 | ||
The Maharajas of Mysore founded the kingdom in 1399 with a brief interruption in the last two decades of the 18th century. After Tipu Sultan, the concept of Diwans was conceived in the Kingdom, with Diwan Purnaiah as the first ever Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Mysore, who was a diwan for Tipu Sultan, and after the end of the Sultans, to the Maharaja of Mysore His Highness Krishnaraja Wadiyar III - the heroic king who restored the kingdom that was halved by Tipu Sultan losing most of its parts to the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Marathas, and the British in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. The word Dewan (in Urdu) means the Prime Minister of a kingdom; more precisely, a royal advisor to the monarch.
The following lists the Diwans of Kingdom of Mysore through 1799 to 1947. The most notable of the diwans are: Diwan Purnaiah, Diwan Sir C. V. Rungacharlu, Diwan Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, Diwan Sir P. N. Krishnamurti, Diwan V. P. Madhava Rao, Diwan T. Ananda Rao, Diwan Sir M. Visveswarayya, Diwan M. Kantaraj Urs, and Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail. Many of the diwans are associated with several industrial and educational initiatives undertaken during their terms. These initiatives include almost all works assigned/ directed by the king, permeating activities like setting up and maintaining industries like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant, Mysore Lamps, Mysore Chemical and Fertilizers Factory, Mysore Paper Mills, Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited. The State Bank of Mysore was established in 1913. Dams for irrigation like Krishna Raja Sagara in 1924 and Hydroelectric Power Plants on Shivanasamudra Falls in 1902 and Jog Falls. Bangalore was the first city in India to get electric street lights in 1905.