India, one of its constituent colonies,Yanaon, hadZamindar andDiwan. They were active in its local and municipal administration during French rule. The Zamindar of Yanam was given a 4-gun salute by French counterparts.[citation needed]
The document datedBikram Samvat 1833Bhadra Vadi 3 Roj 6 (i.e. Friday 2 August 1776), shows thatVamsharaj Pande andSwaroop Singh Karki had carried the title of Dewan (equivalent to Prime Minister) of theKingdom of Nepal.[7]