On 12 August 1765, the Mughal emperor appointed the East India Company as the Diwan of Bengal. The actual event most probably took place in Robert Clive's tent, with a few Englishmen and Indians as witnesses. But in the painting above, the event is shown as a majestic occasion, taking place in a grand setting.
Dewan (also known as diwan, sometimes spelled devan or divan) designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. Diwans belonged to the elite families in the history of Mughal and post-Mughal India and held high posts within the government.
The word, recorded in English since 1586, meaning "Oriental council of a state", comes from Turkish divan, from Arabic diwan. It is first attested in Middle Persian spelled as dpywʾn and dywʾn, itself hearkening back, via Old Persian, Elamite and Akkadian, ultimately to Sumerian dub, clay tablet.
Dewan Bahadur / Diwan Bahadur was a title of honour awarded during British rule in India. It was awarded to individuals who had performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was accompanied by a special Title Badge.
Diwan-i-Arz in Delhi Sultanate was established by Balban. Diwan-i-Arz was essentially the Department of Military managed by Ariz-i-Mamalik. He was accountable for the regulation and preservation of the royal army.
Diwani means right to collect revenue.
1 Answer. During the rule of the Mughal Empire, the Diwan served as the chief revenue officer of a province.
A divan (Turkish divan, originally from Persian devan) is a piece of couch-like sitting furniture or, in some countries, a box-spring based bed. The divan in the sense of a sofa or couch entered the English language in 1702 and has been commonly known in Europe since about the middle of the 18th century.
Diwan (title) (dewan or divan), a number of Middle Eastern titles used in various languages for high officials, especially of cabinet rank, or as a rank of high nobility in South Asia.
The diwan (also called the Wazir or chief minister), held the primary position among them and looked after revenue and finance, but kept an overview of all matters of expenditure and related departments recording all imperial orders and assigning duties and expense to district faujdars.
Officers of the Mughal Empire (Centre)
| Central Officers | Functions |
|---|
| Wazir | Head of revenue department; but reduced power as compared to Sultanate |
| Diwan | Responsible for all income and expenditure; control over Khalisa & Jagir |
| Mir Bakshi | Headed military department, nobility, information and intelligence agencies |
When used as nouns, divan means a couch- or sofa-like piece of furniture made of a mattress lying against the wall and either on the floor or an elevated structure, whereas sofa means a raised area of a building's floor, usually covered with carpeting, used for sitting.
