Khan Bahadur

Khan Bahadur – a compound of khan ('leader') and bahadur ('brave') – was a formal title of respect and honor, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim and other non-Hindu natives of British India. It was one degree higher than the title of Khan Sahib.

This article is about the British Indian title. For the 1937 Indian film, see Khan Bahadur (film). For other uses, see Khan (disambiguation).
Khan Bahadur
Title Badge for Khan Bahadur
TypeCivilian Honour
Country British India
Presented by Viceroy of India
EligibilityMuslim Indian
StatusDiscontinued (since 1947)
Precedence
Next (higher)Nawab Bahadur
EquivalentRao Bahadur
Sardar Bahadur
Next (lower)Khan Sahib

The title was conferred on individuals for faithful service or acts of public welfare to the Empire. Recipients were entitled to prefix the title to their name and were presented with a special Title Badge and a citation (or sanad). It was conferred on behalf of the Government of British India by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India.[1]

The title was dis-established in 1947 upon the independence of India.[2]

The title "Khan Bahadur" was originally conferred in Mughal India on Muslim subjects in recognition of public services rendered and was adopted by British India for the same purpose and extended to cover other non-Hindu subjects of India. Hindu subjects of British India were conferred the title of "Rai Bahadur".

Recipients
Sanad of Khan Bahadur Shaikh Khan Mohammed Qureshi of Bohar Mohallah Rawalpindi. 1921, Delhi

The following is a chronological list of selected recipients (the list below is not exhaustive):

  • 1891: Mian Ghulam Farid Khan Bahadur, former Extra-Assistant Commissioner in Punjab and Honorary Magistrate of Batala.[5]
  • Khan Bahadur Khalifullah Rowther Sahib, Dewan of Pudukkottai State
  • 1898: Khan Bahadur Humayun Beg Wazir of Hunza.[6]
  • 1905: Muhammad Habibullah was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur by the Indian government[7]
  • 1912: Khan Bahadur Sayed Rustom Ali (Registrar, Court of the Political Resident, Aden).[8]
  • 1912: Khan Bahadur, Nadir Husain, District Superintendent of Police, Bengal.[9]
  • 1914: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Hira Khan, (Civil Engineer from University of Roorkee (Gold Medalist); Supervisor, Public Works Department, Lucknow, United Provinces.[10]
  • 1915: Khan Bahadur Syed Abdul Majid, CIE (Bengali politician, lawyer and entrepreneur)
  • 1919: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Hussain Khan Swati, 5th Chief of Swati tribe.[11]
The first shield is of Khan Sahib presented to Khan Muhammad Hussain Khan Swati in 1916, the second shield is of Khan Bahadur presented to same person in 1921 while the third shield of Khan Sahib was presented to his nephew Khan Muhammad Aslam Khan Swati(7th Chief of Swati tribe).Picture is taken from a wall of Chief of Swati house at Garhi Habibullah
  • 1923: Khan Bahadur Mian Muhammad Said, Bar-at-law, British-Indian Police and Minister in Royal State of Kapurthala.[12]
  • 1925: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Gada Husain, (retired) Deputy Collector, United Provinces.[13][14]
  • 1925: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Alimuzzaman Chaudhuri. M.L.C. Landholder and Chairman, District Board and Municipality, Faridpur.[15]
"Sanad" awarded in 1930 by Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, to Syed Niaz Qutb
  • 1929: Khan Bahadur Major General Fateh Naseeb Khan, Senapati, Alwar State, Rajputana
  • 1930: Khan Bahadur, Syed Niaz Qutb (also spelled as Qutab), Postmaster General.[16][17][18][19]
  • 1931: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Muhammad Fazlul Karim, Magistrate, collector, and administrator of Refugees, Bengal.[20]
  • 1932: Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Khan, Divisional Inspector of Schools.[21]
  • 1935: Khan Bahadur Khalifa Mohammad Asadullah, the first Muslim and second Indian to run the Imperial Library of the Raj in Calcutta and the first Indian to become a fellow of the Library Association, London.[22][23]
  • 1935: Sheikh Abdullah (1874–1965), Indian educationalist, social reformer, lawyer, and the founder of Women's College, Aligarh.[24][25]
  • 1936: Khan Bahadur Waliur Rahman, Planter and Proprietor of several tea gardens in Duars, Assam.[26]
  • 1937: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Humayun, District Collector 1937-1939, ICS - Nellore.[27]
  • 1938: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Muhammad Yahya, (retired) Deputy Magistrate, Deputy Collector and Chief Manager, Dacca Nawab Estate[28]
  • 1943: Khan Bahadur Yousof Hossain Chaudhury, Vice-President, District School Board, Faridpur.[29] [19] [The chieftains of Punjab] [The Gazette of Attock 1970]
  • Aziz al-Hasan Ghouri[30]

See also

References
  1. H. Taprell Dorling. (1956). Ribbons and Medals. A.H.Baldwin & Sons, London. p. 111.
  2. Sharma, B. K. Introduction to the Constitution of India, published by Prentice-Hall, India, 2007, ISBN 8120332466, p. 83.
  3. "Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library".
  4. Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Islam, Nawab Sirajul". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  5. Who's Who in India. Newal Kishore Press, Lucknow. 1911.
  6. "Grant of the title of Khan Bahadur to Humayun Beg Wazir of Hunga". Foreign Department. February 1898.
  7. Aḥmad Saʻīd (1997). Muslim India, 1857–1947: a biographical dictionary. Institute of Pakistan Historical Research. p. 144.
  8. Bahadur, R. (1912). Who's who in India - Supplement. Рипол Классик. ISBN 9785872301257.
  9. Second Supplement to Who's Who in India. Lucknow Newul Kishore Press. 1914
  10. Second Supplement of Who's Who in India brought up to 1914. Lucknow Newul Kishore Press. 1914. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Alt URL
  11. "Hazara Gazetteer 1907, page 27". Internet archive.
  12. P, Kabad: Waman. Indian Who's who. Yeshanand & Company.
  13. "The Gazette of India Extraordinary, Jan 1st 1925". The Gazette of India: 6–7. 1925.
  14. "The New Year's Honours List". The Civil and Military Gazette. 1 January 1925. pp. 3–4.
  15. The Quarterly Civil List for Bengal. Corrected up to 1st April 1930. Appendix. Part II. List of Title-Holders and Recipients of Decorations, etc., in Bengal. Page No. 67
  16. Report of the Committee of Bengal Chamber of Commerce, published in year 1931. Proceedings of the Annual General Meeting 1932, i to xxi. Bengal Chamber of Commerce, India. 1931.
  17. The India Office and Burma Office List ... Harrison and sons, Limited. 1920. p. 29.
  18. The India Office and Burma Office List ... Harrison and sons, Limited. 1928. p. 950.
  19. Vārshika Riporṭa. Department of India Posts and Telegraphs, British Government of India. 1929.
  20. Government of Bengal. The Bengal Civil List (Published annually). Corrected up to 1 July 1944. No. 279. Part II - List of Persons in Bengal Holding Titles Conferred or Recognized by His Excellency The Viceroy. Page 443
  21. Chowdhury, Saifuddin. "Khan, Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman1". Banglapedia. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  22. Patel, Jashu; Kumar, Krishan (2001). Libraries and Librarianship in India. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313294235.
  23. "Khan Bahadur Khalifa Muhammad Asadullah: A Pioneer of Library Movement in South Asia" (PDF). Pakistani Librarian.
  24. "The Other Sheikh Abdullah". 24 September 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  25. "Aligarh Muslim University || Halls". www.amu.ac.in.
  26. The Bengal Civil List (Published half yearly) corrected up to 1 January 1937; Appendix – List of Title-Holders and Recipients of Decorations, etc. Page 696
  27. Government of Madras (2004). Gazetteer of the Nellore District: Brought Upto 1938. Asian Educational Services. p. 254. ISBN 978-81-206-1851-0.
  28. Government of Bengal. The Bengal Civil List (Published annually). Corrected up to 1 July 1944. No. 279. Part II - List of Persons in Bengal Holding Titles Conferred or Recognized by His Excellency The Viceroy. Page 444
  29. Government of Bengal. The Bengal Civil List
    • 1944: "Khan Bahadur Sardar Aurangzeb", the Rais of Malal, As an Assistant Commissioner in the Indian Civil Services. (Published annually). Corrected up to 1 July 1944. No. 279. Part II - List of Persons in Bengal Holding Titles Conferred or Recognized by His Excellency The Viceroy. Page 445
  30. Proceedings of the joint sitting of the two chambers of the United Provinces Legislature. Official report. Vol. 16. United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (India). Legislature. 1940. p. 29. OCLC 15722918. Khan Babadur Khwaja Azizul Hasan Ghori, B.A., Inspector of Schools, Allahabad
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