Imperial Durbar of 1877

 It was in the midst of the pomp and show of Jalsah-i-qaisari, a massive imperial assemblage otherwise known in English as the Delhi Durbar, attended by approx. sixty-three Indian Maharajas, nawabs and other dignitaries along with Crown’s Viceroy of India, Robert Bulwer-Lytton, that the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire was formally embedded when the sovereign ruler of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen Victoria was bestowed upon the title by the British parliament and proclaimed as Qaisar-e-Hind, the Empress of India.

Artistic rendition of Delhi Durbar of 1877 

Background

Beginning in the mid-16^th century, the powerful Mughal dynasty ruled over most of the subcontinent. However, with the advent of Europeans on India’s shore, end of Aurangzeb’s rule and rise of regional states, the decline of dynasty heralded. Emergence of British East India Company as a political powerhouse was a significant blow to the existing political structures of the subcontinent. 

In 1857, a number of regiments of Indian soldiers employed in the Company’s armies initiated a rebellion and symbolically gathered around the elderly heir to the Mughal throne, the Sufi poet Bahadur Shah Zafar II (1775-1862). The event, known to the British records as a Mutiny and to the writings of later nationalists as the First War of Independence, failed to oust the British. 

Its failure had two significant impacts: first, British exiled the last Mughal emperor to Rangoon in British Burma where he passed away in 1862; second, the British Crown passed the Government of India Act of 1858, which disestablished the Company and gave the monarch direct imperial rule over India.

As a visual demonstration of British imperial rule, the Delhi Durbar was convened three times in the old Mughal capital of Delhi, first in 1877 and then again in 1903 and 1911. During the Mughal period, the Persian word ‘darbar’ referred to the audience convened before royalty and the hall in which the audience gathered. In British usage, the term stood for a huge public ceremony bringing together colonizer and colonized under the auspices of the British monarch. And the overriding purpose of Delhi Durbar of 1877 was the formal proclamation of Queen Victoria as Qaisar-i-Hind. The Urdu word qaisar derives from the Arabic approximation of the Latin caesar, which itself has been adopted widely in dozens of languages across Europe and the Middle East. In one relevant example, Queen Victoria’s own grandson, Wilhelm II assumed the title of German Kaiser, or Emperor, in 1888.

Why Delhi?

For the first Durbar, northwest part of Delhi had been much carefully chosen because it was a great plain and there was no residence of the people. British Government wanted to escape the dislodging of the people. Moreover, they didn’t want to take the chance of wrath of the people as they felt that if people were forcibly dislodged from their inhabited area then they may rise against the Government. Most important thing was that people did not show any objection to the Durbar, only few Bengali people showed resistance but it was a minor issue.

Photograph was taken by the well-known American commercial photographer John Edward Saché who had been working in India since 1864

It has been a perpetual question for the scholars that why did the British select Delhi for the Durbar ceremony? For this answer, we would have to scan historical, political, and geographical reasons behind it. After the revolt of 1857, Delhi had been unheeded by the British and it was merely a province of Punjab. Since the medieval age, no ruler could have claimed over India until he conquered Delhi. Rulers had been encountering enthralling rule over Delhi but after 1857 it had become an empty and powerless place. Mughals were eliminated from all over India and their person in command had become a feudatory of the British. Lord Lytton wanted to wipe away all memory of the Mughals from the heart and mind of native rulers, chiefs, and people. People were still living with that bad memory in which British had carried out massacres during the revolt of 1857. It might be that through the Durbar ceremony they wanted to put butter on their wounds so that folks forget those old bad memories. Apart from this, Lord Lytton also wanted to memorize the sacrifice of British heroes who lost their lives in the war of 1857.

Theme for the party

The theme of the first Durbar was motivated by the medievalism. All decoration, music and many other details alluded to the middle ages, or more accurately, to notion about the middle ages derived from England’s medieval revival and were appropriated. Initially, Lytton did not show any interest in Indian tradition because he considered that Durbar’s theme should be taken from Europe. But, reluctantly he adopted Indian medieval traditions in Durbar ceremony. For the music, European bands as well as Indian musicians were invited in Delhi. Indian music bands such as “Nagada” or “Naubat” did perform well in the procession. Even Lytton also could not avoid Indian tradition as he majestically rode the elephant through the gathering.

An event of importance

The Durbar of 1876 was a massive Government event which lasted about one week wherein all administrative machinery was involved at a large scale. Troops and police were called from every corner of the country for this occasion. The Durbar had its own theme wherein medieval concept of Indo-Saracenic style was reflected. Thomas Metcalf observes how it appeared that Government had made it the issue of its own prestige; they spent more than enough money on it.

Proclamation Durbar, 1877

 However, it was not easy to arrange everything in the proper manner but the government used all resource for the success of Durbar. Thousands of people were hired for the constructions of the roads, buildings, sanitation and health concerned work. Thousand were engaged in leveling the Durbar’s ground in last month of preperation. Artisans, musician, elephants, horses, and photographers were invited in Delhi for the Durbar. Invitations were sent to native rulers, foreign diplomats, representatives of many countries, local chiefs, all high British officers, and gentlemen etc. 

It was an effort to break the image of the Mughal tradition in the minds of the people but this purpose was, however, not fulfilled. In order to rectify the tarnished image, British government distributed medals, titles, ranks and banners as well as conferred old hereditary honor and rights of the native rulers. Through the Durbar ceremony, British formed a social pyramid wherein most loyal and prominent rulers were at the top.

Empress of India medal, commemorative medal of 1877 

Although Queen Victoria did not attend the Delhi Durbar of 1877, her proclamation address as India’s new sovereign was read aloud in English and Urdu to this unprecedented gathering of British and Indian subjects. Lord Lytton then explained the gracious intentions of Her Majesty in assuming the new title of Qaisar-i-Hind and asserted its permanency. In the proclamation address, Queen Victoria promised her Indian subjects that under her rule the principles of liberty, equity and justice would prevail. She wished and prayed for the well-being of her subjects and their health and happiness, which, she stated, was the most important thing in her heart. Above all she guaranteed them religious freedom, education, and civil and government jobs. They would be placed on equal terms with all other subjects of the British Crown. She advocated the British style of education for Indians, so they could qualify for high ranking government jobs. She also emphasized that she did not intend to annex the states of the Indian rulers. Lord Lytton’s speech was so moving that as soon as he ceased speaking all of the attendees stood up and cheered. Some of the Indian rulers prayed for the queen’s long life and everlasting peace and prosperity for her Empire in India and Britain.

Whole Durbar ceremony lasted about one week in which miscellaneous entertainments were organized. However, it is criticized as the extravagant amount spent in all the preparations could have been used for the already dying people in Bengal due to famine. 

Conclusion

The Delhi Durbar was held twice more in 1903 and 1911 to proclaim first King Edward VII and then King George V as Emperor of India. However, it was the 1903 Delhi Durbar presided over by Viceroy of India George Curzon that set the standard for truly dazzling imperial extravagance, part of which was the increased number of attendees and decorated elephants.

Lord and Lady Curzon arriving on the elephant, 1903

These Durbars had long term implications not only on the relationship of the native rulers and British royal household but also on the one between Indian people and British government. Few acts of these durbars even became highlights, like  remarkable technological advances (e.g., motorcars, films) taking place from event to event and the figure of the Maharaja of Baroda Sayaji Rao Gaekwar III, whose reported snubbing of King George during the Delhi Durbar of 1911 made headlines in the press.