The diwan of Mysore, also spelled dewan of Mysore, synonymously the prime minister of Mysore, was the ''de-facto'' chief executive officer of the government of the

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

and the prime minister and royal adviser to the

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the southern Indian Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. In title, the role has been known by differe ...

. The role evolved in name and responsibilities since the foundation of the fiefdom of Mysore in 1350 and its proper reformation into a kingdom in the following centuries until the kingdom's full abolishment in 1950. With the constitution of India into a republic in 1950, the position was replaced by Chief Minister of Mysore (later renamed Chief Minister of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

). From offering minor political advice to the monarch as ''amatya'' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

for minister) like in the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

to later acting as a major military chieftain as ''dalvoy'' (

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

for military chief) like in other southern kingdoms to being the head of the government as '' diwan'' (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, the role has transmuted in powers over time. From being handpicked by the monarch to being elected through popular suffrage, the mode of appointment and appointer also changed.

Formation and abolishment

Dalvoy

Until mid-18th century, the role of the monarch's adviser was known as dalvoy, also spelled as dalavay or dalvi, under the Wadiyars. The word dalvoy is a vernacular form of the

word ''dalapati'' (commander-in-chief). Owing to the deposition of Maharaja

Krishnaraja Wadiyar II Krishnaraja Wadiyar II (1728 – 25 April 1766Hayavadana Rao, Conjeeveram. History of Mysore (1399-1799 A.D.): 1704-1766. India: Superintendent of the Government Press, 1946.), was the eighteenth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1734 ...

by his own dalvoy

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

and his assumption as the supreme leader in 1761, until after Ali's son Tipu was briefly in that position, the role of dalvoy became abandoned. File:Hyder Ali Chitrashala Press.jpg, alt=, Hyder Ali, Maharaja

's dalvoy who usurped the king and became the supreme leader of Mysore File:TipuSultan1790.jpg, alt=, Tipu, who was briefly his father's davloy and the last one to hold the role, before assuming the title Sultan

Diwan

After Ali's death in 1782, Tipu assumed power as the Sultan of Mysore who first constituted the role of Diwan of Mysore when he made his longtime childhood friend K. Purnaiah his adviser and labelled him his diwan. Under him, the maharaja was de-recognised and the role of diwan was gradually formally codified into government. The role in its form became so popular under Tipu that later on, other Indian kingdoms incorporated the role and the title into their governments, such as Diwan of Kashmir,

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

, ''etc''. In 1799, Tipu was executed, and

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

installed

Krishnaraja Wadiyar III Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (14 July 1794 – 27 March 1868) was the twenty-second maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. Also known as Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja belonged to the Wadiyar dynasty and ruled the kingdom for nearly seventy y ...

as the maharaja. The Wadiyars continued appointing to the role of diwan after resumption of power, starting with Purnaiah himself being continuted. Under the maharajas, it became one of the most venerable, esteemed, and celebrated leadership roles in princely India.

Chief minister

In 1950, after the accession of the Kingdom of Mysore into the Republic of India, all titles and positions ascribed to the kingdom were abolished, including that of the diwan. It was replaced by Chief Minister of Mysore State, now renamed Chief Minister of Karnataka. The role as diwan remained active in Mysore through one sultan and four maharajas. There have been a total of 24 diwans and two acting diwans. Most diwans during the latter years were civil servants in the Indian Imperial Service or Mysore Police Service.

Diwans

The first Diwan of Mysore was K. Purnaiah selected by Tipu, who served almost three decades from 1782 to 1811 and two rulers. The last diwan was Sir A. R. Mudaliar under Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, who served from 1946 to 1949. Other popular diwans of Mysore include Sir C. V. Rungacharlu,

Sir K. Seshadri Iyer Sir Kumarapuram Seshadri Iyer (also spelled Aiyar) (1 June 1845 – 13 September 1901), was an Indian advocate who served as the 15th Diwan of Mysore from 1883 to 1901. He was the second longest serving diwan of Mysore after Diwan Purnaiah. He ...

Sir M. Visvesvaraya Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (15 September 1861 – 12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918. Visvesvaraya i ...

, Sir M. Kantharaj Urs, and

Sir Mirza Ismail Sir Mirza Muhammad Ismail Amin-ul-Mulq (24 October 1883 – 5 January 1959) was an Indian statesman and police officer who served as the Diwan of Mysore, Jaipur, and Hyderabad.P. 254-258, ''Business Legends'' by Gita Piramal (1998) – Published ...

. File:Purniya, Chief Minister of Mysore.tif, alt=, K. Purnaiah, the first Diwan of Mysore File:C. V. Rungacharlu.jpg, alt=, Sir C. V. Rungacharlu, the 14th Diwan of Mysore, who was instrumental in the Rendition of Mysore Act File:K.Sheshadri Iyer Statue, Cubbon Park, Bangalore.JPG, alt=, A statue of Sir K Sheshadri Iyer in Bangalore. He was the 15th Diwan of Mysore and was instrumental in Bangalore's public infrastructure development File:Mokshagundam Visvesvaraiah 1960 stamp of India.jpg, alt=, Sir M Visvesvaraya's centenary postage stamp. He was the 19th Diwan of Mysore and was key to making Mysore a modern state File:Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail.jpg, alt=, Sir Mirza Ismail, the 22nd Diwan of Mysore, mentored by Diwan M. Visvesvaraya. He was a close confidant of Maharaja

Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; 4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore, from 1902 until his death in 1940. He is popularly called ''Rajarshi'' ( sa, rājarṣi, lit ...

and helped thrive industries File:Ramaswamy Mudaliar.jpg, alt=, Sir A. R. Mudaliar, the 24th and last Diwan of Mysore Many of the diwans are associated with several industrial, financial, public infrastructure, and educational initiatives undertaken during their terms. These initiatives include almost all works assigned by the king or undertaken by the diwans themselves. This includes activities like setting up and maintaining industries like dams for irrigation like hydroelectric power plants on the

Shivanasamudra Falls Shivanasamudra Falls is a waterfall on the border of Malavalli taluk, Mandya district and Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagara district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated along the river Kaveri, which forms here the boundary to the Ch ...

and the

Jog Falls Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river located in the Western Ghats running between Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts of Karnataka, India. It is the third highest plunge waterfall in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depend ...

in 1902,

Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISL), a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited, is a plant involved in the production of alloy steels and pig iron. It is located in the city of Bhadravathi, India. It was started as the ''Mysore Iron Work ...

in 1923,

Krishna Raja Sagara Krishna Raja Sagara, also popularly known as KRS, is a lake and the dam that creates it. They are close to the settlement of Krishna Raja Sagara in the Indian State of Karnataka. The gravity dam made of ''surki'' mortar is below the confluence o ...

in 1924,

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence (military), defence company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manuf ...

in 1940, Mysore Lamps, Mysore Chemical and Fertilisers Factory, Mysore Paper Mills, Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited, among others.

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

was the first city in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to get electric streetlights in 1905 under Sir P. N. Krishnamurti. The

State Bank of Mysore State Bank of Mysore was a Public Sector bank in India, with headquarters at Bangalore. It was one of the five associate banks of State Bank of India, all of which were consolidated with the State Bank of India with effect from 1 April 2017. S ...

was established in 1913 at M. Visvesvaraya's initiative.

References