Khan Bahadur – a compound of Khan "Leader" and Bahadur "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and Indian Christians was Rao Bahadur/Rai Bahadur and Sardar Bahadur for Sikhs. The title of Khan Bahadur was one degree higher than the title of Khan Sahib.
The title was conferred on individuals for faithful service or acts of public welfare to the British Empire. Recipients were entitled to prefix the title to their name and were presented with a special Title Badge and a citation (Sanad). It was conferred on behalf of the Government of British India by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
Awarding of the Khan Bahadur title was discontinued in 1947 upon the independence of India.Sharma, B. K. Introduction to the Constitution of India, published by Prentice-Hall, India, 2007, , p. 83.
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
The following is an incomplete chronological list of selected recipients: 1881: Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh C.I.E, Former Chief Justice of Hyderabad State, Founder of Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library Raja Mir Syed Muhammad Baquar Ali Khan C.I.E. of Morni, Kotaha and Pindrawal 1887: Nawab Sirjaul Islam 1891: Khan Bahadur Malik Zaman Mehdi Khan of Darapur, Jhelum. 1891: Mian Ghulam Farid Khan Bahadur, former Extra-Assistant Commissioner in Punjab and Honorary Magistrate of Batala. Khan Bahadur Khalifullah Rowther Sahib, Dewan of Pudukkottai State 1898: Khan Bahadur Humayun Beg Wazir of Hunza. 1903: Khan Bahadur Din Muhammad, Extra Assistant Commissioner, Kasur, in the Lahore District of the Punjab.Sanad dated 1 January 1903, signed in Delhi by Viceroy and Governor General of India, Lord Curzon 1905: Muhammad Habibullah was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur by the Indian government 1912: Khan Bahadur Sayed Rustom Ali (Registrar, Court of the Political Resident, Aden). 1912: Khan Bahadur Nadir Husain, District Superintendent of Police, Bengal.Second Supplement to Who's Who in India. Lucknow Newul Kishore Press. 1914 1914: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Hira Khan (Civil Engineer from University of Roorkee (Gold Medalist); Supervisor, Public Works Department, Lucknow, United Provinces. Alt URL 1919: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Hussain Khan Swati, 5th Chief of Swati tribe.
1921 Khan Sahib Sir Mohammad Usman of Madras was conferred the title of Khan Bahadur. He was later conferred the title of Knight Commander Order of the Indian Empire. Sir Mohammad Usman became the first Indian acting Governor of Madras Presidency and a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council. 1923: Khan Bahadur Mian Muhammad Said, Bar-at-law, British-Indian Police and Minister in Royal State of Kapurthala. 1925: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Gada Husain (retired), Deputy Collector, United Provinces., full name Munshi Gada Husain (b. 1867). Earlier, as part of the 1922 King's Birthday Honours, Munshi Gada Husain was given the title of Khan Sahib by Viceroy and Governor-General, Rufus Isaacs, and in April 1923, he was nominated to the Ghazipur District Board. 1925: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Alimuzzaman Chaudhuri. M.L.C. Landholder and Chairman, District Board and Municipality, Faridpur.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
1929: Khan Bahadur Major General Fateh Naseeb Khan, Senapati, Alwar State, Rajputana 1930: Khan Bahadur Raja Muhammad Akram Khan of Jhelum; also awarded Khan Sahib. Member Punjab Legislative Assembly. 1930: Khan Bahadur Syed Niaz Qutb (also spelled as Qutab), Postmaster General. 1932: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Muhammad Fazlul Karim, Magistrate, collector, and administrator of Refugees, Bengal.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 1933: Khan Bahadur Chaudhry Irshadullah Ranjha, Member Legislative Assembly, Chief of Ranjha tribe, Honorary Magistrate. 1934: Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Khan, Divisional Inspector of Schools. 1936: 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. 1937: Sheikh Abdullah (1874–1965), Indian educationalist, social reformer, lawyer, and the founder of Women's College, Aligarh. 1938: Khan Bahadur Waliur Rahman, Planter and Proprietor of several tea gardens in Duars, Assam.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 1939: Khan Bahadur Muhammad Humayun, District Collector 1937–1939, ICS — Nellore. 1940: Khan Bahadur Maulvi Muhammad Yahya (retired), Deputy Magistrate, Deputy Collector and Chief Manager, Dacca Nawab Estate.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 1941: Khan Bahadur Sardar Abdul Samad Khan, Magistrate of Punjab and Delhi. 1942: Khan Bahadur Yousof Hossain Chaudhury, vice-president, District School Board, Faridpur.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 [The chieftains of Punjab] [The Gazette of Attock 1970]. 1943: Khan Bahadur Aziz al-Hasan Ghouri
Zoroastrian recipients Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani, director of the first Indian talkie picture Alam Ara. Khan Bahadur Sir Kavasji Katrak, Parsi businessman and philanthropist.
See also Dewan Bahadur Rai Bahadur Rai Sahib Title Badge (India)
References