__NOTOC__ The Mysore Medal is a

campaign medal A campaign medal is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of an armed force who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater. Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a hig ...

that was awarded 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 ...

to native Indian soldiers of the armies of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) who participated in the

Third Anglo-Mysore War The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Angl ...

of 1790 to 1792.

Criteria

The Third Anglo–Mysore War was fought between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British HEIC and its allies. The war ended in March 1792 with the

Treaty of Seringapatam The Treaty of Seringapatam (also called Srirangapatinam or Srirangapatna), signed 18 March 1792, ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis on behalf of the British East India Company, representatives of the Niz ...

, in which Mysore gave up much of its territory. The medal was authorised in April 1793 by

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

, the

, who had commanded HEIC forces in Mysore. It was awarded to native Indian members of the HEIC forces: in gold to more senior native officers including Subedars; in silver to junior officers including

Jemadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār' ...

s and Serangs; with NCOs and Sepoys, including

Havildar Havildar or havaldar ( Hindustani: or (Devanagari), (Perso-Arabic)) is a rank in the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese armies, equivalent to sergeant. It is not used in cavalry units, where the equivalent is daffadar. Like a British sergeant, ...

s, Naiks, Tindals and

Lascar A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland, or other land east of the Cape of Good Hope, who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the middle of the ...

s receiving a smaller silver medal. Europeans, including those in HEIC service and with

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, did not receive the medal. In total, about 7,000 medals were awarded. In addition to the medal, HEIC soldiers who served in the campaign received an additional six months

batta In the British Raj, Batta or Bhatta or Bat-ta was a a) financial/banking and b) a military term, meaning a) an agio or disagio, b) a special allowance made to officers, soldiers, or other public servants in the field, c) any additional or extra ch ...

allowance. HEIC regiments that took part in the campaign received the battle honour Mysore (1789–91).

Description

The Government of India commissioned a private goldsmith in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

to prepare the dies and strike the medals in gold and in silver. The gold medals were in diameter, while the silver were issued in two sizes: and . All types had a common design:
The obverse depicts a full-length image of a Sepoy holding a Union Jack in his right hand and the flag of Mysore, upside down, in his left. In the background is the fortress of

Seringapatam Srirangapatna is a town and headquarters of one of the seven Taluks of Mandya district, in the Indian State of Karnataka. It gets its name from the Ranganthaswamy temple consecrated at around 984 CE. Later, under the British rule the city wa ...

. There is no inscription.
The reverse has, within a laurel wreath, the English wording ''FOR SERVCIES IN MYSORE AD 1791-1792'' with, around the edge, the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

inscription that translates as: ''A token of the bravery of the troops of the English Government in the war in Mysore, in the

Hijri year The Hijri year ( ar, سَنة هِجْريّة) or era ( ''at-taqwīm al-hijrī'') is the era used in the Islamic lunar calendar. It begins its count from the Islamic New Year in which Muhammad and his followers migrated from Mecca to Yathr ...

s 1205-1206''.
The medal was issued unnamed.Collett, D.W, ''Medals Yearbook'', (1981). Page 43.
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: Mysore Medal
{{Campaign medals of the Honourable East India Company British campaign medals Medals of the Honourable East India Company Awards established in 1793 Third Anglo-Mysore War