The Dewas Junior State of the Puar Dynasty

The Dewas Junior state, also known as Dewas Junior or the junior branch of the twin states of Dewas, was a princely state of the Malwa region in what is now Madhya Pradesh, ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty. It formed the junior half of a remarkable pair of states, Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, which famously shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital, each half keeping its own administration. Rising amid the spread of Maratha power across central India chronicled in our guide to the Maratha Empire, Dewas Junior preserved a distinctive heritage, and this account keeps to broadly established history where particular dates and details are uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• Dewas Junior was a princely state of the Malwa region in present-day Madhya Pradesh.
• It was ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty.
• Dewas Junior was the junior branch of the twin states of Dewas, alongside Dewas Senior.
• The two states famously shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital, each with its own administration.
• The town of Dewas is associated with a revered hill shrine on the Tekri.
• Dewas Junior was integrated into India around 1948, after independence.

Read on for the history, culture, and legacy in detail.

Quick Facts

Who Ruled the Dewas Junior State?

The Dewas Junior state was ruled by a Maratha Puar, also spelled Pawar, dynasty, one of the ruling houses that rose to prominence in the Malwa region of central India during the era of Maratha expansion. The rulers of Dewas Junior belonged to the same broad Puar lineage as the neighbouring house of Dewas Senior, with which the state shared a common origin and the single town of Dewas as a divided capital. Governing their share of the territory from their half of the town, the rulers presided over a small but distinctive princely state in the Malwa country. The dynasty upheld the martial traditions associated with the Maratha houses of the region. As the ruling house of the junior branch, the Puars of Dewas Junior held their own place among the princely states of central India. Their long rule gave the state its particular character within the broader history of Malwa.

Where Was the Dewas Junior State Located?

Dewas Junior was located in the Malwa region of central India, in the uplands and plains that form part of present-day Madhya Pradesh, with its seat in the town of Dewas. The Malwa plateau, known for its fertile black soil and its historic towns, provided the setting for the state and for its twin, Dewas Senior, which shared the same town. The position of Dewas in the heart of Malwa placed it among the cluster of princely states that made up the region under the political arrangements of central India. The terrain, well suited to agriculture, shaped the life and economy of the state. Dewas Junior’s location in the Malwa country is central to understanding its place among the princely states of the region and its close relationship with its twin state. Its setting, in a historic town of the plateau, also gave rise to the heritage for which Dewas remains known.

What Were the Twin States of Dewas?

The twin states of Dewas were a remarkable pair of princely states, Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, which arose from a single house and shared the one town of Dewas as a divided joint capital. According to the broadly recorded history of the region, the two states sprang from a common Maratha Puar origin, and when the inheritance was divided, the result was two separate states that nonetheless shared the same capital town. Each state, senior and junior, maintained its own ruler, administration and territory, while the town of Dewas itself was split between them. This unusual arrangement made the twin states of Dewas one of the most distinctive features of the political geography of central India. The relationship between the two houses was one of shared origin and close neighbourhood. The twin states of Dewas are remembered as a singular example of how a princely inheritance could be divided in the history of the region.

Why Did Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior Share One Town?

Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior shared the one town of Dewas because the two states arose from the division of a single Maratha Puar inheritance, which left the common capital split between the two branches rather than assigned to one. According to the broadly recorded history, when the original house was divided into senior and junior branches, the town of Dewas was partitioned between them, so that each state governed its own share of the same town. This produced the celebrated arrangement in which a single town served as the divided joint capital of two separate states, each with its own administration, revenue and officials. The division is said to have run through the town in intricate ways, a curiosity often noted in accounts of the princely states. This sharing of one capital is the most famous feature of the twin states of Dewas. It reflects the particular way in which the Puar inheritance was divided in the Malwa country.

Who Were the Maratha Puars of Dewas?

The Maratha Puars, also spelled Pawars, were the ruling clan from which the houses of both Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior sprang, a Maratha lineage that rose to prominence in central India during the era of Maratha expansion. The Puar house is associated with the spread of Maratha power into the Malwa region, where its chiefs established themselves as rulers of states, including the twin states of Dewas. As a Maratha ruling house, the Puars of Dewas upheld the martial traditions and the culture associated with the Maratha states of the period. The Puar heritage gave the dynasty its proud lineage and its connection to the wider Maratha world of central and western India. This ancestry linked Dewas Junior to its twin state and to the broader history of the Maratha houses in Malwa. The Maratha Puar identity forms the ancestral foundation of the ruling house of Dewas Junior.

How Did the Dewas Junior State Originate?

Dewas Junior originated through the division of a single Maratha Puar house into two branches, senior and junior, from which the twin states of Dewas took shape in the Malwa region. According to the broadly recorded history, the Puar family rose to power in central India during the era of Maratha expansion, and when the inheritance was divided between branches of the house, two separate states emerged that shared the town of Dewas as a divided capital. The junior branch established its own state, administration and share of the territory, becoming the Dewas Junior of later history. The precise details of this division belong to the traditions and records of the Maratha houses and are treated with appropriate care. What is clear is that the state arose from the partition of a common inheritance. The origin of Dewas Junior as the junior half of the twin states is the defining fact of its early history.

How Was the Joint Capital Administered?

The joint capital of Dewas was administered as a divided town, with Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior each governing its own portion through its own officials, revenue arrangements and administration. According to accounts of the princely states, the division of the town between the two states was remarkably intricate, with the authority of the two houses interwoven across the streets and quarters of Dewas, so that the single town functioned as the capital of two separate governments. Each state maintained its own administrative apparatus for its share of the town and its wider territory. This unusual arrangement required cooperation and accommodation between the twin houses, even as each preserved its own independence. The divided administration of the shared capital is among the most distinctive features of the history of Dewas. It reflects the singular character of the twin states. The administration of the joint capital remains the best-remembered curiosity of the princely history of Dewas.

What Is the Tekri Hill at Dewas?

The Tekri is a hill that rises over the town of Dewas, traditionally crowned by a revered shrine that is deeply honoured in the devotional life of the region. According to tradition, the hill shrine on the Tekri is dedicated to a revered goddess and draws devotees who hold the site in particular reverence, making it the best-known landmark of the town of Dewas. The hill and its shrine are cherished as a place of pilgrimage and devotion, connecting the town to the wider religious traditions of the Malwa country. The Tekri rises as a prominent feature above the town shared by the twin states, and its shrine is a central part of the heritage and identity of Dewas. Devotees traditionally revere the site as a place of blessing. The hill shrine on the Tekri remains the foremost devotional landmark of Dewas and a cherished part of its heritage in the Malwa region.

What Was the Religion and Culture of Dewas Junior?

The religion and culture of Dewas Junior were rooted in the Hindu faith of its Maratha Puar ruling house and people, in common with the other Maratha states of central India. As a Maratha princely state, Dewas Junior honoured the traditions, worship and festivals of the Hindu community, which were cherished and supported by the ruling house, including the devotion associated with the revered hill shrine on the Tekri. The court of Dewas fostered a cultural life of music, patronage and ceremony in the manner of the princely states of the region. The culture of Dewas Junior blended the Maratha heritage of the ruling house with the wider traditions of the Malwa country. This combination of faith and culture gave the state its particular character, shared with its twin, Dewas Senior. The religious and cultural life of Dewas Junior reflected the devotion and status of the ruling house, and remains part of the heritage of the town.

How Was the Dewas Junior State Governed?

Dewas Junior was governed by its Maratha Puar ruling house through a system that combined the authority of the ruler with the service of ministers, officials and local notables who managed the affairs of the state. At the head stood the ruler, supported by officers responsible for revenue, justice and the general administration of the state’s share of the town of Dewas and its wider territory in the Malwa region. Because the capital was divided with Dewas Senior, the administration of the junior state operated alongside that of its twin within the same town. Revenue came chiefly from the land and the produce of the fertile country, in keeping with the agrarian character of Malwa. The nobility and local chiefs held responsibilities within this structure, a common pattern among the princely states. Within the framework of British paramountcy, the administration of the state developed over time. This system allowed the junior branch to maintain its rule for generations.

What Were the State's Relations with the Great Powers?

Dewas Junior, as a Maratha princely state of Malwa, engaged over its history with the great powers that contended for mastery of central India, including the Maratha confederacy from which its ruling house sprang and later the British. As British paramountcy extended across central India, the rulers of Dewas Junior, like those of the neighbouring states, entered into arrangements that recognised their rule while acknowledging the overarching authority of the colonial power. The state was counted among the princely states of the central Indian region administered under the political arrangements of the period. Its position as the junior half of the twin states of Dewas shaped these dealings. The rulers managed their relations to safeguard the interests of the state across changing times. Through such accommodation, the dynasty maintained its place among the princely states. The state’s relations with the great powers form an important strand in its history and in that of the Maratha houses of Malwa.

How Did Dewas Junior Become a Princely State under the British?

Dewas Junior became a princely state within the framework of British paramountcy that took shape across India during the nineteenth century. As British power extended over the subcontinent, the ruling house of Dewas Junior, like the other Maratha and central Indian states, entered into arrangements that recognised its rule over its territory while acknowledging the overarching authority of the colonial power. Under this system Dewas Junior was counted among the princely states of central India, retaining its own ruler, administration and internal governance as the junior half of the twin states of Dewas. This status allowed the Maratha Puar dynasty to continue governing its share of the town and its territory under the paramountcy of the British crown. The princely-state framework shaped the modern history of Dewas Junior until the independence of India. Within this arrangement the state preserved its heritage and its distinct identity as a twin state of Dewas in the Malwa region.

What Was the Place of Dewas Junior in Central India?

Dewas Junior held its place among the many princely states of central India, the cluster of states of varying size that made up the political geography of the region under the arrangements of the period. As the junior half of the twin states of Dewas, it was a small state, yet one made remarkable by its shared capital and its Maratha Puar heritage. The state lay within the Malwa region, among neighbours that included its twin, Dewas Senior, and other houses of the central Indian country. Its standing among these states reflected both its modest size and the distinctive curiosity of the divided town it shared. The place of Dewas Junior in central India is best understood through its twinned relationship with Dewas Senior and its position in the historic Malwa plateau. The state remains a notable example of the variety and intricacy of the princely states of central India in the history of the region.

How Did the Dewas Junior State Join Independent India?

Dewas Junior, like the other princely states, was integrated into independent India in the years following independence in 1947, by about 1948, when the states of the region were merged into the new nation. With the end of British paramountcy, the rulers of the princely states joined India, and their territories were brought into the republic through the great process of integration that reshaped the political map of the subcontinent. Dewas Junior, together with its twin state and the other states of central India, was merged into the wider structure that became part of present-day Madhya Pradesh. This transition ended the era of Dewas Junior as a separately governed principality, though the ruling family retained its historical standing and heritage. The integration of the states was one of the defining achievements of the early years of independent India. Dewas Junior thus became part of the modern nation and of the reorganised structure of central India.

The Dewas Junior State Today

Dewas Junior is remembered today chiefly through its remarkable history as the junior half of the twin states of Dewas, which famously shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital. The town of Dewas, now a notable centre in present-day Madhya Pradesh, preserves the memory of the twin states and their Maratha Puar ruling houses, while the revered hill shrine on the Tekri remains its foremost devotional landmark. The former ruling family retains its historical association with the state and its heritage. The curiosity of the divided capital continues to fascinate those who study the history of the princely states of central India. For readers of Indian history, Dewas Junior offers a vivid example of the intricate political geography of the Maratha states of Malwa. Its legacy endures in the town of Dewas, the hill shrine on the Tekri and the singular story of the twin states of Dewas.

Sources & Further Reading

• Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in).
• Ministry of Culture, Government of India (indiaculture.gov.in).
• Department of Tourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh (mptourism.com).

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Dewas Junior state?

The Dewas Junior state was a princely state of the Malwa region in present-day Madhya Pradesh, ruled by a Maratha Puar (Pawar) dynasty. It was the junior branch of the twin Dewas states, which famously shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital, each with its own administration.

Why did Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior share one town?

Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior shared one town because the two states arose from the division of a single Maratha Puar inheritance, which left the common capital of Dewas split between the two branches. Each state governed its own share of the same town through its own administration, a celebrated curiosity of the princely states.

Who ruled Dewas Junior?

Dewas Junior was ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty, the junior branch of the house from which the twin states of Dewas sprang. The rulers governed their share of the town of Dewas and their territory in the Malwa region of central India.

What is the Tekri hill at Dewas?

The Tekri is a hill rising over the town of Dewas, traditionally crowned by a revered shrine that is deeply honoured in the devotional life of the region. The hill shrine is the best-known landmark of Dewas and a cherished place of pilgrimage in the Malwa country.

What were the twin states of Dewas?

The twin states of Dewas were a remarkable pair of princely states, Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, which arose from a single Maratha Puar house and shared the one town of Dewas as a divided joint capital. Each maintained its own ruler, administration and territory.

What happened to Dewas Junior after independence?

Dewas Junior was integrated into independent India around 1948, when the states of the region were merged into the new nation. Its territory became part of present-day Madhya Pradesh, ending its era as a separately governed principality, though the ruling family retained its heritage.