Raj Ratna (also Raj Ratan or Rajya Ratna; literally ''Gem of the Raj'') was a title of high honour, a

civilian award This list of civil awards and decorations is a partial index to articles about notable civil awards and decorations. It excludes Law enforcement awards and honors and ecclesiastical decorations, which are covered by separate lists. See :Civil aw ...

, which was prevalent in the princely states of India during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

History

''Raj Ratna'' awards were given by rulers of the mostly

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to distinguished citizens of their kingdoms. The title was bestowed with a gold coin medallion. The second-highest civilian award was the

Raj Bhushan Raj Bhushan / Raj Bhooshan / Rajyabhushan (literally ''Ornament of the :wikt:raj, Raj''), was a second highest title of honor or civilian award, which was prevalent in Princely India during British Raj. History ''Raj Bhushan'' awards were given by ...

(literally ''Ornament of the Raj''), which was given with a silver coin medallion. The titles and awards of ''Raj Ratna'' and ''Raj Bhushan'' came to an end around 1949, with the amalgamation of almost all of the princely states into the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

. The highest civilian award in modern India is the

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ''Jewel of India'') is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinctio ...

, followed by the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, and

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

Notable people awarded the title of Raj Ratna

Nanji Kalidas Mehta Nanji Kalidas Mehta, MBE (17 November 1887 – 25 August 1969) was an industrialist and philanthropist from Gujarat. He founded the Mehta Group of Industries in British East Africa, now having its head office in India. His son Mahendra Mehta, ...

M.B.E. Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

- awarded by

Porbandar State Porbandar State was a princely state during the British Raj ruled by Jethwa dynasty. It was one of the few princely states with a coastline. The capital of state was the harbour town of Porbandar. Some other important towns of this state wer ...

* Dinshaw Ratanji Daboo, member of the Baroda Legislative Council - awarded by Baroda State, 1936 *

Jagannath Bhandari Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

, lawyer and

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 e ...

Idar Idar may refer to: People * Idar Andersen (born 1999), Norwegian road racing cyclist * Idar Kreutzer (born 1962), Norwegian businessperson * Idar Kristiansen (1932–1985), Norwegian poet, novelist, short story writer and non-fiction writer * ...

- awarded by

Idar State Idar State, also known as Edar, was a princely state located in present-day Gujarat state of India. During the British era, it was a part of the Mahi Kantha Agency, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. History Idar State was a pr ...

, 1933

References

{{cite book , author=Tony McClenaghan , title=Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States , date=1996 , publisher=Lancer Publishers , isbn=9781897829196 , pages=56 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YQdZlHJ2WTAC&pg=PA61 , accessdate=2017-08-23 Jagannath Bhandari...Resumed law practice, 1922; appointed Dewan of Idar State, 1931. Given title of Ral Bahadur by Government in June 1933, and Raj Ratna by the Maharaja Sahib Bahadur, August 1933. World biography, Volume 1, 1948 Civil awards and decorations of India Awards disestablished in 1949 Titles in India Orders, decorations, and medals of British India Men's social titles Cultural history of India Honorifics Prefixes

History

Notable people awarded the title of Raj Ratna

See also

References