Flag of India the Ashoka Chakra representing the eternal wheel of law. The philosopher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who later became India's first Vice President and second President, clarified the adopted flag and described its significance as follows: A number of flags with varying designs were used in the period preceding the Indian Independence Movement by the rulers of different princely states; the idea of a single Indian flag was first raised by the British rulers of India after the rebellion of 1857, which resulted in the establishment of direct imperial rule. The first flag, whose design was based on western heraldic standards, were similar
Military history of India at the Bharatpur ammunition depot. Another fire at the Pathankot sub-depot resulted in loss of ammo worth . On 24 May 2001, another blaze at the Birdhwal sub-depot destroyed ammunition worth . India's highest awards for military conduct in a time of war are, in descending order, the Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, and Vir Chakra. The peacetime equivalents are respectively the Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra. The latter two awards were formerly known as "Ashoka Chakra, Class II" and "Ashoka Chakra, Class III" respectively. The peacetime awards have occasionally been bestowed on civilians. For meritorious service,