Raj Ratna (also Raj Ratan or Rajya Ratna; literally ''Gem of the Raj'') was a title of high honour, a civilian award, which was prevalent in the princely states of India during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

History

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

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

princely states of India to distinguished citizens of their kingdoms. The title was bestowed with a gold coin medallion. The second-highest civilian award was the Raj Bhushan (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, * * was an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations existing between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950. Until its Indian independence movement, independence, India had be ...

. The highest civilian award in modern India is the

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ) is the highest Indian honours system, 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 distin ...

, followed by the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") 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 w ...

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') 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 Januar ...

, and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Notable people awarded the title of Raj Ratna

Nanji Kalidas Mehta Marg - Junagadh - Gujarat - DSC0001

* Nanji Kalidas Mehta, M.B.E. – awarded by Porbandar State * Dinshaw Ratanji Daboo, member of the Baroda Legislative Council – awarded by

Baroda State Baroda State was a kingdom within the Maratha Confederacy and later a princely state in present-day Gujarat. It was ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India. With th ...

, 1936 * Jagannath Bhandari, 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 el ...

of Idar – awarded by Idar State, 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