11.5cm (4.5in) x 9cm (3.5in)
Bronze. Court official’s chapras, or badge of office, engraved in English, Urdu and Hindi ’Holkar’s Court / 1880 / Maharaja Bahadur / Holkar Dynasty / Court Official’s Badge. The reverse fitted with single hook and two fastening studs.
The House of Holkar rose to prominence under Maratha Empire that displaced Mughal dominance in India. When the Maratha Confederacy began to weaken, the Holkars declared themselves autonomous rulers of Indore state until humbled by East India Company troops led by Sir John Malcolm at the decisive Battle of Mahidpur (Mehidpoor) on 21 December 1817. A British residency was established at Indore, but through the work of Dewan Tatya Jog, the Holkars maintained their right to rule princely state. The Maharaja of Indore contemporaneous with the present badge, Tukojirao Holkar II (1835–1886) remained loyal to the East India Company during the Great Mutiny of 1857.