Diwan Sawan Mal (died 29 September 1844) was a

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

-era administrator who served as governor ( Diwan) of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

from 1820 to 1844.

Biography

Early life

Sawan Mal was born into a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Khatri Khatri () is a caste system in India, caste originating from the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are war ...

family of the Chopra ''

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

'' originally from

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

, the region where

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

Misl Major Indoor Soccer League has been the name of three different American professional indoor soccer leagues: *Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992), known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League *Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2 ...

, the

Sukerchakia The Sukerchakia Misl was one of twelve Sikh misls in Punjab during the 18th century, concentrated in Gujranwala and Hafizabad districts in western Punjab (in modern-Pakistan) and ruled from (1752–1801). The misl, or grouping with its own gu ...

s held sway.

Career

Along with

Hari Singh Nalwa Hari Singh Nalwa (29 April 1791 – 30 April 1837) was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshaw ...

, he was a top commander in Maharaja Ranjit Singh's army. As a general under Ranjit Singh, he assisted in wresting the

subah A ''Subah'' is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. The word is derive ...

(province) of Multan from the

Durrani The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...

governor

Nawab Muzaffar Khan Nawab Muzaffar Khan (1757 – 2 June 1818) was the last Afghan governor of Multan. Early life Nawab Muzaffar Khan, born in Multan in 1757, was the eldest son of Shuja Khan, the governor of Multan between 1767 and 1772. He was well educated in re ...

, in 1818. After a series of incompetent governors, Sawan Mal was appointed as the Diwan of the region. In 1834, he signed an agreement on behalf of the

with Sardar Karam Khan, a Mazari warrior respected in his tribe as well as in the

Sikh Army Sikh Army may refer to these militias associated with Sikhism: * Akal Sena, before 1699 * Khalsa Fauj The Khalsa Fauj () were the military forces of the Khalsa order of the Sikhs, established by the tenth Sikh gurus, guru, Guru Gobind Singh, i ...

. Karam Khan was the younger brother of Mir Bahram Khan, chief of the Baloch Mazari tribe, thereby ending the long war between the

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

and the Mazaris of

Rojhan Rojhan () is a city and headquarters of Rojhan Tehsil in Rajanpur District, Punjab Rajanpur () is a district of Dera Ghazi Khan Division in the Pakistani province of Punjab, with its administrative headquarters the city of Rajanpur. Distric ...

. He was succeeded to the governorship of Multan by his son,

Diwan Mulraj Chopra Mulraj Chopra (1814 – 11 August 1851) was a Sikh Empire-era administrator who served as the governor ( Diwan) of Multan from 1844 to 1849. He is known for being the leader of a Sikh rebellion against the British which led to the Second Anglo- ...

, who was the last ethnic

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

to administer

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Sawan Mal Punjabi Hindus Military personnel of the Sikh Empire Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown