List of Diwans of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore has always been a centre of attraction for the Westerners since they learnt about India in the 17th century. The Maharajas of Mysore founded the kingdom in 1399 with a brief interrupt 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 adviser 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 (the most stringent, disciplined, and eligible diwan), Diwan T. Ananda Rao, Diwan Sir M. Visveswarayya, Diwan M. Kantaraj Urs, and Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail (the most benevolent and noblest in the history of Mysore Diwans). 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 and Hydroelectric Power Plants on Shivanasamudra Falls. A total of 26 diwans have decorated the office since 1799.

№	Name	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Term	Maharaja
1	Purnaiah	75px	29 December 1782	4 May 1799	1	Tipu Sultan (Began the culture of diwans in Mysore Kingdom; a ruler - sultan - from outside the family of the Maharajas of Mysore)
1	Purnaiah	75px	4 May 1799	April 1811	1	Krishnaraja Wadiyar III
2	Bargir Bakshi Balaji Rao		April 1811	January 1812	1
3	Savar Bakshi Rama Rao		February 1812	October 1817	1
4	Babu Rao		November 1817	April 1818	1
5	Siddharaj Urs		May 1818	February 1820	1
(4)	Babu Rao		March 1820	August 1821	2
6	Lingaraj Urs		November 1821	November 1822	1
(4)	Babu Rao		December 1822	November 1825	3
	Direct rule by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III		November 1825	May 1827
7	Venkata Urs		May 1827	October 1831	1
8	Venkataramanaiya		October 1831	14 May 1832	1
(4)	Babu Rao		May 1832	19 April 1834	4
9	Kollam Venkata Rao		20 April 1834	1838	1
10	Surappaya		1838	1840	1
(9)	Kollam Venkata Rao		1840	1844	2
11	Kola Krishnama Naidu		1844	1858	1
12	Sir Kola Vijayarangam Naidu		1858	1864	1
13	Arunachala Mudaliar		1864	1866	1
	Direct rule by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III		1866	1868
	Temporary rule of the British Raj		1868	20 March 1881		Subsidiary Alliance between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company
14	Sir C. V. Rungacharlu^[1]		25 March 1881	20 January 1883	1	175px Chamarajendra Wadiyar X
15	Sir K. Seshadri Iyer	75px	21 January 1883	28 December 1894	1	175px Chamarajendra Wadiyar X
15	Sir K. Seshadri Iyer	75px	28 December 1894	11 August 1900	1	Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV
16	T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty (acting for Iyer)		11 August 1900	18 March 1901	1
17	Sir P. N. Krishnamurti		18 March 1901	30 June 1906	1
18	Sir V. P. Madhava Rao		30 June 1906	31 March 1909	1
19	Sir T. Ananda Rao	75px	1 April 1909	September 1912	1
20	Sir M. Visveswarayya		10 November 1912	8 December 1918	1
21	Sir M. Kantaraj Urs		10 December 1918	5 February 1922	1
22	Sir A. R. Banerjee		6 March 1922	25 April 1926	1
23	Sir Mirza Ismail	75px	1 May 1926	3 August 1940	1
23	Sir Mirza Ismail	75px	4 August 1940	1941	1	175px Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar
24	M. N. Krishna Rao (acting)		1941	1941	1
25	Sir		1941	1946	1
26	Sir AR Mudaliar		1947	15 August till date	1