A History of the Mahrattas v1.c7.178

v1.c7.178

The word Deshmukh is derived from Marāthi desh, ‘country’ or ‘district,’ and Sanskrit mukh or mukhya, ‘leader.’ The Deshmukh was the chief police and revenue authority of a district containing a certain number of villages. The word Deshpāndē, or Deshpāndyā, is similarly compounded of desh and pāndē, which is based upon the Sanskrit pāndu, ‘white-coloured,’ the great Pāndava family of upper India, and hence is equivalent to ‘ruler.’ The Deshpāndē was the hereditary revenue accountant of a district, and in some parts of Telingana acted independently of the Deshmukh, discharged the same duties and enjoyed the same privileges. (Wilson, Glossary of Indian Terms.)