Dewan Bahadur Seth Than Malji

Dewan Bahadur Seth Than Malji was born on September 19, 1850 in Ajmer. He was born into a Marwadi family and was a Jain by religion.

He started his career as a jeweler when he came to Hyderabad in 1875 and became one of the few jewelers in Hyderabad who could create high-quality jewelry. Later, he expanded his business to include banking and also founded a banking firm named Sardar Mal Sagar Mal in Residency Bazar. He was appointed as a member of the Residency Bazar Local Fund Committee, where he served for 25 years.

In recognition of his services, the Government of India conferred upon him the title of “Rai Bahadur” in 1913. During the same year, Nizam VII conferred upon him the title of “Raja Bahadur” and exempted him from the payment of customs duty, a distinction unique in the case of bankers and merchants. In June 1919, in further recognition of his services, the Government of India conferred upon him the distinction of ‘Dewan Bahadur’.

The firm of Dewan Bahadur Than Malji is currently run by his sons, Sardar Mal and Sagar Mal. Dewan Bahadur passed away on February 7, 1932.