The Dewas Senior State of the Puar Dynasty

Dewas Senior state, ruled by the Puar dynasty, was one of the twin Dewas states of the Malwa region, in the country that today forms part of Madhya Pradesh. The state was governed by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, house, and it formed one half of a famous pair, for Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital, an arrangement remarkable among the princely states of India. The Dewas hill, known as the Tekri, rising above the town, is celebrated for the revered shrine of the goddess honoured there as Chamunda and Tulja Devi. The English writer E. M. Forster served as private secretary to the Maharaja of Dewas Senior and later wrote of the state. Rising amid the spread of Maratha power in Malwa, as traced in our guide to the Maratha Empire, Dewas Senior preserved a distinctive heritage, and this account keeps to broadly established history where particular dates and details are uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• Dewas Senior state was one of the twin Dewas states of the Malwa region of central India.
• It was ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty.
• Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior famously shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital.
• The Dewas hill, or Tekri, above the town is celebrated for its revered shrine of the goddess honoured as Chamunda and Tulja Devi.
• The writer E. M. Forster served as private secretary to the Maharaja of Dewas Senior.
• Dewas Senior acceded to the Indian Union after independence in 1947.

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

Quick Facts

Who Ruled the Dewas Senior State?

Dewas Senior state was ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty, one of the two branches of the Puar house that governed the twin states of Dewas in the Malwa region. The Puar family belonged to the Maratha people, whose power spread across Malwa in the era of the Maratha ascendancy, and the two branches of the house established the senior and junior states of Dewas. As rulers of the senior branch, the Puars of Dewas Senior held the leading position of the pair, governing their share of the town and territory. The dynasty upheld the Maratha and Hindu traditions of the ruling house. As one of the twin Dewas states, Dewas Senior held a distinctive place among the princely states of central India. Their rule gave the state its particular character and its heritage, within the shared history of the two Dewas states. The Maratha Puar identity forms the foundation of the ruling house of Dewas Senior.

Where Is Dewas Located?

Dewas is located in the Malwa region of central India, in the country that today forms part of Madhya Pradesh. The town of Dewas, which gave the twin states their name, served as the shared capital of both Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, an arrangement remarkable among the princely states. The position of Dewas on the Malwa plateau placed it among the many states of the region, within reach of the larger towns and powers of central India. The terrain and setting of the Malwa plateau, with its black soil and generally temperate climate, shaped the agrarian life and economy of the state. Rising above the town stands the Dewas hill, the Tekri, crowned by its celebrated shrine. The location of Dewas in the Malwa country is central to understanding its place among the princely states and the distinctive arrangement of its twin states sharing a single capital town.

What Were the Twin Dewas States?

The twin Dewas states were a famous pair of princely states, Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, that shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital, an arrangement unusual among the states of India. Both states were ruled by branches of the same Maratha Puar house, which had divided into a senior and a junior line, each governing its own state while sharing the capital town. In Dewas, the two states were so closely intertwined that the town itself was divided between them, with the administration, and even particular streets and institutions, shared or split between the senior and junior branches. This remarkable arrangement made Dewas one of the most distinctive cases among the princely states of India. The twin states shared a common Puar origin while maintaining their separate rule. The arrangement of the twin Dewas states is central to understanding the history of Dewas Senior and its place among the princely states of the Malwa region.

Why Did the Two States Share One Town?

The two Dewas states shared one town because the ruling Puar house had divided into a senior and a junior branch, each of which came to govern its own state while both kept their seat in the single town of Dewas. According to the broadly recorded history, the division of the house led to the division of the town itself, so that Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior shared the capital as a divided joint seat, with the administration and particular places split or shared between the two branches. This arrangement, rare among the princely states of India, arose from the close kinship of the two ruling lines and the partition of a once-united domain. The shared capital became one of the most famous features of the twin states. The division of a single town between two states reflected the intertwined history of the Puar branches. This unusual arrangement is central to the story of Dewas Senior within the princely states of Malwa.

Who Were the Puar Marathas of Dewas?

The Puar Marathas of Dewas, also spelled Pawar, belonged to the Maratha people whose power rose to prominence across central India in the era of Maratha ascendancy. The Puar house is counted among the Maratha families that established principalities in Malwa during the spread of Maratha authority in the region, and two branches of the house came to rule the twin states of Dewas. As Marathas, the rulers of Dewas Senior carried the traditions, customs and martial heritage of the Maratha people, which formed a central part of the identity of the ruling house. This ancestry linked Dewas Senior to the wider family of Maratha states that took shape in Malwa and beyond. The Puar heritage gave the dynasty its lineage and its place among the Maratha princely houses of central India. The Maratha Puar identity forms the ancestral foundation of the ruling house of Dewas Senior in the Malwa region.

How Did the Dewas States Originate?

The Dewas states originated in the era of the spread of Maratha power across the Malwa region, when the Puar house established its authority in the country around the town of Dewas. According to the broadly recorded history, the Puar family rose to prominence amid the Maratha ascendancy in central India and came to hold the territory of Dewas, which was later divided between a senior and a junior branch of the house, giving rise to the twin states. The precise details of the foundation and division are drawn from the traditions and recorded history of the Maratha houses and are treated with appropriate care. What is broadly established is that the Puar dynasty established an enduring presence in Malwa, with the distinctive arrangement of the twin states sharing the town of Dewas. The origin of Dewas Senior amid the rise of Maratha power connects it to the wider history of the Maratha states. The state thus took shape as the senior of the twin Dewas states.

What Is the Dewas Hill and Its Shrine?

The Dewas hill, known as the Tekri, rises above the town of Dewas and is celebrated for the revered shrine of the goddess honoured there, worshipped as Chamunda and as Tulja Devi. The hilltop shrine is a cherished place of devotion, drawing pilgrims and devotees who climb the Tekri to pay their respects to the goddess, in a tradition of worship that is deeply honoured in the religious life of the region. The shrine is associated with the devotion of the ruling houses and the people of Dewas, and is treated with the reverence due to a revered place of worship. As the most celebrated religious landmark of the town, the Dewas hill and its shrine form a central part of the heritage of the twin states. The devotion of the people to the goddess of the Tekri reflects the deep religious culture of the Malwa country. The shrine on the Dewas hill remains among the most cherished heritage landmarks of Dewas.

Who Was E. M. Forster and His Link to Dewas?

E. M. Forster, the English writer, is linked to Dewas Senior through his service as private secretary to the Maharaja of the state, an episode he later recalled in his writing. Forster, remembered as one of the notable English authors of his period, spent time at the court of Dewas Senior in this role, and his experience of the state and its ruler became the basis of a work in which he wrote of Dewas and its hill of the goddess. His account offers a sympathetic and vivid portrait of the small Maratha state and its court, as seen through the eyes of an English observer. This literary connection gives Dewas Senior a distinctive place in the cultural record, for it is among the princely states to have been portrayed by a celebrated writer. The link to Forster reflects the unusual interest the state drew. His association with Dewas Senior remains one of the most distinctive features of its heritage.

What Was the Capital Town of Dewas Like?

The capital town of Dewas, which gave the twin states their name, lay on the Malwa plateau and served as the shared seat of both Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior. The town was the political, administrative and cultural centre of the two states, adorned with the palaces, residences and institutions of the two Puar ruling houses, and crowned by the Dewas hill with its revered shrine. As a town divided between two states, Dewas had a character unlike that of most princely capitals, with its administration and particular places shared or split between the senior and junior branches. The town was a centre of court life, governance and ceremony for both states. Its heritage reflected the status and patronage of the two ruling houses. As the shared capital, Dewas was the focus of the life of the twin states. The town of Dewas remains the enduring centre of the heritage of the two Dewas states in Madhya Pradesh.

What Was the Religion and Culture of Dewas Senior?

The religion and culture of Dewas Senior were rooted in the Hindu faith and the Maratha traditions of its Puar ruling house and people, which formed a central part of the identity of the state. As a Maratha princely state, Dewas Senior honoured the customs, worship and festivals of the Hindu community, and the ruling house extended its devotion and patronage to temples and religious institutions, above all the revered shrine of the goddess on the Dewas hill. The court also fostered the cultural life of music, ceremony and learning in the manner of the princely states of the region. The culture of Dewas Senior blended the Maratha heritage of its rulers with the wider traditions of the Malwa country. This combination gave the state its particular character. The religious and cultural life of Dewas Senior reflected the devotion and status of the ruling house. It remains one of the distinctive aspects of the heritage of the twin states of Dewas.

How Was Dewas Senior Governed?

Dewas Senior 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 chiefs who managed the affairs of the state. At the head stood the ruler, who held the customary titles of the senior Puar line, supported by officers responsible for revenue, justice and the general administration of the territory. The governance of Dewas Senior was complicated by the unusual arrangement of the twin states, for the administration of the shared town of Dewas was split or shared with the junior state. Revenue came chiefly from the land and the produce of the Malwa plateau, in keeping with its agrarian character. Within the framework of British paramountcy, the administration developed over time. This system of governance allowed the senior Puar line to maintain its rule for generations. The administration of Dewas Senior reflected the distinctive arrangement of the twin states of the Malwa country.

What Were Dewas Senior's Relations with the Larger Powers?

Dewas Senior, as one of the twin Maratha states of Malwa, engaged over its history with the larger powers that contended for mastery of central India, including the greater Maratha powers that rose to prominence in the region and later the British. As the political landscape shifted, the rulers of Dewas Senior navigated their relations with the greater powers to preserve their authority over their share of the twin states. As British paramountcy extended across central India, the ruling house entered into arrangements that recognised its rule while acknowledging the overarching authority of the colonial power. Its position as the senior of the twin Puar states shaped these dealings, as did its relations with its twin, Dewas Junior. 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. These relations form an important strand in the history of Dewas Senior.

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

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

How Did Dewas Senior Join Independent India?

Dewas Senior, like the other princely states, acceded to the Indian Union after the independence of India in 1947, when the states were integrated 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 Senior, together with its twin state of Dewas Junior, was joined with the neighbouring states of the Malwa region in the union that reorganised central India, its territory later becoming part of Madhya Pradesh. This transition ended the era of Dewas Senior as a separately governed principality and brought to a close the remarkable arrangement of the twin states. The integration of the states was one of the defining achievements of the early years of independent India. Dewas Senior thus became part of the modern nation and of the reorganised structure of central India.

What Is the Legacy of the Twin Dewas States?

The legacy of the twin Dewas states is one of the most distinctive strands in the history of the princely states of central India, for the arrangement by which two states shared a single town has few parallels. Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, both ruled by branches of the Maratha Puar house, left behind the memory of their divided joint capital, their revered hill shrine and their court life, as well as the literary portrait drawn by E. M. Forster. The twin states contributed to the heritage of Malwa their unusual history and their shared town of Dewas. The memory of the twin states endures in the heritage of the town and in the record of their remarkable arrangement. The legacy of the twin Dewas states, in which Dewas Senior shared, remains part of the story of the princely states of central India. It forms an enduring and distinctive part of the heritage of the Malwa country.

Dewas Senior Today

Dewas Senior is remembered today chiefly through the distinctive heritage of the twin Dewas states, with the shared town of Dewas, the revered shrine on the Dewas hill and the literary record left by E. M. Forster. The town, now in Madhya Pradesh, preserves the memory of the two Puar states and draws interest from those who study the history of the princely states and the unusual arrangement of its divided joint capital. The former ruling family retains its historical association with the state and its heritage. The devotion to the goddess of the Tekri and the cultural traditions fostered by the courts continue to shape the identity of the town. For readers of Indian history, Dewas Senior offers a vivid example of a Maratha Puar state with a heritage unlike any other. Its legacy endures in the shared town of Dewas, the hill shrine and the memory of the twin states in the Malwa country of central India.

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 Dewas Senior state?

Dewas Senior state was one of the twin Dewas states of the Malwa region, ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty, in the country that now forms part of Madhya Pradesh. It formed one half of a famous pair, for Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior shared the single town of Dewas as a divided joint capital.

Why did the two Dewas states share one town?

The two Dewas states shared one town because the ruling Puar house had divided into a senior and a junior branch, each governing its own state while both kept their seat in the single town of Dewas. The division of the house led to the division of the town itself, a rare arrangement among the princely states of India.

What is the Dewas hill known for?

The Dewas hill, known as the Tekri, is known for its revered shrine of the goddess honoured there as Chamunda and Tulja Devi. The hilltop shrine is a cherished place of devotion that draws pilgrims, and it is treated with the reverence due to a revered place of worship in the religious life of the region.

What was E. M. Forster's link to Dewas?

E. M. Forster, the English writer, served as private secretary to the Maharaja of Dewas Senior and later wrote of the state. His account offers a sympathetic portrait of the small Maratha state and its court, giving Dewas Senior a distinctive place in the cultural and literary record.

Who ruled Dewas Senior?

Dewas Senior was ruled by a Maratha Puar, or Pawar, dynasty, one of the two branches of the Puar house that governed the twin states of Dewas. As the senior branch, the rulers held the leading position of the pair, governing their share of the town and territory.

What happened to Dewas Senior after independence?

Dewas Senior acceded to the Indian Union after independence in 1947 and, with its twin state of Dewas Junior, was joined with the neighbouring states of Malwa in the integration that reshaped central India. This ended its era as a separate principality and the remarkable arrangement of the twin states.