By R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana

The coronation of the King Emperor His Majesty George V and Queen Empress Mary was celebrated at Delhi on 12 December 1911 and in response to the invitation of the Viceroy Lord Hardinge, the Maharaja was present at the Imperial Durbar held there. H.H. was accompanied by the Yuvaraja and by the principal officers and Sirdars of the State as well as a few leading non-official gentlemen. The great event was also celebrated throughout the State in a manner befitting the occasion.

—Excerpt from Chapter XXVIII, Accession to the throne of George V Coronation Durbar at Delhi, ‘Mysore Modern’ by M. Shama Rao.

The actual coronation was held at London on 22nd June 1911 and the function at Delhi is referred as the Imperial Durbar. To mark the event, a presentation of colours to various military battalions/ regiments was held which included the Mysore and Seringapatam regiments which saw action in various conflict zones under the Imperial service troupe’s banner. Delhi Durbar medal of 1911 in gold was presented to two hundred ruling chiefs and 26,800 silver medals were minted for civil dignitaries, government officers and most importantly, officers of the British and Indian armies.

This black and white photograph from the above event shows H.H. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV Bahadur seated along with an unidentified military officer to his left and two gentlemen facing him in a horse drawn carriage, a cavalry regiment of the Mysore Lancers follows the Maharaja departing from the Delhi Gate of Red Fort after the end of the ceremony.

[Photograph: The official directory with maps, Coronation Durbar Delhi 1911. Superintendent, Govt. Printing, Calcutta, India.

Images of medal: Wikimedia Commons.]