The Coorg Medal was awarded by the

Honourable East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

(HEIC) to local forces who remained loyal during the Coorg rebellion of 1837. __NOTOC__

Criteria

Coorg Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

, a small state in Southern India, was annexed into the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

of the British HEIC after the

Coorg War The Coorg War was fought between the British East India Company and the State of Coorg in 1834. Defiance of the Raja of Coorg (Chikka Virarajendra), a small state in South India, led to a short but bloody campaign in 1834. In February 1834, ...

of 1834. In April 1837 a rebellion broke out, but soon ended when many chiefs and local troops gave their support to the British. This medal was awarded to loyal Coorgs who helped suppress the rebellion. The medal was authorised in August 1837 by the

Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...

on the recommendation of Colonel

Mark Cubbon Mark Cubbon may refer to: * Mark Cubbon (army officer), British army officer with the East India Company * Mark Cubbon (administrator), chief executive of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust See also * Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born ...

, the local HEIC

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

, with the cost met from

prize money Prize money refers in particular to naval prize money, usually arising in naval warfare, but also in other circumstances. It was a monetary reward paid in accordance with the prize law of a belligerent state to the crew of a ship belonging to t ...

obtained from the rebels. The medals were despatched to Coorg for presentation in November 1839. The medal was not awarded to all participants, but only to the most senior among the loyal Coorgs, and to others who distinguished themselves.

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

Subedar Subedar is a rank of junior commissioned officer in the Indian Army; a senior non-commissioned officer in the Pakistan Army, and formerly a Viceroy's commissioned officer in the British Indian Army. History ''Subedar'' or ''subadar'' was the ...

s and other chiefs received the medal in gold (44 awarded), with fourteen of the most distinguished receiving it suspended from a gold chain. Those lesser leaders and

Ryot Ryot (alternatives: raiyat, rait or ravat) was a general economic term used throughout India for peasant cultivators but with variations in different provinces. While zamindars were landlords, raiyats were tenants and cultivators, and served as hi ...

s (peasant class combattants) who most distinguished themselves received the medal in silver (300 awarded). Europeans, and members of the armies of the Honourable East India Company from outside Coorg, were not eligible.Mayo, Vol I, page 219-222. Other rewards were also presented to selected Coorgs, including gifts of horses to Coorg chiefs, while one Coorg Subedar was presented with a special sword after his own was lost in an attack.

Description

The medal was struck at the

Calcutta Mint The India Government Mint, Kolkata was first established in 1757, and was located in a building next to the Black Hole in the old fort – where the GPO (General Post Office) stands today. It was called the Calcutta Mint and used to produce co ...

in gold and in silver, with the gold version produced in three thicknesses, reflecting the status of the recipient. All types were just under 2 inches (50 mm) in diameter with the following design:Joslin, page 103.
The obverse depicts the figure of a Coorg warrior raising a knife in his right hand ready to strike, while his left hand holds a musket. Around the perimeter is the inscription in

Canarese Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

script: ''A mark of favour given for loyalty to the Company's Government in suppressing rebellion in the months of April and May 1837''.
The reverse shows crossed knives and other Coorg ornaments within a wreath, surrounded by the English language inscription: ''For distinguished conduct and loyalty to the British Government. Coorg April 1837''.
The medal was issued unnamed.Collett, page 65. The suspension is a flattened loop, pinned at the base. The medal was worn around the neck, with fourteen of the gold medals awarded to more senior officers and chiefs worn from a chain, the remaining gold and all silver medals worn suspended from a cord. Although specimens in bronze or copper are known, they were not issued and may be later copies.Mussell, page 122.

References

Bibliography

* Collett, D.W, ''Medals Yearbook'', (1981) Medal Year Book. * Duckers, Peter,
British Military Medals: A Guide for the Collector and Family Historian
' (2nd ed.), (2013). Pen & Sword Books. * Joslin, Litherland, and Simpkin (eds), ''British Battles and Medals'', (1988). Spink & Son, London. * Mayo, John Horsley,
Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume I
', (1897). A. Constable & Co. * Mayo, John Horsley,
Medals and Decorations of the British Army and Navy, Volume II
', (1897). A. Constable & Co. * Mussell, John W. (ed) – ''Medals Yearbook – 2015'', Token Publishing. * Steward, William Augustus,
War Medals and Their History
', (1915). Stanley Paul & Co, London.

External links

{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company British campaign medals Medals of the Honourable East India Company Awards established in 1837