Which 1915 honor did the British government give Mahatma Gandhi after his return from South Africa?

The British government gave Mahatma Gandhi the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal in 1915.

Gandhi received the medal for his public service in South Africa and his assistance with the Indian Ambulance Corps during the First World War. The award was one of the honors granted by the British administration to recognize civilian service in the empire.

Gandhi later returned the medal in 1920 as part of his opposition to British rule and his support for the Non-Cooperation Movement. His decision symbolized a major change in his relationship with the colonial government.

The medal is sometimes confused with British military decorations or imperial orders. Kaiser-i-Hind was specifically a civilian medal, and Gandhi’s return of it became more politically significant than the original award.