Durbar

Categories: 1911 Britannica | India-related stubs | History of Malaysia

Durbar is a term in India for a court or levee, from the Persian darbar. A durbar may be either a council for administering affairs of state, or a purely ceremonial gathering. In the former sense the native rulers of India in the past, like the amir of Afghanistan, received visitors and conducted business in durbar. A durbar is the executive council of a native state.

In the latter sense the word has come to be applied to great ceremonial gatherings like Lord Lytton's durbar for the proclamation of the queen empress in India in 1877, or the Delhi durbars of 1903 and 1911.

In Malaysian history, Durbar is the Conference of Rulers that begun in 1897. It was a platform for Federated Malay States rulers to discuss issues pertaining state policies. The membership of Durbar increased after Federation of Malaya was formed in 1948 to encompass other states of Malaya. It was further enlarged after Malaysia was formed in 1963.

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain.