Important Indian Military Awards and Honours

The Indian military awards system recognizes bravery, self-sacrifice, distinguished service, and long service of exceptional quality. These awards are broadly divided into gallantry awards and distinguished service decorations.

Classification of Indian Military Awards

• Gallantry Awards: Recognize specific acts of bravery and valor. These are further divided into wartime and peacetime gallantry awards.
• Distinguished Service Awards: Recognize exceptional devotion to duty and long-standing service of a high order.

Wartime Gallantry Awards

These decorations are awarded for conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy. The first three wartime gallantry awards were instituted by the President of India on 26 January 1950 with retrospective effect from 15 August 1947.

Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

• Highest wartime military decoration in India.
• The name means the Wheel of the Ultimate Brave.
• Recognizes rare bravery, self-sacrifice, and conspicuous courage in the face of the enemy.
• The medal is made of bronze and has four replicas of Indra’s Vajra around the national emblem.
• Designed by Savitri Khanolkar.
• Major Somnath Sharma of the Kumaon Regiment was the first recipient, awarded posthumously for the 1947 Indo-Pak conflict.

Only 21 people have received the Param Vir Chakra, and 14 of them were awarded it posthumously.

Maha Vir Chakra (MVC)

• Second-highest wartime gallantry award.
• The name means the Great Hero Wheel.
• Awarded for conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on land, at sea, or in the air.
• The medal is made of standard silver and features a five-pointed heraldic star in the center.
• Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath was the first officer to receive the award twice, earning a bar to the medal.

Vir Chakra (VrC)

• Third-highest wartime gallantry award.
• Awarded for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy.
• The medal is made of standard silver and contains a five-pointed star with a wheel in the center.
• The award can be conferred posthumously.

Peacetime Gallantry Awards

These decorations recognize bravery, courage, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. They were instituted on 4 January 1952 as Ashoka Chakra Class I, II, and III and were renamed in 1967.

Ashoka Chakra (AC)

• Highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The peacetime equivalent of the Param Vir Chakra.
• Awarded for most conspicuous bravery, daring action, or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.
• Civilians are also eligible for this award.
• The medal is made of gold-gilt and has a replica of Ashoka’s Chakra in the center.
• Havildar Bachittar Singh and Naik Narbahadur Thapa were the first military recipients in 1952.

Kirti Chakra (KC)

• Second-highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra.
• Awarded for conspicuous gallantry away from the enemy.
• The medal is made of standard silver.
• Military personnel and civilians are eligible.

Shaurya Chakra (SC)

• Third-highest peacetime gallantry award.
• The peacetime equivalent of the Vir Chakra.
• Awarded for gallantry away from the battlefield.
• The medal is made of bronze.

Comparison of Gallantry Awards

Distinguished Service Decorations

These decorations recognize outstanding service, devotion to duty, and administrative excellence within the armed forces. They are divided according to wartime and peacetime service.

Yudh Seva Medal Series

The government instituted these awards in 1980 to recognize distinguished service of a high order during wartime operations, counter-insurgency operations, or active hostilities.

• Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal (SYSM): Highest wartime distinguished service decoration.
• Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM): Second-highest wartime distinguished service decoration.
• Yudh Seva Medal (YSM): Third-highest wartime distinguished service decoration.

Vishisht Seva Medal Series

• Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM): Recognizes peacetime service of the most exceptional order.
• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM): Recognizes peacetime service of an exceptional order.
• Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM): Recognizes peacetime service of a high order.

Branch-Specific Service Medals

• Sena Medal (SM): Awarded to personnel of the Indian Army.
• Nao Sena Medal (NM): Awarded to personnel of the Indian Navy.
• Vayu Sena Medal (VM): Awarded to personnel of the Indian Air Force.

Order of Precedence of Military Awards

1. Param Vir Chakra
2. Ashoka Chakra
3. Maha Vir Chakra
4. Kirti Chakra
5. Vir Chakra
6. Shaurya Chakra
7. Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal
8. Param Vishisht Seva Medal
9. Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
10. Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Important Facts and Trivia

• Savitri Khanolkar: The designer of the Param Vir Chakra was of Swiss-Hungarian origin and studied Indian culture and scriptures deeply for inspiration.
• Indra’s Vajra symbolism: The four vajras on the PVC represent the sacrifice of Sage Dadhichi, who gave up his bones to make a weapon for the gods.
• Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon: He remains the only member of the Indian Air Force to receive the Param Vir Chakra, awarded posthumously for defending Srinagar airfield in the 1971 war.
• Bana Singh: He is among the few living recipients of the Param Vir Chakra and was awarded for capturing a peak on the Siachen Glacier in 1987, later named Bana Top.
• Eligibility: Civilians, police personnel, and central paramilitary forces are eligible only for peacetime gallantry awards, not wartime gallantry awards.
• Presentation: These awards are presented annually by the President of India at the Defence Investiture Ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Recent Context

Air Marshal KAA Sanjeeb assumed charge as Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance of the Indian Air Force on 1 September 2026. He succeeded Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia, who superannuated after 39 years of service.

Rare Facts for Prelims

• IAF founding date: The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932.
• First IAF PVC recipient: Major Somnath Sharma was the first Param Vir Chakra awardee from the Indian Army and the first ever recipient of the PVC.
• Award announcements: Gallantry awards are announced twice a year, on Republic Day and Independence Day.
• Overall precedence: The Param Vir Chakra ranks second only to the Bharat Ratna among all Indian awards and decorations.
• Ashoka Chakra rank: The Ashoka Chakra holds the third position in the overall order of precedence.
• Air Marshal Sanjeeb: He was commissioned into the Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical Branch) of the IAF on 3 September 1988 and later received the VSM in 2015 and AVSM in 2026.