ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>TITLES AND ORDERS OF MERIT</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="TITLES,AND,ORDERS,MERIT"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279TITLES AND ORDERS OF MERIT, instituted at his court by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, broadly followed the Mu<u>gh</u>al pattern, though there did not exist among the Sikh nobility a specific classification or hierarchy which marked the <i>mansabd&#257r&#299</i> system of the Mu<u>gh</u>als. Titles and awards were granted to princes of the royal blood, principal <i>sard&#257rs</i> and high officials of the State, and they carried with them privileges as well as <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i>. Thus did the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 also patronize his favourites and men of proven loyalty to him and his family. The highest title seems to have been R&#257j&#257-i-R&#257jg&#257n held only by one person in the history of Sikh rule. That was Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh &#7692ogr&#257, also titled R&#257j&#257 Kal&#257&#7749, who had the privilege of holding his own miniature <i>darb&#257r</i>. Next was the title of R&#257j&#257, which was held among others by Dhi&#257n Si&#7749gh's brothers, Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh, and his son, H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh, the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's favourite. Gul&#257b Si&#7749gh was awarded the title of R&#257j&#257 of Jamm&#363 in 1822, with <i>j&#257g&#299rs</i> amounting to over 7,00,000 rupees annually. He was the most highly favoured vassal and tributary of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257, the condition of his allegiance being the maintenance of a special body of horse and foot for his sovereign. Suchet Si&#7749gh was the R&#257j&#257 of R&#257mnagar, with a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> worth 3,00,000 rupees and command of the Ch&#257ry&#257r&#299 Sow&#257rs. H&#299r&#257 Si&#7749gh received the title of R&#257j&#257 with a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> of the value of well over 5,00,000 rupees annualy, with the exceptional privilege of a seat in the Darb&#257r.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some of the military titles were Hizbar-i-Ja&#7749g (lion in battle), Zafar Ja&#7749g (victorious in war), Dilawar Ja&#7749g (gallant in war), Safdar Ja&#7749g (valiant in war), Sams&#257m ud-Daulah (sharp-edged sword of the State), Shuj&#257' ud-Daulah (valour of the State), I'tim&#257d ud-Daulah (support of the State), Mub&#257riz ul-M&#363lk (hero of the country) and Jarnail-i-Awwal (general of the first rank). If the military titles referred to qualities of bravery and courage, those of the civil departments lauded honesty, sagacity and industry. For instance : Day&#257nat Pan&#257h (abode of honesty), Fir&#257sat Dastg&#257h (manufactory of wisdom) and Masha<u>khkh</u>at Pan&#257h (refuge of the distinguished). Ecclesiastical titles lauded the qualities of piety and nobility of life and conduct. One such title was Brahm M&#363rat (picture of divinity). The title of Sard&#257r, common to military and civil officers, was mainly reserved for Sikhs. 'Izaz-i-Sard&#257r&#299 was the highest honour most distinguished Sikh generals such as Har&#299 Si&#7749gh Nalv&#257, Gurmukh Si&#7749gh Lamm&#257, and Dal Si&#7749gh Nahern&#257 received. Complimentary expressions like B&#257waq&#257r (of high prestige), 'Azim ush-Sh&#257n (of high glory), Ujjal D&#299d&#257r (of immaculate appearance) and Nirmal Buddh (of clear intelligence) were prefixed to this title in official correspondence. Among the notables who were the recipients of military and civil titles were R&#257j&#257 D&#299n&#257 N&#257th, D&#299w&#257n S&#257van Mall, Sard&#257r Atar Si&#7749gh Sandh&#257&#7749v&#257l&#299&#257, Captain C.M. Wade, D&#299w&#257n Jodh&#257 R&#257m, General Avitabile, Sard&#257r Lahi&#7751&#257 Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257, Ka&#7749var Sher Si&#7749gh and Sard&#257r Tej Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;One prestigious award instituted by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh in 1837 on the occasion of the marriage of his grandson, Ka&#7749var Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh, was Kaukab-i-Iqb&#257l-i-Pañj&#257b, Star of the Prosperity of the Punjab. The order and the medal, which was the insignia of the order, created at the suggestion of Sir Henry Fane, the British commander-in-chief, who had come to attend the wedding as a guest, resembled in shape the French Legion de Honour instituted by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. The first recipient of this title was Ka&#7749var Nau Nih&#257l Si&#7749gh himself. The order had three grades, each having its own medal. The medals bore the effigy of Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh on one side and had silk ribands of gold and scarlet colour. They were in the shape of a star and were meant to be worn round the neck. The first grade medal was ornamented with one big diamond. It was meant for the members of the royal family and those chiefs who showed exceptional devotion to the person of the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 and his family. The second-grade medal, with a diamond and an emerald set in it, was bestowed on loyal courtiers and <i>sard&#257rs</i>. The third contained a single emerald and was open to civil and military officers who had rendered some special service to the State.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> S&#363r&#299, Sohan L&#257l, <i>'Umdat ut-Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u></i>. Lahore, 1885-89<BR> <li class="C1"> Kohli, Sita Ram, <i>Catalogue of the Khalsa Darbar Records</i>. Lahore, 1919-27<BR> <li class="C1"> Fane, H.E., <i>Five Years in India</i>. London, 1842<BR> <li class="C1"> Ganda Singh, ed., <i>Maharaja Ranjit Singh (First Death Centenary Memorial Volume)</i>. Amritsar, 1939<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>