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Deshmukh (IAST: Dēśamukh) is a historical title conferred to the rulers of a . It is used as a surname in certain regions of India, especially in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana and also in Andhra Pradesh and northern parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Goa whose family received it as a title.
For instance, while Maratha with the title Deshmukh are often (Kshatriya), as it was a title conferred upon rulers of a in the Deccan Plateau region. While a person holding the title could be of Kshatriya Maratha descent, the title itself was not exclusive to them, This surname is also found among other communities. (2007). 9780521033169, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521033169
The Deshmukh system was abolished after the independence of India in 1947, when the government confiscated most of the land of the Deshmukhs. Some families, however, maintain their status as real estate , most notably in Mumbai, with holdover properties that were not taken away.
It was similar in many respects to the Zamindar and Jagir systems in India, and can be considered as a feudal system. Typically taxes collected were to be distributed fairly, and occasionally Deshmukhs participated in Vedic rituals in which they redistributed all material possessions to the people. However, the title Deshmukh should not be associated to a particular religion or caste. Deshmukhis were granted by the Deccan sultanates, Mughal emperors, of Hyderabad and other Muslim rulers and by Maratha emperors () to Marathas, Hatkar-, Vanjari caste, Koli people , Velamas , Deshastha Brahmins, Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus, Chitpavan Brahmins, Lingayatism, and . (2007). 9780521033169, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521033169
Naqvi, S.M. Raza. “APPOINTMENT AND CONFIRMATION OF DESHMUKHS IN THE MUGHAL EMPIRE.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol. 33, 1971, pp. 223–226., www.jstor.org/stable/44145335. Accessed 28 July 2020.
Inukonda Thirumali of Telangana describes the role of Deshmukhs:Thirumali, pp top47
They were primarily revenue collectors; and when (magisterial and judicial) responsibilities were added to their function they became Deshmukhs, chiefs of the . Gradually, each of these assignments tended to become a Vatandar i.e., hereditary lease. Despite changes in the political authority at the top, this institution survived, since no ruler from above wished to risk disturbing local administration, headed by village officials. This institution was deeply entrenched in the region with local support and structured in organized 'community' life. The Deshmukh presided over meetings of the pargana community known as 'got which decided and confirmed claims over inheritance, purchase, and transfer of waters. The Deshmukh by virtue of local sanction and consensus could not be easily displaced from above.
Barry Pavier describes Deshmukhs:Pavier, pp1413
These were, in the 1940s, the layer of the very large landowners in Telangana. They owned from 2,000 to 3,000 acres at the lower end to at the upper scale. The reforms abandoned the previous practice, of auctioning off the revenue collection in the government-administered areas to farmers, in favour of direct revenue collection by the State. The 'revenue farmers' were given land in compensation. Most of them availed of the opportunity to seize as much of the best land as they could. They also received a pension. The Deshmukhs were thus given a dominant position in the rural economy which they proceeded resolutely to strengthen during the succeeding decades.
Writing in the nineteenth century, Major W. H. Skyes, the statistical reporter to the Government of Bombay, described the Deshmukh: Report of Land Tenures of the Dekkan, by Major W. H. Skyes, Statistical Reporter to the Government of Bombay, Chapter VII pg9, Parliamentary Papers, Great Britain Parliament, House of Commons, HMSO 1866
The Desmukhs were, no doubt, originally appointed by Government, and they possessed all the above advantages, on the tenure of collecting and being responsible for the revenue, for superintending the cultivation and police of their districts, and carrying into effect all orders of Government. They were, in fact, to a district what a Patil is to a village; in short, were charged with its whole Government.
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