Sardar Bahadur was a

title of honour A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits. Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed d ...

awarded to native Indian civilians and Viceroy's commissioned officers during

British rule in India 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 himsel ...

. It was bestowed upon Sikhs, and was awarded for faithful service or acts of public welfare. The title was used after any military rank, but before the title holder's name. From 1911 holders of the title were also awarded a special Title Badge. Members of the first class of the

Order of British India The Order of British India was an order of merit established in 1837 by the East India Company for "long, faithful and honourable service". The company's powers were removed after the Indian Mutiny, and the Order was incorporated into the Brit ...

could also use the title of Sardar Bahadur, with members of the second class using Bahadur. The title of Sardar Bahadur was part of a wider honours system put in place by British India: First Class *

Dewan Bahadur Dewan Bahadur or Diwan Bahadur was a title of honour awarded during British Raj, British rule in India. It was awarded to individuals who had performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was accompanied by ...

, ''for Hindus;'' * Nawab Bahadur, ''for Muslims;'' Second Class * Khan Bahadur, ''for Muslims;'' *

Rai Bahadur RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Eco ...

, (North India) or Rao Bahadur (South India), ''for Hindus;'' Third Class *

Khan Sahib Khan Sahib is a compound of khan (leader) and sahib (master) - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred mainly on Muslim, but also to Parsi, Irani, and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire. It was a title one degr ...

, ''for Muslims;'' *

Rai Sahib Rai Sahib / Rao Saheb / Roy Sahib / Rao Sahib abbreviated R.S., was a title of honour issued during the era of British rule in India to individuals who performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was a ...

, (North India) or Rao Sahib (South India), ''for Hindus.'' Those of other religions received the title considered most appropriate, for example native Indian Christians with a Hindu sounding name would receive a Hindu title. In most cases a recipient proceeded from the lowest grade to a higher level, with only the most senior title used. Ranking below a knighthood, these titles were dropped by any holder who became a knight of a British Order, for example the

Order of the Star of India 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: # Knight Grand Commander ( GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointmen ...

or the

Order of the Indian Empire 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: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

. Sardar Bahadur and similar titles issued during British Raj were dis-established in 1947 upon the independence of India.Sharma, B. K. Introduction to the Constitution of India, Published by Prentice-Hall, India, 2007, , p. 83.

Recipients

* Sardar Bahadur Maharaj Jagat Singh Ji, third Master (Satguru) of Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

References

Titles in India Orders, decorations, and medals of British India Men's social titles Orders, decorations, and medals of India Awards disestablished in 1947 {{Orders-medals-stub

Recipients

See also

References