Diwan Sawan Mal Chopra Explained

Honorific Prefix:Diwan
Sawan Mal
Birth Place:Gujranwala, Sukerchakia Misl (modern day Punjab, Pakistan)
Death Date:29 September 1844
Death Place:Multan, Sawan Mal, Sikh Empire (modern day Punjab, Pakistan)
Death Cause:Seriously wounded by an under-trial prisoner
Known For:Sikh statesman
Governor of Multan province (subah) of the Sikh Empire
Term:1821–1844
Successor:Diwan Mulraj Chopra
Parents:Hoshnak Rai Chopra (father)

Diwan Sawan Mal (died 29 September 1844) was a military officer and Governor (Diwan) of Lahore and Multan during the Sikh Empire.

Biography

Early life

Sawan Mal was born into a Hindu Khatri family of the Chopra gotra originally from Gujranwala,[1] [2] the region where Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Misl, the Sukerchakias held sway. He was a 'Munshi' (clerk) to Malik Mohan Lal, Subahdar of Multan under the Durranis.

Career

Along with Hari Singh Nalwa, he was a top commander in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. As a general under Ranjit Singh, he assisted in wresting the 'subah' (province) of Multan from the Durrani Afghans in 1823, after which he was made Diwan of the region. He instituted improvements in agricultural production through irrigation schemes.

In 1834, he signed an agreement on behalf of the Maharaja with Sardar Karam Khan, a Mazari warrior respected in his tribe as well as in the Sikh Army. Karam Khan was the younger brother of Mir Bahram Khan, chief of the Baloch Mazari tribe, thereby ending the long war between the Sikhs and the Mazaris of Rojhan. He was succeeded to the governorship of Multan by his son, Diwan Mulraj Chopra, who was the last ethnic Punjabi to administer Multan.[3]

Death

He died on 29 September 1844 due to wounds inflicted upon him by an under-trial prisoner.

Notes and References

  1. Book: The encyclopaedia of Sikhism . 1992–1998 . Punjabi University . Harbans Singh . 0-8364-2883-8 . 4 . Patiala . 82 . 29703420.
  2. Book: Yasmin, Robina . Muslims Under Sikh Rule in the Nineteenth Century: Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Religious Tolerance . Bloomsbury Publishing . 2022 . 9780755640348 . Library of Islamic South Asia . 92.
  3. Web site: Heroes and Villains of Sikh Rule .