HISTORY

HERALDRY

Ghazi ad-Din Rafa`at ad-Dowla

Jah Shah

Mohammed Wajed ‘Ali Shah

History

Awadh was a very fertile and prosperous province of northern India (modern Uttar Pradesh) with a very high density of population. The name Awadh is derived from the word Ayodhya, capital of Lord Rama, the legendary king and hero of the Ramayana epic. Awadh was an important province of the Mughal empire. In 1720, Saadat Khan, an adventurer and merchant was appointed as a Subhedar (Governor) by the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah. In 1732 his successor established a hereditary polity under Mughal sovereignty in Awadh. Gradually Awadh became an independent kingdom as the power of the Mughals diminished. The opulence in the courts of the Nawabs (kings of Awadh) and their prosperity were noticed by the British East India Company. This resulted in their direct interference in internal political matters of Awadh. In 1815, Marquis Hastings of the East India Company persuaded the then ruling Nawab to become an independent king which he did on 8 of October 1819.

English armies had defeated the Nawab of Awadh already in the battle of Buxor in 1764 and this started a long process of ceding territories, signing unfavourable treaties and eventually complete loss of power. Wajid Ali Shah was the last Nawab of Awadh. In 1856, his kingdom was annexed by Dalhousie, Governor General of the East India Company on the grounds of internal misrule. It was in Awadh where the first great revolt of Indian Independence started in 1857 AD.

The rulers of Awadh bore the title of Nawab. From 1819 they bore the title of Padshah-e Awadh, Shah-e Zaman.[1]

Heraldry

No emblems symbolizing the state, the ruler or the empire from the time of the early Nawabs of Awadh are known. On portraits of them they are sumptuously dressed in Indian styled attires with headdresses of different kinds.

As there seem not to be any pictures of the campaigns of the Nawabs against the British and other enemies, we also do not know anything about the standards and banners used and consequently nothing about the military symbolism, heraldry, of Awadh..

Royal symbols in the western sense of the word appeared in Awadh from the beginning of the nineteenth century. It seems that they were for a large part designed by a British artist called Robert Home, who was responsable for the design of the coronation robes in 1819. [2] He was thoroughly inspired by the European Empire style of the time. Nevertheless, the royal achievements incorporate many Indian and Buddhist symbols, put together in a way borrowed from European heraldry.

The achievement of Awadh in its most extended form, as illustrated above is:

Emblem: A katar point downwards between two matsya (fishes).

Supporters: Two tigers with banners.

Crown: A sun radiant, charged with an imperial crown and a triple necklace, upheld by two angels (dewa) with fans (morchhal).

Crest: A royal umbrella

Garland: An anchor per pale and a garland of flowers entwining a listel. [3]

Symbolism

The central symbol consists of twin fishes (matsya), a buddhist symbol meaning freedom from restraint and the life-giving properties of water. They also symbolize the Jamuna and the Indus, the main rivers of India.

In the context of Awadh they are the emblem of the mahi muratib = the Order of the Fish (“fish dignity” in Persian and Arabic), an honorary badge or dignity, shaped like a fish (supposedly Labeo rohita in Moghul India). Said to signify youth, bravery, perseverance and strength. Shaped like a a golden fish on a pole or as two golden fish hanging from a bow. Reputedly founded by Khusru Parviz, King of Persia (A.D. 591-628), and thence passed to the Moghul Emperors of Delhi and to the Court of Awadh.

The Kutar is the symbol of armed authority.

This emblem is supported by two tigers, each keeping a banner. This banner is forked and shows a golden fish on a red field. It is the symbol of the army. The tigers are symbols of a king (in Buddhist symbolism: - of wild animals), “worthy and courageous supreme commander of the army”. As a result, the Nawab of Awadh is represented here as having a rank equal to a Raja (king) and not to a Maharaja (high king) for which the insignia was a lion. The lion would fit the Padshah-e Awadh after 1819, as a Padshah was the Persian equivalent of Maharaja.

The Mughals’ tiara

The composed symbol upheld by two angels (dewas, hindu goddesses) is the symbol of the Mughal who was the suzerein of  the nawabs of Awadh. In the symbol the sun is the emblem of the Mughal Empire, the crown is the Imperial tiara and represents the Mughal himself. [4]

The angels generally symbolize the heavenly mandate of the ruler and thus legitimate his power (“By the Grace of God / Heaven”)

The necklace is the symbol of the exalted rank of the Mughal. A very old example of such a necklace can be seen on the throne of Tutankhamen (1334-‘25 BC) where it is the mark of distinction if the Viceroy of Numidia. Such necklaces were also worn by mediaeval Indian kings, often represented as gods. Always of precious stones or pearls, they were common amongst 19th century royalty of India.

The umbrella is the symbol of spiritual leadership, be it in this case, of the Mughal or of the nawab.

Yamin ad-Dowla Nazem al-Molk  Sa`adat `Ali Khan II Bahadur

1798-1814

At the beginning of the 19th century, in the time of Sa’adat Ali Khan II, the achievement was:

Emblem: A kutar per pale, point upwards between two fishes saliant.

Crown: The crown of the nawab

Supporters: Two tigers, each holding a pennon.

Tympanon above a door in Barowen Palace, 18th-19th c.

Detail from: Nawab Ghazi ud-din Haidar of Awadh entertaining Lord and Lady Moira.

Lucknow, c. 1814. (British Library)[10]

Ghazi ad-Din Rafa’at ad Dowla

1814-1827

The achievement was continued by his successors:

Medal of Nawab Ghazi-ud-din Haidar of Awadh.

Lucknow, c. 1818. Cast and struck gold. British Museum, donated by Henry van der Bergh.

The achievement can also be seen on a golden mohur, minted 1820. [11] It is:

Emblem: A lotus-flower surrounded by the twin fish matsya, in chief a katar per pale, point upwards.

Crown: A five-pointed crown.

Supporters: Two tigers with banners reguardant standing on a listel.

The lotus is, apart from the buddhist meaning,  the symbol of (enlightened) administration.

Naser ad-Dowla Amjad ‘Ali Thorayya (Jah Shah)

1842-1847

This crown is the central symbol of an emblem that appears on coins minted in the reign of Amjad Ali Shah. It is:

Emblem: A fish naiant to the sinister and the crown of Awadh in chief.

Crest: The royal umbrella of Awadh.

Garland: Two swords, points upwards.

This may have been the emblem of the Royal Army of Awadh.

Silver Rupee with emblem of the Royal Army of Awadh, 1842.  [12]

Mohammed Wajed ´Ali Shah

1847-1856

A last achievement of the Padshah’s of Awadh dates from the reign of Mohammad Wajed ‘Ali Shah. It can be found in a manuscript made for the king in which he is portrayed in his royal robes, wearing the royal crown and sitting on his throne. [13]

The royal achievement is:

Arms: An Indian shield with four knobs.

Crown: The royal crown of Awadh upheld by the

Supporters: Two winged mermaids with morchhals (fans) and royal pennons.

Crest: The Royal umbrella, topped by a bird.

Compartment: Two swords and a listel.

There is also a smaller version of these arms which might be called the ‘royal emblem’. This consists of a crowned vase (kulasa, dhana kumbha) and the umbrella.

The kulasa is the symbol of longevity and the fulfilment of higher aspirations.

We may notice that the twin fish (matsya) and the angels (dewa) have merged into the winged mermaids.

Coloured version of the royal achievement of Awadh.

On the frame of a photo of the begum, 1855ca.. [14]

Achievement of Awadh at the gate of the Mausoleum of the Nawabs of Oudh

at Sibtainabad Imambara, Matiaburj - Calcutta, India. (Wikipedia)