Deshmukh

Deshmukh or desmukh was a historical title given to a person who was granted a territory of land, in certain regions of India, specifically Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In Marathi, desh means a country (district) and mukh means mouth; thus, "deshmukh" (Marathi: देशमुख}) literally means "the spokesman of a district". The granted territory was usually referred to as the deshmukhi. The deshmukh was in effect the ruler of the territory, as he was entitled to the collected taxes. It was also his duty to maintain the basic services in the territory, such as police and judicial duties. It was typically a hereditary system. The title of Deshmukh provided the titled family with revenues from the area and the responsibility to keep the order. For this reason, Deshmukh is loosely translated as 'patriot' and the name still commands respect today. The title is most equivalent of a duke or a count within the European aristocratic system.