Dewas

History

Dewas was originally established as a sovereign Maratha territory in the first half of the 18th century. While it later became the capital of two princely states during the British era, its foundations were laid by the brothers Tukoji Rao (Senior) and Jivaji Rao (Junior) of the Pawar clan. The Pawar dynasty of Dewas emerged as a prominent military power during the expansion of the Maratha Empire. Members of the clan served with distinction as early as the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, participating in the foundational battles for Swarajya. Their role grew significantly under Chhatrapati Shahu, during which they fought in numerous campaigns against the Nizams , Mughals and the Portuguese on the western coast. In recognition of their unwavering loyalty and valor in these conflicts, the family was honored with the hereditary titles 'Sena Sapt Sahasri' (Commander of Seven Thousand) and 'Vishwas Rao' (The Trustworthy).

By the early 18th century, the Pawar brothers, Tukoji Rao (Senior) and Jivaji Rao (Junior), had established themselves as top-tier commanders under Peshwa Baji Rao I. They were instrumental in the Maratha conquest of the Malwa region, leading successful military charges that broke local resistance and secured Maratha dominance in central India. Following these victories, the territory of Dewas was granted to the brothers in 1728. They initially ruled the region jointly before dividing the administration between their respective branches. This unique arrangement persisted even in the capital town of Dewas, where the two sides of the main street were managed by separate administrations—each with its own systems for water and lighting—until the states were eventually merged in the 20th century.

In 1901, the senior branch had an area of 446 sq mi (1,160 km²) and a population of 62,312, while the area of the junior branch was 440 sq mi (1,100 km²) and had a population of 54,904. Both Dewas states were in the Malwa Agency of the Central India Agency.

Dewas Junior and Dewas Senior durbars (courts) were composed of Sardars, Mankaris, Istamuradars, Thakurs and Jagirdars.

After India's independence in 1947, the Maharajas of Dewas (Jr. & Sr.) acceded to India, and their states were integrated into Madhya Bharat, which became a state of India in 1950. Later, in 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Geography

Dewas lies northeast of Indore, southeast of Ujjain, and southwest of Shajapur. The city is located on the level plains of the Malwa plateau; to the south, the land rises gently to the Vindhya Range, which is the source of the Chambal and Kali Sindh rivers that flow north through the district on their way to the Ganges. The main river in Dewas is Kshipra.

Demographics

As of the census, Dewas had a total population of 289,550, of which 150,081 were males and 139,469 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 35,437. The total number of literates in Dewas was 215,088, which constituted 74.3% of the population with male literacy of 79.9% and female literacy of 68.3%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Dewas was 84.6%, of which male literacy rate was 91.1% and female literacy rate was 77.7%. The Scheduled Castes population was 56,366, while the Scheduled Tribes population was 9,861. Dewas had 57,397 households in 2011.

Administration

The Member of Parliament from Dewas is Mahendra Singh Solanki of BJP who was elected in the Lok Sabha Election 2019. As of the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the member of the Legislative Assembly for Dewas is Gayatri Raje Pawar.

Industry

Dewas was known for being a production centre of retail opium in the 1800s, as noted in the 1895 first report of the Royal Commission on Opium. Rapid industrialisation took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but due to inadequate infrastructure, the pace has slowed since the late 1980s. In recent years, some industries have closed their operations due to a shortage of sufficient infrastructure to support growth; there is a shortage of water due to excessive usage in previous decades.

The city has many industrial units providing employment to thousands of workers. The largest companies include Tata International, Kirloskar, John Deere, Eicher Motors, Gajra Gears, Cummins Turbo Technologies, STI Sanoh Steel Tubes Plant and Coparo Steel Tubes Unit. Dewas is known as the "Soy Capital of India" and is a major part of the soybean processing industry in the country with major soybean product brands like Kriti Nutrients, Prestige Agro-Tech, Mittal Soya Protein and Adani Agri Logistics.

Dewas is also one of the prominent pharmaceutical hubs of Madhya Pradesh and India, with many manufacturing facilities and labs of companies like in its industrial areas. The industrial manufacturing units of Ranbaxy Laboratories and Sun Pharma Industries are also situated here.

Due to its location above sea level at one corner of the Malwa plateau, constant wind flows in the region are suitable for harvesting wind energy. There are more than 100 wind mills on a series of hills 13 km (8.1 mi) from Dewas, generating around 60 megawatts (MW) of power. These were financed by a few private companies (mainly Suzlon Energy) which sought a reliable power supply.

A currency printing unit of the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), also known as the Bank Note Press Dewas (BNP), is located in Dewas. Established in the year 1974, it is wholly owned by the Government of India, Ministry of Finance and Department of Economic Affairs. Bank Note Press Dewas prints Indian currency notes (known as Indian Rupee or INR; Symbol: '₹') of denominations ₹50, ₹100, ₹500 and ₹2000 and is capable of printing bank notes of any denomination. The bank notes are printed with high security features necessary to impede forgery and to meet the essential standards of the Reserve Bank of India. The unit has skilled and trained manpower totaling around 1400 employees in production. The BNP campus is spread over an area of 185 hectares (1,850,000 m²) of land. In addition to the high security printing complex, there is a specialized ink factory unit which produces security inks for BNP Dewas and other units of SPMCIL for the printing of other government documents. The campus also includes also a residential complex with nearly 1400 quarters for employees to reside. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) provides security and fire coverage for the printing complex and transportation of bank note consignments.

Awards

Dewas placed first nationwide out of 820 cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-2025 cleanliness rankings, in the category of Medium Cities (population of 50,000–300,000) and won the Presidential Award for it. The city had placed 25th during previous Swachh Survekshan rankings of 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Media

In terms of print media, Satyakaar, a daily evening newspaper, is published from Dewas. Along with this, newspapers like Dainik Bhaskar, Naidunia, and Patrika published from Indore are also circulated here.

Transportation

Rail

Dewas Junction (station code: DWX) is the main railway junction of Dewas city. It is a 'B' Grade Railway Junction, under the Ratlam division of the Western Railways zone. It is situated on the Indore–Gwalior rail line and connected to nearby junctions such as Indore Junction (INDB) in the north-west and Ujjain Junction (UJN) in the south-west via an electrified rail line.

Road

Dewas is connected to major cities across the state and country, via both national and state-level highways. NH-47 and NH-52 connects Dewas to Indore and other cities of Madhya Pradesh. MP SH-18 connects Dewas to Bhopal, Ujjain and Ahmedabad.

Air

Dewas does not have an airport or an airstrip of its own. The nearest airport is Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport in Indore, which is about 40 km (25 mi) away by road. In 2022, a greenfield airport in Dewas district was initially proposed as part of the state's plans to expand its aviation infrastructure; this airport is now planned to be built on the Datana-Matana airstrip between Ujjain and Dewas.

Places of interest

Dewas is known for the Devi Chamunda temple and the Devi Tulaja Bhavani temple situated on a 300 ft (91 m) hilltop (Tekri). A broad flight of stone steps leads to two shrines to the goddesses, Choti Mata (Chamunda Mata) and Badi Mata (Tulja Bhavani Mata). Numerous other temples spread over the Tekri can be explored on foot.

• Shri Sheelnath Dhuni at the Tekri foothills is a place of worship for followers of Saint Sheelnath Maharaj's of Gorakh Nath Sumpradaya. Sheelnath Maharaj belonged to a royal family of Jaipur and later became a Yogi of Gorakh Nath Sumpradaya, who lived in Dewas in his old age.
• The Pawar Chatries near the Meetha Talab (lake) of Dewas are examples of Maratha architecture in the area.
• The Kailadevi temple at Dewas is the largest in the state. It is situated at Mishri Lal Nagar (Agra Bombay Road). It was established in December 1995 by businessman Mannulal Garg. This modern temple was built by South Indian artists; it houses a 51 ft (16 m) statue of Lord Hanuman. The original Kaila Devi Temple is located on the banks of the Kalisil river in the Karauli district of Rajasthan. The temple is devoted to the tutelary deity of the former princely rulers of the Karauli state, Kaila.
• Mahadev Mandir is a temple in Shankar Gadh built by the Dewas ruler Shrimant Sadashive Rao Maharaja (Khase Saheb) in 1942. The temple is located on a small hill south of the city.
• Mahakaleshwar temple, Bilwali - Bilavali village is situated 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Dewas.

Notable people

• Tukoji Rao III Puar, (Ruler of Dewas Senior State)
• Vikramsinh Rao I Puar, (Ruler of Dewas Senior State)
• Krishnaji Rao III Puar, (Ruler of Dewas Senior State)
• Tukoji Rao IV Puar, (Politician)
• Vikram Singh Rao II Puar, (Politician)
• Edward Morgan Forster, (English Author based in Dewas Senior State, who wrote 'Hill of Devi')
• Madhav Vinayak Kibe, (Statesman & Dewan of Dewas Junior State)
• Kumar Gandharva, (Indian Classical Singer)
• Digvijay Bhonsale, (Rock/Metal Musician)
• Neha Hinge, (Model & Actress)
• Anant Sadashiv Patwardhan, (Politician)
• Mukul Shivputra, (Indian Classical Singer)
• Kailash Chandra Joshi, (Politician)
• Sajjan Singh Verma, (Politician)
• Deepak Joshi, (Politician)
• Manoj Choudhary, (Politician)
• Tejsingh Sendhav, (Politician)
• Manohar Untwal, (Politician)
• Rajendrasingh Baghel, (Politician)
• Hukam Chand Kachwai, (Politician)
• Mahendra Solanki, (Politician)
• Ashif Shaikh, (Social Worker)
• Mishrilal Gangwal, (Politician)
• Bapulal Kishan, (Politician)

Education

Government Colleges

• Government Polytechnic College, Dewas
• Government New Science College, Dewas
• Government Law College, Dewas
• Maharani Pushpmala Raje Paur Government Girls Degree College, Dewas
• Saheed Jageshwar Nagar Government Polytechnic College, Dewas

Private Colleges

• Prestige Institute of Management Dewas
• Amaltas Institute of Medical Sciences
• Indira Institute of Management Studies, Dewas
• Sandipani Law College, Ujjain
• Arena Animation

Government Schools

• Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Dewas
• Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Dewas
• Government Higher Secondary Model School, Dewas

Private Schools

• St. Mary's Convent School, Dewas
• Academic Heights Public School (APHS) Dewas
• BCM Prominent School
• Bright Star Higher Secondary School
• Shishu Vihar Higher Secondary School
• Central India Academy
• Vindhyachal Academy
• Hello Kids - Little Star
• Little Millennium - Dewas