Kaisar-i-Hind Medal
The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the Emperor/Empress of India between 1900 and 1947, to "any person without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex ... who shall have distinguished himself (or herself) by important and useful service in the advancement of the public interest in India."
| Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India | |
|---|---|
Representations of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals (George V – second type) | |
| Type | Civil decoration |
| Awarded for | Persons considered to have done some public service worthy of recognition by Government |
| Country | British India |
| Presented by | Emperor of India |
| Eligibility | Civilians of any nationality |
| Campaign(s) | Dormant since 1947 |
| Established | 10 April 1900 |
Ribbon of Kaisar-i-Hind Medal | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of British India |
| Next (lower) | Order of St John |
The name "Kaisar-i-Hind" (Urdu: قیصرِ ہند qaisar-e-hind, Hindi: क़ैसर-इ-हिन्द) literally means "Emperor of India" in the Hindustani language. The word kaisar, meaning "emperor" is a derivative of the Roman imperial title Caesar, via Persian (see Qaysar-i Rum) from Greek Καίσαρ Kaísar, and is cognate with the German title Kaiser, which was borrowed from Latin at an earlier date. Based upon this, the title Kaisar-i-Hind was coined in 1876 by the orientalist G.W. Leitner as the official imperial title for the British monarch in India. The last ruler to bear it was George VI.
Kaisar-i-Hind was also inscribed on the obverse side of the India General Service Medal (1909), as well as on the Indian Meritorious Service Medal.