Order of the Star of India

The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India
Insignia of a Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)
Awarded by
monarch of the United Kingdom
TypeOrder of chivalry
Established1861
MottoHeaven's Light Our Guide
Awarded forAt the monarch's pleasure
StatusLast appointment in 1947
Dormant order since 2009
FounderVictoria
SovereignCharles III
Grades
  • Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
  • Knight Commander (KCSI)
  • Companion (CSI)
Former gradesKnight Companion
Precedence
Next (higher)Order of the Bath
Next (lower)Order of St Michael and St George

Ribbon bar of the Star of India

The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:

  1. Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
  2. Knight Commander (KCSI)
  3. Companion (CSI)

No appointments have been made since the 1948 New Year Honours, shortly after the Partition of India in 1947. Following the death in 2009 of the last surviving knight, the Maharaja of Alwar, the order became dormant.

The motto of the order was "Heaven's Light Our Guide". The Star of India emblem, the insignia of order and the informal emblem of British India, was also used as the basis of a series of flags to represent the Indian Empire.

The order was the fifth most senior British order of chivalry, following the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle, Order of St Patrick and Order of the Bath. It is the senior order of chivalry associated with the British Raj; junior to it is the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, and there is also, for women only, the Imperial Order of the Crown of India.


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