| Diwan Bhawani Das | |
|---|---|
 Painting of Diwan Bhawani Das, ca.1820s | |
| Finance minister of theSikh Empire | |
| Reign | 1811-1834 |
| Predecessor | Position established |
| Successor | Diwan Dina Nath[1] |
| Born | c. 1770 |
| Died | 1834 |
| Father | Diwan Thakur Das |
| Religion | Hinduism[2] |
Diwan Bhawani Das (c. 1770 - 1834) was a high-rankingHindu[1] official underDurrani emperors,Zaman Shah andShah Shujah. He later became the revenue minister ofMaharajaRanjit Singh, ruler of the powerfulSikh Empire.[3][4][5]
Bhawani Das was born in 1770 and was the second son of Diwan Thakur Das, the revenue minister of theDurrani emperor,Ahmad Shah Abdali. He was born into aKhatri family.[6] Bhawani Das served as a high-ranking revenue officer underDurrani emperors,Zaman Shah andShah Shujah, mostly employed in collecting the custom duties ofMultan andDerajat.
In 1808, disgusted at the way he was treated at theKabul court, he went toLahore to serve underMaharajaRanjit Singh, ruler of theSikhs. He was warmly welcomed by Ranjit Singh as theSikh state was in need of a proper state treasury and system of regular accounts. His employment proved fruitful- Bhawani Das established an office for pay of troops and a finance office, of both of which he was made the head.[7] He set up 12 departments called daftars (offices) to deal with all civil and military accounts. In the districts of differentsubahs, treasuries were established to maintain regular accounts of income and expenditure. In newly conquered territories, settlement officers were appointed to regulate revenue and finance.[8][3][9] His successes impressedRanjit Singh and he was appointed the finance minister in 1811.[9] However, Bhawani Das was not an honest man, and had to reprimanded on several occasions.[10] Sohan Lal Suri, author of the Umdat-ut-Tawarikh, writes- "His hunchback was full of mischief".[11]
Bhawani Das was one ofRanjit Singh's counsellors at the negotiations with the British envoy,Charles T. Metcalfe. In 1810, a huge force under the command of Diwan Bhawani Das was dispatched by the Sikh court atLahore to crush the rebellion of the popular warriorMian Dido in the hills ofJammu and capture him. However, he failed in capturingMian Dido despite trying his best and succeeded in only restoring order inJammu town and failed to impose his authority in large areas of Jammu hills.[12][13]In the same year, Bhawani Das was sent to collect tribute from the rulers ofMandi andSuket. In 1813, he invaded and annexedHaripur State in theKangra hills[14] and accompanied MaharajaRanjit Singh for the acquisition of the famedKoh-i-Noor diamond fromShah Shujah Durrani.[15]He was made chief diwan of princeKharak Singh in 1816 and in the same year, he successfully annexed theRamgarhia estates to theSikh Empire.[8]
He was also present at theSiege of Multan, where he was bribed by the Nawab of Multan.[16][17] He also took part in the expeditions toPeshawar and theYusafzai country.[8][3] He suffered an eclipse in his career when he quarreled with Misr Beli Ram, the treasurer and second son ofMisr Diwan Chand.[18] Misr Beli Ram accused Bhawani Das of embezzlement and Bhawani Das was fined a lakh rupees byRanjit Singh, and was expelled from theLahore court to the hills ofKangra. However, his services were too valuable to wasted hence he was recalled and served as finance minister until his death in 1834. He was succeeded byDina Nath as minister of finance.[8][3][9]