Created by JzG
Last edited August 8, 2020

Before the Republic of India was established on 26 January 1950, all Indian subjects of the princely states and Indian rulers were entitled to substantive knighthoods (the Order of the Star of India and the Order of the Indian Empire). Those Indian rulers who received other British orders of knighthood were only considered honorary members of those orders.[citation needed]

The following is a partial list of honorary British knighthoods as given to Indian rulers and members of the ruling families up to 1947 (the Orders of the Star of India and the Indian Empire are considered substantive). Rulers of states that are presently part of Pakistan are included in this article. [citation needed]

The order moves from the most prestigious states (21-guns) to least prestigious (9-guns):

21-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Hyderabad

Mysore

Jammu and Kashmir

Gwalior

19-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Bhopal

  • Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum - GBE (1917)

Kolhapur

17-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Kotah

Bahawalpur (now Pakistan)

Bikaner

Cutch

Jodhpur

Patiala


15-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Dholpur

  • Udaybhanu Singh - KCVO (1922)

Dhar

  • Udajirao II - KCVO (1922), KBE (1917)

Idar

Rampur

Swat (now part of Pakistan)

  • Abdul Wadud - KBE (1930)

13-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Kapurthala

Nawanagar

Ratlam

  • Sajjan Singh - KCVO (1922)

Jaora

  • Muhammad Ifthikar Ali Khan Bahadur - GBE (1937)

Palanpur

  • Taley Muhammad Khan Bahadur - KCVO (1922)

Rajpipla

  • Vijaysinhji Chhatrasinhji - GBE (1945)

Tripura

  • Bir Bikram Kishore - GBE (1946)


11-gun salute[edit | edit source]

Assam

Hiralal Phukan -1917(A.D.)

Received Order of British India First Class in Delhi Durban.

Narendra Nath Phukan -1941

For fighting courageous in the Second World War. And, also received the Indian Recruiting Badge.

Morvi

  • Lakhdhiraji Waghji - GBE (1939)

Narsingarh

  • Jodhpuriji Shri Huzur Rani Bapu Shiv Kanwarji Sahiba, Rani of Narsingarh - DBE (1924)

The Aga Khan[edit | edit source]

As a religious head, the Aga Khan is not a monarch per se, but until 1947 merited a 13-gun salute

Political Pensioners[edit | edit source]

Those ruling families had lost ruling rights by the 20th century.

Murshidabad (entitled to a 19-gun personal salute)

Sources[edit | edit source]