Rao Bahadur
Encyclopedia
Rao Bahadur was a title of honour issued in British India to individuals who had performed great service to the nation.
Literally translated, "Rao" implies "prince", and "Bahadur" means "most honorable." It is the equivalent of an OBE. This title was awarded during the era of British rule to Indians, both Hindu and Christian. The equivalent title for Muslim
and Parsi
subjects was Khan Bahadur. For sikhs it was Sardar Bahadur. It is known as Roy Bahadur in Bengal
.
The title was accompanied by a medal
.
Rao Sahib (also Raosahib and Rai
Sahib was a lesser title of honour issued in India
to individuals that performed great service in leadership to the nation. Literally translated, "Rao" implied "prince", and "sahib" means "leader".
Diwan Bahadur was another title, awarded by British to Indians. Persons with the Rai Bahadur title could be elevated to Diwan Bahadur status.
In some cases, the British gave Indians titles that no Indian had previously been awarded. These were the hereditary Barony, Baron Sinha
of Raipur and several Baronet
cies e.g. Cowasjee Jehangir.
Literally translated, "Rao" implies "prince", and "Bahadur" means "most honorable." It is the equivalent of an OBE. This title was awarded during the era of British rule to Indians, both Hindu and Christian. The equivalent title for Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and Parsi
Parsi
Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....
subjects was Khan Bahadur. For sikhs it was Sardar Bahadur. It is known as Roy Bahadur in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
.
The title was accompanied by a medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
.
Rao Sahib (also Raosahib and Rai
Rai (Indian)
Rai is a title of honour in India and is also used as a surname mainly by Rajput, Jat of North India and Bunts of coastal Karnataka and Kerala in south India.It is also used as a surname by Bhumihar of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.It is derived from Raja and the Marathi/Telugu variant is Rao, while...
Sahib was a lesser title of honour issued in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to individuals that performed great service in leadership to the nation. Literally translated, "Rao" implied "prince", and "sahib" means "leader".
Diwan Bahadur was another title, awarded by British to Indians. Persons with the Rai Bahadur title could be elevated to Diwan Bahadur status.
In some cases, the British gave Indians titles that no Indian had previously been awarded. These were the hereditary Barony, Baron Sinha
Baron Sinha
Baron Sinha, of Raipur in the Presidency of Bengal, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for Sir Satyendra Prasanno Sinha, who was the first Indian and only person of colour ever to be elevated to the hereditary peerage. There was controversy over the succession...
of Raipur and several Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cies e.g. Cowasjee Jehangir.
Examples of people awarded the Rai/Rao/Sardar Bahadur title
- Rai Bahadur Chaudhary Dewan Chand Saini, MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, GurdaspurGurdaspurGurdaspur is a city in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. It is located in the center of and is the administrative head of Gurdaspur District. It was the location of a fort which was famous for the siege it sustained in 1712 from the Mughals...
, PunjabPunjab (India)Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the... - Rai Bahadur SaligramRai SaligramRai Bahadur Saligram ji, popularly known as Huzur Maharaj ji, was born in a Kayastha family of Peepal Mandi, Agra, on 14 March 1829. He served as chief inspector of post offices in India, and in 1881, promoted as the Postmaster General of the North-Western Provinces with headquarters at Allahabad...
, Pipal Mandi, AgraAgraAgra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most... - Sardar Bahadur Jagat Singh, LyallpurLyallpurLyallpur may refer to* the former name of Faisalabad city, Pakistan* Lyallpur Town, a municipal area of Faisalabad city, Pakistan...
, pre-partition Punjab - Jagan Nath Bhandari, Rai Bahadur, Raj Ratan, DewanDewanThe originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
of Idar StateIdar (princely state)Idar State or Edar, was a native state of India, which formed part of the Mahi Kantha agency, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay. It has an area of 1669 m²., and a population of 168,557, showing a decrease of 44% in the decade as the result of famine. Estimated gross revenue, £29,000; tribute... - Ray Bahadur Ranadaprasad SahaRanadaprasad SahaRanadaprasad Saha , also known as RP Saha and Ranoda Proshad Shaha, was a famous Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi businessman and philanthropist, who during the Bangladesh Liberation War was picked up from home by the Pakistani army on 7th May 1971 and never returned home.- Early life :Ranada...
, philanthropist - Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja ChauhanRai Bahadur Jagmal Raja ChauhanJagmal Raja Chauhan , better known as Rai Bahadur Jagmal Raja, was an industrialist in Bombay and a railway contractor at the time of Independence of India. He was born in a small village named Nagher, in Kutch and belonged the Kutch Gurjar Kashtriya community...
- Industrialist & noted Railway Contractor - Rai Bahadur Jairam Valji ChauhanRai Bahadur Jairam Valji ChauhanJairam Valji Chauhan , better known as Rai Bahadur Jairam Valji, was a reputed Railway Contractor & Miner, who owned several dolomite and limestone mines in and around present day Chhattisgarh....
- Industrialist - Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi - founder of Modi Group
- Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh OberoiMohan Singh OberoiRai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was a renowned Indian hotelier, widely regarded as the father of 20th century India's hotel business, was the founder Chairman of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, India's second-largest hotel company, with 35 luxury hotels in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Egypt, Australia and...
- founder of Oberoi Group - Rai Bahadur Bakshi Badri Nath Chhibber
- Rai Bahadur Chaudhary Dewan Chand Saini, MBE
- Rai Bahadur Tirath Singh BakshiRai Bahadur Tirath Singh BakshiRai Bahadur Tirath Singh, the second son of S Hoshiar Singh and Chanan Devi, joined the United Province Police Force during the British Raj and later became Deputy Inspector General of Police of the state....
Diwan Bahadur
- D. D. Thacker, Diwan Bahadur, of JhariaJhariaJharia is a notified area and one of eight development blocks in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state, India. More than one town in India shares this name.- City :...
- Diwan Bahadur Ketoli Chengappa, Last Chief Commisioner (and the only one of native-origin; Englishmen held this position earlier) of KodaguKodaguKodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...
(Coorg)