Everything about Dewan totally explained
The originally Persian title of
diwan (also quite commonly known as
Dewan; also spelled
-van) has at various points in the Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.
Etymology
The title diwan is derived from the name of a particular sofa-like piece of sitting furniture known as a
divan, which is the common shape of
thrones in the Indian subcontinent, either a Hindu
Gadi or a Muslim
Musnaid.
Council
The word first appears under the
Caliphate of
Omar I (A.D. 634-644). As the
Caliphate state became more complicated, the term was extended over all the government bureaus.
The
divan of the Sublime Porte was the council or
Cabinet of the state. In the
Ottoman Empire, it consisted of the usually (except in the Sultan's presence) presiding
Grand Vizier and other
viziers, and occasionally the
Janissary Ağa.
In
Javanese and related languages the cognate
Dewan is the standard word for council, as in the
Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or Council of People's Representatives.
Title
During the effective rule of the
Mughal empire, the
diwan served as the chief revenue officer of a province.
Later, when most vassal states gained various degrees of self-determination, the finance - and/or chief minister of many
princely states (especially
Muslim, but also many
Hindu, including
Baroda,
Hyderabad,
Mysore,
Kochi,
Travancore - referred as
Dalawa until 1811) became known as a
diwan.
Exceptionally, a ruler was himself titled Dewan, notably
Nowadays, the title is used amongst certain upper-middle-class families in the South Asia; several landlords in villages and provinces across the subcontinent have names prefixed with this title. The title, in its variant form "Dewan", is especially common amongst
Muslim land-owners in
Bengal and the
Punjab.
Derived and compound titles
Diwan Deo was the hereditary title borne by the
Chief Minister of
Cooch, held by a junior branch of the ruling
Narayan dynasty
Abstract use
The term
Diwani is sometimes used to refer to British
sovereignty or
suzerainty over India, either just before or during the
British Raj.
French India
In
French India, one of its colonies
Yanaon has
Zamindar and
Diwan. They much active in its local and municipal administration during french reign. The Zamindar of Yanam was given a 4 gun salute by the French counterparts.
Zamindar - M.Manion Canacaya
Diwan - M.Bouloussou Soubramaniam Sastroulou
Sovereignty - French Colonial Empire
Sources and references
(incomplete)
RoyalArk- see each princely state mentioned above
WorldStatesmen- India
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dewan'.
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