Indian History has been witnessing various regimes and reins of numerous rulers. Some of the Indian Rulers were independent, while some were given additional powers by a strong invader.
From time to time these rulers, kings, prince have been given various titles (identifiers) that not only gave them a special reputation but also made evident the force in power as every Ruling Power wanted to have their own lineage of titles and Princely status.
Titles like Maharaja, Raja, Nawab, Wali were very common between Indian Rulers. Among the Hindu rulers’ titles like Rana, Rawat, Sar Desai, Thakur etc were used to denote prestigious positions.
Among all these titles the most prestigious were the ones prefixed with Maha (Meaning “Great”), For example, Maharana, Maharaja, Maharao etc. Similarly, addition of Bahadur also raised the level of title holder.
Along with the Kings, their respective wives (Queens) were also given special titles and status for example, Maharani, Begum, Rajmata (Widow of a King) etc.
Apart form these single titles there were Compound Titles as well, which were made for special honorary positions in administration by clubbing two or more preliminary titles, for Example; Maharajadhiraj.
Adoption of these titles also varied between different cultures and religions. For example, the Muslim Rulers used the titles like Nawab, Wali, Nizam, Jam, Mehtar etc.
Thus, the inception of these titles threw a great light on the prevailing culture in history. These titles were later abolished according to a Charter Act, but continued to be respected till date.
Following is the list of some most common and widely used titles (Primary) during various reigns in Indian History.
Title of Ruler When/WhereNizam Hyderabad
Maharaja(m) / Maharani (f) Across India especially for Hindu Rulers
Nawab (m)/ Begum(f) Mughals
Sawbwa Hsipaw (Thibaw), Kengtung, Mongnai
Jam Las Bela
Khan or Wali Kalat
Sultan During Islamic Rule
Badishah-e-Hind King of India
Rajmata Widow of Maharaja
Maharawal (Dungarpur/Jaisalmer)
Maharawat Pratapgarh
Raja Bangalore
Maharana Udaipur
Maharao Kota, Bundi
(Maha)rajadhiraj During Kushan Dynasty
Maharaol Baria
Padeshah/ Badshah During Persian reign
Rana Rajput Kings in South Asia
Mehtar Ancient area of Pakistan in princely state of Chitral
Thakur Kshatriya Rajputs, Bihar
Rao Bengal
Rawat Rajasthan, Rajput Kings
Rawal Jaisalmer
Varman/ Burman/Dewan Rulers in princely states of India and South East Asia
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