<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>DEV&#298 D&#256S D&#298W&#256N (1767-1830)</TITLE>
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<p class="C1">&#65279DEV&#298 D&#256S, D&#298W&#256N (1767-1830), eldest son of D&#299w&#257n &#7788h&#257kur D&#257s Khatr&#299 of Pesh&#257war, was, like his father, in the service of the Af<u>gh</u>&#257n rulers prior to joining the court of Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh. At the time of Sh&#257h Zam&#257n's last invasion of northern India (1798-99), the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, who had heard about the reputation of Dev&#299 D&#257s, offered him the post of D&#299w&#257n at Lahore. Dev&#299 D&#257s entered the service of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 in 1803 as the keeper of the royal seal, accountant-general and head of the secretariat (<i>m&#299r munsh&#299</i>). Dev&#299 D&#257s found that the financial administration needed his immediate attention. The territories which fell to the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's arms were generally farmed out to individuals who were always in arrears with their payments. Dev&#299 D&#257s settled the amount of the <i>deoh&#7771&#299</i> fees in each district, and <i>k&#257rd&#257rs</i>, revenue officers, were made responsible for having them deposited into government treasuries through the <i>deoh&#7771&#299d&#257rs</i>. He also established a rudimentary Sarisht&#257'-i-Haz&#363r where records of all major financial transactions were kept; to it was attached a Naqal Daftar or copying office. All vouchers of expenditure and pay orders were scrutinized by him for approval and sanction by the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;	As the <i>m&#299r munsh&#299</i> of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, Dev&#299 D&#257s read out to him reports from various parts of the kingdom, and wrote out royal orders to the chiefs and <i>k&#257rd&#257rs</i>. He kept ready money for State expenditure and royal charities. In 1819, when Kashm&#299r was conquered, Dev&#299 D&#257s was sent there for the settlement of the country.</p>
<p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;	Dev&#299 D&#257s died at Lahore in 1830.</p>
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BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, '<i>Umd&#257t-ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR>
<li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel and C. F. Massy, <i>Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab</i>. Lahore, 1909<BR>
<li class="C1"> Garrett, H. L. O. and G. L. Chopra, eds. , <i>Events at the Court of Ra&#7751jit Singh 1810-1817</i>. Delhi, 1986<BR>
<li class="C1"> Hasrat, B. J. , <i>Life and Times of Ra&#7751jit Singh</i>. Nabha, 1977<BR>
</ol><p class="CONT">Har&#299 R&#257m Gupta<br></p><BR>
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