Item number: M265

Year: AD 1900-1947

Material: Gold

Size: 120.5 x 41.0 x 3.7 mm

Weight: 47.05 g

Provenance: Noonans 2024

The “Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India” was established on April 10, AD 1900, by Queen Victoria. It was awarded by the Emperor or Empress of India to “any person who has rendered important and useful service in the promotion of the public interests of India, irrespective of their race, occupation, or gender.”

The appearance of the medal is an oval gold medal. The obverse features the royal cypher of Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India, surrounded by a laurel wreath. The reverse has a central scroll inscribed with “Kaisar-i-Hind,” surrounded by the words “FOR PUBLIC SERVICE IN INDIA.” There is a crown at the top of the oval medal. The ribbon of the medal is dark blue and includes a pin.

“Kaisar” in Hindustani means Emperor of India, a term derived from the Roman Imperial title “Caesar,” signifying a monarch or emperor. This title was used by British monarchs in India from AD 1877 to AD 1947.

The medal initially had two grades: gold and silver. During George V’s reign, a new bronze grade was introduced, and the medal was redesigned. Only the gold medal was awarded directly by the Indian monarch based on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for India, while the silver and bronze medals were awarded by the Governor-General.

The medal was instituted by Queen Victoria in AD 1900. Initially, its obverse featured Queen Victoria’s royal cypher. Upon the accession of King Edward VII, the original design was retained but the obverse was altered to feature his own royal cypher. Subsequently, upon the accession of King George V, he also replaced the obverse with his own royal cypher and made adjustments to the surrounding decorative patterns of the medal.

The Kaisar-i-Hind medal during George V’s reign could be divided into two types:

Although the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service was never formally abolished, it ceased to be awarded after India declared independence in AD 1947.

In AD 1897, India experienced a severe plague outbreak. Many British officers and soldiers, as well as Indian residents, provided exceptional assistance. However, there were no appropriate awards or titles to honour these outstanding contributions at the time. After reporting and discussions, the Viceroy of India and the Secretary of State for India recognised the need for a new award and proposed this to Queen Victoria, who ultimately approved it. Thus, the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service was established.

物件編號: M265

年代: 公元 1900-1947 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 120.5 x 41.0 x 3.7 mm

重量: 47.05 g

來源: 諾南斯 2024

此枚獎章為公元1900年4月10日由維多利亞女王頒布的「凱撒印度公共服務獎章」，由印度皇帝或女皇授予「任何為促進印度公共利益提供了重要而有用的服務者，不分其種族、職業、或性別」。

獎章的外型為橢圓金質獎章，正面刻有英國國王兼印度皇帝愛德華七世的皇家記號，周圍以月桂葉作為裝飾圍繞，獎章背面中央則有一條刻著「Kaisar-i-Hind」字樣的布幔，周圍刻有「FOR PUBLIC SERVICE IN INDIA」，在獎章橢圓本體的上方有一頂皇冠。這枚獎章的綬帶為深藍色，綬帶上附有一枚別針。

「Kaisar」在印度斯坦語中是印度皇帝的意思，其中Kaisar一詞是由羅馬帝國皇帝的頭銜「Caesar」演變而來，為君主、皇帝的意思。該詞是公元1877年至公元1947年間英國君主在印度使用的頭銜。

該獎章最初分為金、銀兩個等級，喬治五世在統治期間添加了新的銅級獎章，並重新設計了此獎章。其中僅金質獎章是由印度君主根據印度國務秘書的推薦直接頒發的，銀質和銅質獎章則由總督頒發。

獎章於1900年由維多利亞女王頒布。最初，該獎章的正面呈現維多利亞女王的皇家記號。愛德華七世登基後保留了原有的設計，但正面改為自己的皇家記號。喬治五世繼位後，他也將獎章的正面改成了他自己的皇家記號，同時調整了獎章周圍的裝飾花紋。

在喬治五世時期，凱撒印度獎章可分為兩種類型：

凱撒印度公共服務獎章在歷史上並未被正式廢除，不過在公元1947年印度宣布獨立後，該獎章也不再被授予。

公元1897年，印度爆發了一場大瘟疫，許多英國軍官與士兵以及印度居民都提供了出色的幫助，然而當時並沒有適當的獎項或頭銜授予這些做出傑出貢獻的對象，印度總督和印度國務卿在匯報和討論後，認為有必要設立一項新的獎項，並向英國維多利亞女王提出了此一建議，最終獲得批准，自此，凱撒印度公共服務獎章應運而生。