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DeutschAshoka Chakra (military decoration)
| Ashoka Chakra | |
|---|---|
  Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon | |
| Type | Medal |
| Awarded for | Most conspicuous bravery, or some act of daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice |
| Description | India's highest peacetime military decoration |
| Country | India |
| Presented by | Government of India |
| Eligibility |
|
| Post-nominals | AC |
| Status | active |
| Established | 1952 |
| First award | 1952 |
| Final award | 2021 |
| Total awarded posthumously | 68 |
| Total recipients | 86 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) |  Bharat Ratna |
| Equivalent |  Param Vir Chakra[a] |
| Next (lower) |  Padma Vibhushan |
The Ashoka Chakra (lit. 'Wheel of Ashoka') is India's highest peacetime military decoration. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice". The decoration may be awarded either to military personnel or civilians by the Government of India.
The circular medal consists of Ashoka Chakra surrounded by a lotus wreath on the front. The obverse consists of "Ashoka Chakra" written in Devanagiri along the upper edge on the medal and in English along the lower rim. It is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe.
As of 2025[update], there have been 86 recipients of the award. Of these, 68 have been posthumous recipients, and 17 have been civilians. Havildar Bachittar Singh of the Indian Army was the first recipient of the award in 1952. D. K. Jatar, a pilot of Air India's Kashmir Princess was the first civilian recipient of the award in 1955. Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001. Two non-Indians, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev were given the award in 1984. Babu Ram of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was the last recipient of the award in 2021.
Description
[edit]The medal was originally established on 4 January 1952 as the "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" by the President of India deemed to have been in effect from 15 August 1947.[1] It was the highest class of the three gallantry awards established at the time.[2] In January 1967, the award was renamed as Ashok Chakra with the other two classes renamed as Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra respectively.[1][2] The awards are given out twice a year– during the republic day and independence day.[2] Though the Ashok Chakra is placed below the Param Vir Chakra in the order of precedence,[2] it is considered to be the peace time equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.[1] The award includes a medal, and a monthly stipend of ₹2,800 (US$33).[1][3]
Eligibility
[edit]The Ashok Chakra can be awarded to all enlisted officers of the Indian Armed Forces including the Indian Army, Indian Airforce, and Indian Navy, the Indian Territorial Army, reserve personnel, and any other legally constituted armed force. Nursing members of the armed forces are also eligible for the award. Police personnel including the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Railway Protection Force are also eligible for the award. The award can also be given to any civilian at the discretion of the Government of India.[1][3] It is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" during times other than war.[1][3]
Design
[edit]The medal is circular with a diameter of 1.375 in (34.9 mm). It has prominent rims and is made of gold gilding. On the front side, it has a replica of the Ashok Chakra surrounded by a wreath of sacred lotus. In the reverse, the words "Ashok Chakra" are embossed in Devanagri on the top and English towards the bottom edge. These are separated by a lotus flowers on either side. The medal is suspended by a straight bar suspender from a green ribbon with a central saffron stripe. If a recipient receives subsequent such awards, more bars are added to the ribbon by which the medal is suspended.[3]
Recipients
[edit]As of 2024[update], the medal has been awarded to 86 awardees, of which 68 were to posthumous recipients.[4] Havildar Bachittar Singh of the Indian Army was the first recipient of the award for his part in the Operation Polo in 1948.[5] Flight lieutenant Suhas Biswas was the first member of the Indian Air Force to be commemorated with the award in 1953.[6] Flight captain D. K. Jatar, who was the pilot of the bombed Air India flight 300, was the first civilian recipient of the award in 1955.[7] Only two women have ever been awarded the Ashok Chakra, flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001 for their actions during the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 and 2001 Indian Parliament attack respectively.[8]
Two non-Indians, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev were given the award in 1984 for their Soyuz T-11 mission which also carried Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to space.[6] Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri was the youngest awardee at 20 years of age, when he was killed in the counter terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir.[9][10] Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair was the only recipient of both the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra, the two highest peacetime honours.[11]
| † | Indicates posthumous honour |
| ^ | Indicates non-Indian recipient |
Summary
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See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Though the Ashoka Chakra is placed below the Param Vir Chakra in the precedence, it is considered as a peacetime equivalent of Param Vir Chakra.
- ^ Refers to the rank held by the recipient at the time of award.
- ^ Refers to the conflict or event for which the Ashoka Chakra was awarded.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Ashok Chakra" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Gallantry Awards" (PDF). Government of India. p. 1. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Ashoka Chakra". Indian Air Force. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Awardees". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Bachittar Singh: the soldier who won India's first Ashoka Chakra for action on Sept 13, 1948". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Ashok Chakra". Bharat Rakshak. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Air India plane crashes in botched assassination bid". The Hindustan Times. 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Women Awardees Of Ashok Chakra In India". She the people. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Sanjog Chhetri". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Sikkim Youth Achieves Top Rank in National Defence Academy Examination". North East News. 13 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair". Government of India. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Rashmi Aggarwal (2021). Ashoka Chakra Recipients. Prabhat Prakashan. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Chakravorty, B.C. (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. New Delhi: Allied Publishers. ISBN 978-8-17023-516-3.
External links
[edit]- Ashoka Chakra awardees of the Indian Air Force. Archived 20 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
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