Ashoka Chakra (military decoration) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ashoka Chakra |
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Ashoka Chakra and its ribbon
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| Awarded for | India's highest peacetime military decoration |
| Presented by | Government of India |
| Country | India |
The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest award for bravery during peacetime. It is like the Param Vir Chakra, but given for courage when there is no war. This special award honors "the most amazing bravery or a very daring act of courage or self-sacrifice." Both military people and regular citizens can receive it from the Government of India.
The medal is round and has the Ashoka Chakra symbol on it. This symbol is surrounded by a beautiful lotus flower design. On the back, it says "Ashoka Chakra" in both Hindi (Devanagari script) and English. The medal hangs from a green ribbon with a saffron stripe in the middle.
As of 2025, 86 people have received this award. Sixty-eight of these awards were given after the person had passed away. Seventeen awards went to civilians. Havildar Bachittar Singh from the Indian Army was the first person to get the award in 1952. D. K. Jatar, an Air India pilot, was the first civilian to receive it in 1955. Only two women have been honored with the Ashoka Chakra: flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001. Two people from other countries, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev, received the award in 1984. The last person to receive the award was Babu Ram of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2021.
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What is the Ashoka Chakra?
The Ashoka Chakra medal was first created on January 4, 1952. It was called "Ashoka Chakra, Class I" back then. This award was meant to recognize brave acts that happened from August 15, 1947, onwards. It was the highest of three bravery awards created at that time.
In January 1967, the award was simply renamed "Ashok Chakra." The other two awards were also renamed Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. These awards are given out twice a year. This happens during India's Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. Even though the Ashoka Chakra is ranked below the Param Vir Chakra, it is seen as its equal for peacetime bravery. Along with the medal, recipients also get a monthly payment of ₹2,800 (US$48).
Who Can Receive the Award?
The Ashoka Chakra can be given to all officers and soldiers in the Indian Armed Forces. This includes the Indian Army, Indian Airforce, and Indian Navy. Members of the Indian Territorial Army and reserve forces can also receive it. Even nursing staff in the armed forces are eligible for this honor.
Police officers, including those from the Central Armed Police Forces and the Railway Protection Force, can also be awarded. The award can also go to any civilian if the Government of India decides they deserve it. It is given for "the most amazing bravery or a very daring act of courage or self-sacrifice" when there is no war happening.
How the Medal Looks
The medal is round and measures about 1.375 inches across. It has raised edges and is made of gold-colored metal. On the front, it shows a copy of the Ashok Chakra symbol. This symbol is surrounded by a wreath of sacred lotus flowers.
On the back, the words "Ashok Chakra" are written. They appear in Hindi (Devanagari script) at the top and in English at the bottom. Small lotus flowers separate these words on each side. The medal hangs from a straight bar on a green ribbon. This ribbon has a saffron stripe right in the middle. If someone receives the award more than once, extra bars are added to the ribbon.
Brave People Who Received It
As of 2024, 86 people have been given the Ashoka Chakra medal. Sixty-eight of these awards were given after the person had passed away. Havildar Bachittar Singh of the Indian Army was the first to receive it. He was honored for his actions in Operation Polo in 1948.
Flight lieutenant Suhas Biswas was the first person from the Indian Air Force to get the award in 1953. Flight captain D. K. Jatar was the pilot of the Air India flight 300 that was bombed. He was the first civilian to receive the award in 1955.
Only two women have ever received the Ashoka Chakra. They are flight attendant Neerja Bhanot in 1987 and police constable Kamlesh Kumari in 2001. They were honored for their bravery during the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, respectively.
Two people who were not Indian, cosmonauts Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Malyshev, received the award in 1984. This was for their Soyuz T-11 space mission, which also included Rakesh Sharma. Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to travel to space. Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri was the youngest person to receive the award. He was 20 years old when he bravely lost his life in operations against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair is the only person to have received both the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra. These are India's two highest peacetime honors.
| † | Means the award was given after the person passed away |
| ^ | Means the person was not from India |
| Year | Recipient | Rank | Entity | Action |
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| 1952 | Bachittar Singh† | Havildar | Indian Army | Operation Polo |
| 1952 | Narbahadur Thapa | Naik | Indian Army | Operation Polo |
| 1953 | Suhas Biswas | Flight Lieutenant | Indian Air Force | Stricken flight landing |
| 1955 | D. K. Jatar† | Flight Captain | Air India | Kashmir Princess bombing |
| 1956 | Sundar Singh | Lance Naik | Indian Army | Kashmir conflict |
| 1957 | Jagannath Raoji Chitnis† | Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1957 | Joginder Singh† | Havildar | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1957 | Pollur Mutthuswamy Raman† | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1958 | Eric James Tucker† | Captain | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1962 | Khadka Bahadur Limbu† | Subedar Major | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1962 | Man Bahadur Rai | Captain | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1965 | Chaman Lal† | Firefighter | Train fire | |
| 1965 | Lajja Ram† | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1965 | Purshottam† | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1965 | Tej Singh† | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1967 | Shankar Lal Shrivastava† | Head Constable | Madhya Pradesh Police | Dacoit attack |
| 1968 | Takhat Singh† | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1968 | Dhanpat Singh | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1968 | Govind Singh | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1968 | Hukum Singh | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1968 | Lakhan Singh | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1969 | Jas Ram Singh | Captain | Indian Army | Mizo insurgency |
| 1971 | Baij Nath Singh† | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1972 | Bhure Lal | Constable | Madhya Pradesh Police | Dacoit attack |
| 1972 | Ummed Singh Mahra† | Captain | Indian Army | Nagaland insurgency |
| 1974 | Gurnam Singh† | Naib Subedar | Indian Army | Mine explosion |
| 1974 | Munni Lal | Civilian | Dacoit attack | |
| 1981 | Cyrus Addie Pithawalla | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | Manipur insurgency |
| 1984 | Gennadi Strekalov^ | Flight Engineer | Roscosmos | Soyuz T-11 |
| 1984 | Yury Malyshev^ | Colonel | Soviet Air Forces | Soyuz T-11 |
| 1985 | Bhawani Datt Joshi† | Naik | Indian Army | Operation Blue Star |
| 1985 | Bhukant Mishra† | Major | Indian Army | Operation Blue Star |
| 1985 | Chhering Mutup | Lance Havildar | Indian Army | Siachen conflict |
| 1985 | Jasbir Singh Raina | Captain | Indian Army | Operation Blue Star |
| 1985 | Nirbhay Singh Sisodiya† | Naik | Indian Army | Operation Blue Star |
| 1985 | Ram Prakash Roperia† | Lieutenant | Indian Army | Operation Blue Star |
| 1985 | Rakesh Sharma | Wing Commander | Indian Air Force | Soyuz T-11 |
| 1986 | Vijay Jagirdar† | Civilian | 1984 anti-Sikh riots | |
| 1987 | Neerja Bhanot† | Pan Am | Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking | |
| 1991 | Randhir Prasad Verma† | Superintendent of Police | Bihar Police | Bank robbery |
| 1992 | Sandeep Sankhla† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1993 | Rakesh Singh Malhan† | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1994 | Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair† | Colonel | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1995 | Harsh Uday Singh Gaur† | Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1995 | Rajiv Kumar Joon† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1995 | Sujjan Singh Yadav† | Subedar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1996 | Arun Singh Jasrotia† | Captain | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1997 | Puneet Nath Datt† | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 1997 | Shanti Swaroop Rana† | Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2000 | Sudhir Kumar Walia† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2001 | Jagdish Prasad Yadav† | Rajya Sabha secretariat | 2001 Indian Parliament attack | |
| 2001 | Matbar Singh Negi† | Rajya Sabha secretariat | 2001 Indian Parliament attack | |
| 2001 | Kamlesh Kumari Yadav† | Constable | Central Reserve Police Force | 2001 Indian Parliament attack |
| 2002 | Surinder Singh† | Subedar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2002 | Rambeer Singh Tomar† | Naik | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2003 | Suresh Chand Yadav† | Subedar Major | National Security Guard | Akshardham Temple attack |
| 2004 | Sanjog Chhetri† | Paratrooper | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2004 | Triveni Singh† | Lieutenant | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2007 | Chuni Lal† | Naib Subedar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2007 | Radhakrishnan Nair Harshan† | Captain | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2007 | Vasanth Venugopal† | Colonel | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2008 | Dinesh Raghu Raman† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2009 | Ashok Kamte† | Additional Commissioner | Maharashtra Police | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2009 | Bahadur Singh Bohra† | Havildar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2009 | Gajender Singh Bisht† | Havildar | National Security Guard | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2009 | Hemant Karkare† | Joint Commissioner | Maharashtra Police | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2009 | Jojan Thomas† | Colonel | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2009 | Mohan Chand Sharma† | Inspector | Delhi Police | Batla House encounter |
| 2009 | Pramod Kumar Satapathy† | Assistant Commandant of Police | Odisha Police | Naxalite–Maoist insurgency |
| 2009 | R. P. Diengdoh† | Deputy Superintendent | Meghalaya Police | Meghalaya Insurgency |
| 2009 | Sandeep Unnikrishnan† | Major | National Security Guard | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2009 | Tukaram Omble† | Assistant Sub-Inspector | Maharashtra Police | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2009 | Vijay Salaskar† | Inspector | Maharashtra Police | 2008 Mumbai attacks |
| 2010 | D. Sreeram Kumar | Major | Indian Army | Manipur insurgency |
| 2010 | Mohit Sharma† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2010 | Rajesh Kumar† | Havildar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2011 | Laishram Jyotin Singh† | Major | Indian Army | February 2010 Kabul attack |
| 2012 | Navdeep Singh† | Lieutenant | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2014 | Mukund Varadarajan† | Major | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2014 | Neeraj Kumar Singh† | Naik | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2014 | K. Prasad Babu† | Sub-Inspector | Andhra Pradesh Police | Naxalite–Maoist insurgency |
| 2016 | Mohan Nath Goswami† | Lance Naik | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2017 | Hangpan Dada† | Havildar | Indian Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2018 | Jyoti Prakash Nirala† | Corporal | Indian Air Force | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2019 | Nazir Ahmad Wani† | Lance Naik | Territorial Army | Kashmir insurgency |
| 2021 | Babu Ram† | Assistant Sub-Inspector | Jammu and Kashmir Police | Kashmir insurgency |
Award Statistics
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Interesting Facts About Ashoka Chakra Recipients
- Havildar Bachittar Singh and Naik Nar Bahadur Thapa were the first people to receive the Ashoka Chakra.
- Flight Lieutenant Suhas Biswas was the first person from the Indian Air Force to get the Ashoka Chakra.
- Paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri was the youngest person to receive the Ashoka Chakra. He was only 20 years old when he was honored after his death.
- Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair received both the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra.
- Damodar Kashinath Jatar, a pilot, was the first ordinary citizen to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
- Colonel Yury Malyshev and Flight Engineer Gennadi Strekalov from Russia were the first non-Indians to receive the Ashoka Chakra. Both were astronauts.
- Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma is the first Indian astronaut to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
- Neerja Bhanot, a flight attendant, was the first woman to receive the Ashoka Chakra.
- Kamlesh Kumari Yadav, a police constable, was the first person from the CRPF to receive the Ashoka Chakra.
- Bhure Lal, a police constable, was the first state policeman to be awarded the Ashoka Chakra.
See Also
- List of highest military decorations by country
