Ashoka 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 |
| 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 Devanagari 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, 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.