__NOTOC__
The Deccan Medal was the first
campaign medal instituted by the
East India Company (EIC). It was awarded to native Indian troops who took part in the major campaigns in India between 1778 and 1784. It is sometimes referred to as the Carnatic Medal.
Criteria
The Deccan Medal was awarded to native Indian soldiers of the
armies of the EIC who participated in the campaigns in the
West of India and
Guzerat, and the
Carnatic region
The Carnatic region is the peninsular South Indian region between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, in the erstwhile Madras Presidency and in the modern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and southern Andhra Pradesh. During the British er ...
of Southern India, from 1778 to 1784. This included service in both the second phase of the
First Maratha War
The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first of three Anglo-Maratha Wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai. The wa ...
of 1778–82 and the
Second Mysore War of 1780–84.
The first campaign medal to be awarded by the EIC to all ranks, it was authorised in 1784 by the
Governor-General of India. It was issued in two sizes: a larger medal to native officers, in gold to
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 silver to
Jemadars; with a smaller silver medal to other ranks, including
Havildars,
Naiks and
Sepoy
''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...
s.
[ In January 1785 eligibility was extended to artillery Lascars.][
In addition to the medal, native soldiers who served in the relevant campaigns received additional pay of one ]rupee
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
a month, while other ranks of EIC European units – who did not receive the medal – were granted a further two rupees a month. Each participating Indian battalion also received a pair of honorary standards.[
]
Description
The medal was struck and minted by a private contractor in Calcutta.[ The gold medals were in diameter, while the silver were issued in two sizes: and . All types have a common design:]
The obverse depicts Britannia seated on a number of military trophies, holding a laurel wreath with her right hand towards a distant fort flying a Union Jack. There is no inscription.
The reverse has two Persian inscriptions that translate as: in the centre: ''As coins are current around the world, so shall be the bravery and exploits of those heroes by who the name of the victorious English Nation was carried from Bengal to the Deccan''; around the edge: ''Presented AD 1784 ( Hijri year 1199) by the East India Company's Calcutta Government''.
The medal, issued unnamed, has a milled edge like a coin.[Collett, D.W, ''Medals Yearbook'', (1981). Page 42. ]
A ring suspension allowed the medal to be worn around the neck by way of a suspension cord, usually yellow or sand colour.
References
External links
British Army Medals: Deccan Medal
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company
British campaign medals
Medals of the Honourable East India Company
Awards established in 1784
1784 establishments in India