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Param Vir Chakra
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{{Template:India Honours and Decorations}}
The
Param Vir Chakra is an
Indian
military decoration given for
valour in combat operations. It is
India's highest military honor. The name is sometimes abbreviated as PVC.
It literally means 'Wheel of the Ultimate Brave' (Sanskrit: Param = Ultimate; Vir (Pronounced veer) = Brave; Chakra = Wheel). Equivalent awards in the United States are the
Medal of Honor and the
Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom.
Image:pvc.jpg left|thumbnail|Paramvir Chakra
The medal is made of
bronze.
The
Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is the highest gallantry award for officers and other enlisted personnel of all military branches of India for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy. It may be awarded
posthumously and, indeed, most of the awards have been posthumous.
Provision was made for the award of a bar for second (or subsequent) awards of the
Param Vir Chakra. To date, there have been no such awards. Award of the decoration carries with it the right to use P.V.C. as a postnominal abbreviation.
The award also carries a cash allowance for those under the rank of second
lieutenant (or the appropriate service equivalent) and, in some cases, a cash award. On the death of the recipient, the
pension is transferred to the widow until her death or remarriage. The paltry amount of the pension has been a rather controversial issue throughout the life of the decoration. By March
1999, the stipend stood at Rs. 1500 per month. In addition, many states have established individual pension rewards that far exceeds the central government's stipend for the recipients of the decoration.
The PVC was established on
26 January 1950, by the President of
India, with effect from
15 August,
1947, and presently it is the second highest award of the government of
India after
Bharat Ratna (amendment in the statute on
26 January 1980 resulted in this order of wearing).
Design
The medal was designed by Mrs. Savitri Khanolankar (born Eva Yuonne Linda Maday-de-Maros to a
Hungarians Hungarian father and
Russian mother) who was married to an Indian Army officer. By coincidence, the first Param Vir Chakra was awarded to her son-in-law's brother, Major Som Nath Sharma for his bravery in the
Kashmir operations in November
1947. He died while evicting Pakistani infiltrators and raiders from
Srinagar Airport. This was when
India and newly-formed
Pakistan had the first war over the Kashmir issue.
The medal is a circular
bronze disc with a 1-3/8
inch (approximately 3.5
centimetre) diameter. In the center, on a raised circle, the state emblem. Surrounding this, four replicas of Indra's
Vajra (the all-powerful mythic weapon on the ancient Vedic god of war). The decoration is suspended from a straight swiveling suspension bar. It is named on the edge.
On the rear, around a plain center, two legends separated by lotus flowers. The words
Param Vir Chakra are written in
Hindi and
English language English.
The decoration is suspended from a straight swiveling suspension bar.
The ribbon which holds the Param Vir Chakra is of 32 mm length and purple in colour. The award carries a cash allowance for those under the rank of second lieutenant (or the appropriate service equivalent) and, in some cases, a cash award. Subedar Major Bana Singh of the Eighth Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry was the only serving personnel of the Indian defence establishment with a Param Vir Chakra till the
Kargil operations.
The medal was designed to symbolise Rishi Dadhichi who donated his thigh bones to gods for making Vajra, and contains an image of Shivaji's sword Bhawani on the other side.
Decorated personnel
The
Param Vir Chakra has been awarded to:
{| class="wikitable"
! Number !! Name !! Regiment !! Date !! Place !! Notes
|-
| IC-- 521 ||
Major Som Nath Sharma .html">Kumaon Regiment
| November 3,
1947 ||
Badgam,
Kashmir || Posthumous
|-
| IC-22356 ||
Lance Naik Karham Singh M M .html">Sikh Regiment
| October 13,
1948 ||
Tithwal,
Kashmir ||
|-
| SS-14246 ||
Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane .html">Indian Corps of Engineers
Corps of Engineers ||
April 8,
1948 ||
Naushera,
Kashmir ||
|-
| 27373 ||
Naik Jadu Nath Singh .html">Rajput Regiment
| February 1948 ||
Naushera,
Kashmir || Posthumous
|-
| 2831592 ||
Company Havildar Major Piru Singh .html">Rajputana Rifles
| July 17/18,
1948 ||
Tithwal,
Kashmir || Posthumous
|-
| IC-8497 ||
Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria .html">1st Gurkha Rifles
1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) ||
December 5,
1961 .html">Elizabethville,
Katanga,
Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo.html"_title="Meaning of Congo">Congo || Posthumous
|-
| IC-7990 ||
Major Dhan Singh Thapa .html">8th Gurkha Rifles
8th Gorkha Rifles ||
October 20,
1962 ||
Ladakh,
India ||
|-
| JC-4547 ||
Subedar Joginder Singh .html">Sikh Regiment
| October 23,
1962 ||
Tongpen La,
Northeast Frontier Agency,
India || Posthumous
|-
| ||
Major Shaitan Singh .html">Kumaon Regiment
| November 18,
1962 ||
Rezang La || Posthumous
|-
| 2639885 ||
Company Havildar Major Company Havildar Major Abdul Hamid Abdul Hamid || 4th Battalion,
Bombay Grenadiers The Grenadiers ||
September 10,
1965 ||
Chima,
Khem Karan Sector || Posthumous
|-
| IC-5565 ||
Lieutenant-Colonel Ardeshir Tarapore Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore ||
Poona Horse 17th Poona Horse ||
October 15,
1965 ||
Phillora,
Sialkot Sector,
Pakistan || Posthumous
|-
| 4239746 ||
Lance Naik Albert Ekka .html">Brigade of the Guards
| December 3,
1971 ||
Gangasagar || Posthumous
|-
| 10877 (P) ||
Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon .html">Indian Air Force
| December 14,
1971 ||
Srinagar,
Kashmir || Posthumous
|-
| IC-25067 ||
Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal 2/Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal ||
Poona Horse 17th Poona Horse ||
December 16,
1971 ||
Jarpal,
Shakargarh Sector || Posthumous
|-
| IC-14608 ||
Major Hoshiar Singh .html">Bombay Grenadiers
The Grenadiers ||
December 17,
1971 ||
Basantar River,
Shakargarh Sector ||
|-
| ||
Naib Subedar Bana Singh .html">Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry
| June 23,
1987 ||
Siachen Glacier,
Jammu and Kashmir ||
|-
| ||
Major Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran .html">Mahar Regiment
| November 25,
1987 ||
Sri Lanka || Posthumous
|-
| IC-57556 ||
Captain Vikram Batra .html">Jammu and Kashmir Rifles
| July 6,
1999 || || Posthumous
|-
| IC-56959 ||
Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey .html">11th Gorkha Rifles
| July 3,
1999 ||
Khaluber/Juber Top,
Batalik sector,
Kargil area,
Jammu and Kashmir || Posthumous
|-
| 2690572 ||
Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav .html">Bombay Grenadiers
The Grenadiers ||
July 4,
1999 ||
Tiger Hill,
Kargil area ||
|-
| ||
Rifleman Sanjay Kumar (soldier) Sanjay Kumar || 13th Battalion,
Jammu and Kashmir Rifles ||
July 5,
1999 || ||
|}
Incidentally, both Major Sharma (The first recipient) and Captain Batra belong to the same village, Palampur, in India's
Himachal Pradesh state.
Category:Military of India Param Vir Chakra
Category:India Honours System
Category:Military decorations
Category:Param Vir Chakra
Image:Pvc.jpg thumb|100px|right|Param Vir Chakra
Category of '''People honoured with Param Vir Chakra'''
''Main Article:
Param Vir Chakra''
The
Param Vir Chakra is an
Indian
military decoration given for
valour in combat operations. It is
India's highest military honor. The name is sometimes abbreviated as PVC.
It literally means 'Wheel (or Cross) of the Ultimate Brave' (Sanskrit: Param, Ultimate; Vir (Pronounced veer), Brave; Chakra, Wheel, or its western equivalent, Cross). Equivalent awards in the United States are the
Medal of Honor and the
Victoria Cross in the United Kingdom.
Category:Indian military personnel
Category:Awards and decorations of the military of India
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