Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India | |
---|---|
Type | Civil decoration |
Awarded for | Persons considered to have done some public service worthy of recognition by Government [1] |
Country | British India |
Presented by | Emperor of India |
Eligibility | Civilians of any nationality |
Campaign(s) | Dormant since 1947 |
Established | 10 April 1900 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of British India |
Next (lower) | Order of St John |
The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the Emperor/Empress of India 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." [2]
The name "Kaisar-i-Hind" (Urdu : قیصرِ ہندqaisar-e-hind, Hindi : क़ैसर-इ-हिन्द) literally means "Emperor of India" in the Hindustani language. The word kaisar, meaning "emperor" is a derivative of the Roman imperial title Caesar, via Persian (see Qaysar-i Rum) from Greek Καίσαρ Kaísar, and is cognate with the German title Kaiser, which was borrowed from Latin at an earlier date. [3] Based upon this, the title Kaisar-i-Hind was coined in 1876 by the orientalist G.W. Leitner as the official imperial title for the British monarch in India. [4] The last ruler to bear it was George VI.
Kaisar-i-Hind was also inscribed on the obverse side of the India General Service Medal (1909), as well as on the Indian Meritorious Service Medal. [5]
Empress of India or Kaisar-i-Hind, a term 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 10 April 1900. [6] 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 While never officially rescinded, the Kaisar-i-Hind ceased to be awarded following the passage of the Indian Independence Act 1947. [7] The awards of the gold medal were often published in the London Gazette , while other classes were published in the Gazette of India .
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. [7]
One of its most famous recipient is Mahatma 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 following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre carried out by the British officials and wrote, "In European countries, condonation of such grievous wrongs as the khilafat and the Punjab would have resulted in bloody revolution by the people." [8] [9] [10] [11]
Award of the medal and Bar to the medal
Award of the medal
Gold medal
Silver medal
Bronze medal
Unknown grade
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
Rao Bahadur and Rai Bahadur, abbreviatedR.B., was a title of honour bestowed during British rule in India to individuals for outstanding service or acts of public welfare to the Empire. From 1911, the title was accompanied by a medal called a Title Badge. Translated, Rao means "King", and Bahadur means "Brave". Bestowed mainly on Hindus, the equivalent title for Muslim and Parsi subjects was Khan Bahadur. For Sikhs it was Sardar Bahadur.
Lieutenant-General Sir Pratap Singh,, was a decorated British Indian Army officer, Maharaja of the princely state of Idar (Gujarat), administrator and Regent of Jodhpur and heir to Ahmednagar later renamed as Himmatnagar from 1902 to 1911.
Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob,, known as Sir Swinton Jacob, was a British Army officer and colonial engineer, architect and writer, best known for the numerous Indian public buildings he designed in the Indo-Saracenic style.
Hilda Mary Lazarus CBE, MStJ, MRCS, FRCSE was a Christian missionary and popular gynecologist and obstetrician in India. She was Principal of Andhra Medical College and Superintendent of King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam. She was also the first Indian director of Christian Medical College and Hospital at Vellore.
General Sir Alan Fleming Hartley, was a British Indian Army officer during the Second World War.
The King's Birthday Honours 1901 were announced 9 November 1901, the birthday of the new monarch Edward VII. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India.
The 1913 Birthday Honours were appointments in the British Empire of King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were published on 3 June 1913 and 6 June 1913.
The New Year Honours 1908 were appointments by King Edward VII to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1907.
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1900 were announced on 23 May 1900 in celebration of the birthday of Queen Victoria. The list included appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India.
Sir Jamshedji Nasarwanji Duggan was an Indian ophthalmic surgeon, magistrate, and Sheriff of Mumbai in 1942.
The 1892 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen, and were published in the London Gazette on 24 May 1892 and in The Times on 25 May 1892.
The 1899 New Year Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India.
The 1903 New Year Honours, announced at the time as the Durbar Honours, were appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India. The list was announced on the day of the 1903 Delhi Durbar held to celebrate the succession of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra as Emperor and Empress of India. The membership of the two Indian Orders were expanded to allow for all the new appointments.
The New Year Honours 1905, announced at the time as the Indian Honours, were appointments to various orders and honours of the United Kingdom and British India. The list was published in The Times on 2 January 1905, and the various honours were gazetted in The London Gazette on the following day.
The New Year Honours 1907 were appointments by Edward VII to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1907.
The 1911 Delhi Durbar was held in December 1911 following the coronation in London in June of that year of King George V and Queen Mary. The King and Queen travelled to Delhi for the Durbar. For the occasion, the statutory limits of the membership of the Order of the Star of India and the Order of the Indian Empire were increased and many appointments were made to these and other orders. These honours were published in a supplement to the London Gazette dated 8 December 1911.
Alexandrina Matilda MacPhail, OBE was a Scottish doctor who graduated from the London School of Medicine for Women. In 1887, she became a missionary and doctor in India, where she founded what would become a large hospital in Madras. During the First World War, she also worked for the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service as a doctor in Serbia and France.
The medal is awarded by the Viceroy of India to such persons as are considered to have done some public service worthy of recognition by Government. Only two medals were awarded in the past year for the whole Presidency of Madras, ...
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)Media related to Kaisar-i-Hind Medal at Wikimedia Commons