Diwan Mohanlal

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Diwan Mohanlal (c. 1756 - 1757), was a Diwan of Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal at Murshidabad. The Nawab made the decision of elevating a Hindu Kayastha bureaucrat named Mohanlal as his supreme Diwan. The elevation of a Hindu to such a prominent position caused the Muslim nobility, and in particular Mir Jafar, great offense. Mir Jafar was then the head of the armed forces, second only to the Nawab, and the elevation of a Hindu to a post above him was taken almost as a personal insult.

On the day of the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-Ud-Daulah faced off against the British, apparently with overwhelming force, but at the critical time Mir Jafar's men stood watching passively while the soldiers of Siraj-Ud-Daula were decimated by the smaller but much better armed British forces.

In popular culture

Mohanlal has been portrayed as a great patriot and the most trusted lieutenant of the nawab in the famous Bangladeshi movie Sirajud Daulah.

References

"Riyazu-s-salatin", A History of Bengal, Ghulam Husain Salim (translated from the Persian): viewable online at the Packard Humanities Institute
The Banglapedia article on Mir Jafar

Notes

^ "Riyazu-s-salatin", Ghulam Husain Salim - a reference to the appointment of Mohanlal can be found here

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