Kaisar-i-Hind Medal

"Kaiser-i-Hind" redirects here. For other uses, see Kaiser-i-Hind (disambiguation).
Kaisar-i-Hind Medal

Representations of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. George V, second type
Awarded by Emperor of India
Country British Empire
Type civil decoration
Eligibility civilians of any nationality
Awarded for distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the British Raj
Campaign dormant since 1947
Statistics
Established 10 April 1900
Precedence
Next (higher) Order of British India
Next (lower) Order of St John

Ribbon of Kaisar-i-Hind Medal

The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the British monarch between 1900 and 1947, to "any person without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex ... who shall have distinguished himself (or herself) by important and useful service in the advancement of the public interest in India."[1]

The name literally means "Emperor of India" in the vernacular of the Hindi and Urdu languages. The word kaisar, meaning "emperor" is a derivative of the Roman imperial title Caesar (via Persian, Turkish - see Kaiser-i-Rum - and the Greek Καίσαρ). The title is derived from the Roman general and dictator, Julius Caesar, to whom the first Roman Emperors were related. The latter used "Caesar" as a cognomen to indicate the family relationship with him. Subsequently, it became an imperial title regardless of the Emperor's family origins. It is cognate with the German title Kaiser, which was borrowed from the Latin at an earlier date.[2]

Kaisar-I-Hind was also inscribed on the obverse side of the India General Service Medal (1909).[3]

History

Empress of India or Kaisar-i-Hind, a form coined by the orientalist G.W. Leitner in a deliberate attempt to dissociate British imperial rule from that of preceding dynasties[4] was taken by Queen Victoria from 1 May 1876, and proclaimed at the Delhi Durbar of 1877.

The medal was instituted by Queen Victoria on April 10, 1900.[5] The name translates as "Emperor of India", a name also used for a rare Indian butterfly Teinopalpus imperialis. The Royal Warrant for the Kaisar-i-Hind was amended in 1901, 1912, 1933 and 1939. While never officially rescinded, the Kaisar-i-Hind ceased to be awarded following the passage of the Indian Independence Act 1947.[6] The awards of the gold medal were often published in the London Gazette, while other classes were published in the Gazette of India.

Medal grades and design

The medal had three grades. The Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal for Public Service in India was awarded directly by the monarch on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for India. Silver and Bronze medals were awarded by the Viceroy.

The medal consisted of an oval-shaped badge or decoration in gold, silver or bronze with the Royal Cipher and Monarchy on one side, and the words "Kaisar-i-Hind for Public Service in India" on the other. It was to be worn suspended from the left breast by a dark blue ribbon. The medal has no post-nominal initials.[6]

Its most famous recipient is Mohandas Gandhi, who was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind in 1915 by The Lord Hardinge of Penshurst for his contribution to ambulance services in South Africa. Gandhi returned the medal in 1920 as part of the national campaign protesting the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and in support of the Khilafat Movement.[7][8][9]

Recipients

Gold medal

Silver medal

Unknown grade

See also

References

  1. The London Gazette: no. 27191. p. 2996. 11 May 1900.
  2. See M. Witzel, "Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts", p. 29, 12.1 (as Urdu kaisar).
  3. File:India General Service Medal 1909 G5-v1.jpg
  4. B.S. Cohn, "Representing Authority in Victorian India", in E. Hobsbawm and T. Ranger (eds.), The Invention of Tradition (1983), 165-209, esp. 201-2.
  5. The London Gazette: no. 27191. p. 2997. 11 May 1900.
  6. 1 2 "Imperial Awards". Awards and Culture branch, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Commonwealth of Australia. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  7. "Kaiser-i-Hind medal". britishmilitarymedals.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  8. "Mohandas K. Gandhi: Beginning in South Africa". Gandhi Book Centre. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  9. Gandhi's Rise to Power: Indian Politics 1915-1922 By Judith M. Brown
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 27374. p. 7288. 9 November 1901.
  11. http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC2522954&blobtype=pdf
  12. "Colonial Office list". Glasgow Herald. 1 January 1914. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  13. The London Gazette: no. 32941. p. 4419. 30 May 1924.
  14. "BURN, Sir Richard", in Who Was Who, A & C Black, online edition, Oxford University Press, 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  15. http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/98be9150-aeda-41d2-8eb3-6c84ed96e8a9
  16. Great Britain. India Office (1819). The India List and India Office List for ... Harrison and Sons. p. 172.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 The India List and India Office List for 1905. London: Harrison and Sons. 1905. p. 172. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  18. "Frederick Booth-Tucker". .salvationarmy.org. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  19. The London Gazette: no. 27195. p. 3329. 23 May 1900. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  20. The India Office and Burma Office List. Harrison. 1920. p. 190.
  21. Cecil Northcott, ‘Somervell, (Theodore) Howard (1890–1975)’, rev., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
  22. Narayana Rao, V. S. (1973). Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya: his life and work. Geetha Book House. p. 14.
  23. "Plaza of Heroines at Iowa State University". Las.iastate.edu. 1966-12-17. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  24. "Yasni". Yasni. 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  25. "Kong Sil passes away at 103". The Telegraph. 2 February 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

External links

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