Maha Vir Chakra

Maha Vir Chakra
File:Maha vir chakra.gif Maha Vir Chakra
Awarded by India
Type	Medal
Eligibility	Military personnel only
Awarded for	"... acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy on land, at sea or in the air."
Status	Currently awarded
Statistics
Established	26 January 1950
Precedence
Next (higher)	Param Vir Chakra
Next (lower)	Vir Chakra

The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) (Maha Vir = "great warrior") is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The medal may be awarded posthumously.

Appearance

The medal is made of standard silver and is circular in shape. Embossed on the obverse is a five pointed heraldic star with circular center-piece bearing the gilded state emblem of India in the center. The words "Mahavira Chakra" are embossed in Devanagari and English on the reverse with two lotus flowers in the middle. The decoration is worn on the left chest with a half-white and half-orange riband about 3.2 cm in width, the orange being near the left shoulder.

History

More than 155 acts of bravery and selfless courage have been recognized since the inception of the medal. The most MVCs awarded in a single conflict was in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, when eleven were given to the Indian Air Force.

Provision was made for the award of a bar for a second award of the Maha Vir Chakra, the first two being awarded in 1965. To date, there are six known awards of a first bar: Wing Commander Jag Mohan Nath (1962 and 1 September 1965), Major General Rajindar Singh (19 March 1948 and 6 September 1965), General Arun Shridhar Vaidya (16 September 1965 and 5 December 1971), Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam (6 September 1965 and 5 December 1971 [posthumous]), Colonel Chewang Rinchen (July 1948 and 8 December 1971), and Brigadier Sant Singh (2 November 1965 and January 1972). No second bars have been awarded. Award of the decoration carried with it the right to use M.V.C. as a postnominal abbreviation.

Mahavir Chakra Awardees

1. Hero of Pir Thil – Major Satyapal Chopra 1947–48 Operation
2. Havildar Fateh Singh – Havildar Fateh Singh 1947–48 Operation
3. Lone Gunner – Sepoy Dewan Singh 1947–48 Operation
4. The Gallant Havildar – Lance Havildar Dayaram 1947–48 Operation
5. The Unstoppable Chuna Ram – Havildar Chuna Ram 1947–48 Operation
6. Major Hari Chand – Major Hari Chand 1947–48 Operation
7. Blood in the Snow – Sepoy Amar Singh 1947–48 Operation
8. Hero in Civvies – Mohammed Ismail 1947–48 Operation
9. Rifleman Dhonkal singh – Rifleman Dhonkal singh 1947–48 Operation
10. Master Strategist – Lt. Col. Khanna 1947–48 Operation
11. Major Brar's bravery – Major Malkait Singh Brar 1947–48 Operation
12. He Started Young – Jemadar Chewang Rinchen 1947–48 Operation
13. A Gun Falls Silent – Naik Chand Singh 1947–48 Operation
14. Hit And Run – Major Khushal Chand 1947–48 Operation
15. Major Nirod Baran Banarjee – Major Nirod Baran Banarjee 1951 UN Operation
16. Hero Of Kongo – Lance Naik Gurung 1961 UN Operation
17. The One Who Stayed Behind – Naik Chain Singh 1962 Chinese Attack
18. Bold Manoeurve – Major Gurudayal Singh 1962 Chinese Attack
19. Two Brave Warriors – Sepoy Kewal Singh 1962 Chinese Attack
20. Wings of Fire – Squadron Leader Devayya 1965 Indo Pak War
21. Lt. Col. Madan Mohan Singh Bakshi – Lt. Col. Madan Mohan Singh Bakshi 1965 Indo Pak War
22. Major Sher Pratap Singh Shrikent – Major Sher Pratap Singh Shrikent 1962 Chinese Attack
23. True Gift – Second Lt. Goswami, 1962 Chinese Attack
24. Out Numbered but Undaunted – Sepoy Kanshi Ram 1962 Chinese Attack
25. Second Lieutenant Bhagwan Dutt Dogra – Second Lieutenant Bhagwan Dutt Dogra 1962 Chinese Attack
26. A Wounded Lion – Lt. Col. Nandagopal 1965 Indo Pak War
27. Courage Under Fire – Wing Commander Good Man 1965 Indo Pak War
28. Daring the Impossible – Lt. Col. Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
29. Leading By Example – Lt. Col. Mehra 1965 Indo Pak War
30. Inspired Leadership – Lt. Col. Hayde 1965 Indo Pak War
31. Astute Strategist – Major Roy 1965 Indo Pak War
32. Unflinching Defence – Subhedar Ajit Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
33. Duty Before Self – Naubat Ram 1965 Indo Pak War
34. Forward Thrust – Raghubir Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
35. In The Line Of Fire – Major Tyagi 1965 Indo Pak War
36. A Long Drawn Operation – Brig. Zorawar Chand Bakshi 1965 Indo Pak War
37. Valiant Leader – Subedar Sonam Stobdhan 1962 Chinese Attack
38. Tiger in the tank – Lt.Col Salim Caleb 1965 Indo Pak War
39. Air attack – Major Sushil Kumar Mathur 1965 Indo Pak War
40. Tenacious Fighter – Major Chaudhury 1962 Chinese Attack
41. Raw Courage – Captain Gautum Mubayi 1965 Indo Pak War
42. A Daring Move – Major Ranjit Singh Dayal 1965 Indo Pak War
43. Till The Very End – Subedar Tika Bahadur Thapa 1965 Indo Pak War
44. The Final Charge – Captain Chander Narain Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
45. Able Leader – Brigadier Ram Dharamdas Hira 1965 Indo Pak War
46. War Veteran – Major General Mohinder Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
47. A meticulous planner – Major General Swarup Singh Kallan 1965 Indo Pak War
48. Well Planned Move – Brigadier Khem Karan Singh
49. No Time For Fear – Captain Karan Singh Thapa 1965 Indo Pak War
50. Against The Odds – Naik Darshan Singh 1965 Indo Pak War
51. Advance Moves – Major General Har Krishen Sibal 1965 Indo Pak War
52. A Valiant Effort – Lt.Col Narindra Nath Khanna 1965 Indo Pak War
53. Mission Accomplished – Major Baljit Singh Randhwa 1965 Indo Pak War
54. Reaching For The Skies – Squadron Leader Jag Mohan Nath 1962 Chinese Attack
55. Victory Amidst The Flames – Sepoy Ansuya Prasad 1971 Indo Pak War
56. A man of distinction – Brigadier Arun Shridhar Vaidya 1965 Indo Pak War
57. The Road to Dhaka – Lt.Col Kulwant Singh Pannu 1971 Indo Pak War
58. Astute Leader – Lt.Col Gurubans Singh Sangha 1965 Indo Pak War
59. A story of three battles – Brigadier Harold Michigan 1971 Indo Pak War
60. The Battle for Fatehpur – Lt.Col Harish Pathak 1971 Indo Pak War
61. A Battle Of Nerves – Havildar Philipose 1971 Indo Pak War
62. The Eastern Advance – Brigadier Kailash Prasad Pande 1971 Indo Pak War
63. Manoeuvres In The Skies – Wing Commander Vidya Bhushan Vashist 1971 Indo Pak War
64. Naval Hero – Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla 1971 Indo Pak War
65. A True Leader – Lt.Col. Bhawani Singh 1971 Indo Pak War
66. A Real Life Hero – Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri 1971 Indo Pak War
67. Daring Raids – Squadron Leader Banerji 1971 Indo Pak War
68. Dangerous Missions – Major Vijay Rattan Chowdhary 1971 Indo Pak War
69. kargil hero - Captain Anuj Nayyar 1999 kargil conflict
70. Hero of Garibpur – Lt.Col.Rajkumar Singh 1971 Indo Pak War
71. A Charge Across The Bridge – Captain Devinder Singh Ahlawat 1971 Indo Pak War
72. Man of the Mountains – Brig. Mohinder Lal Whig 1971 Indo Pak War
73. Battle of Trenches – Subhedar Malkait Singh 1971 Indo Pak War
74. Courageous Captain – Group Captain Chandan Singh 1971 Indo Pak War
75. Wings of Steel – Commander Cecil Parker 1971 Indo Pak War
76. Fierce Resistance – Lt. Col. Arun Bhimroa Harolikar 1971 Indo- Pak war
77. Advance across the river – Brigadier Krishnaswamy 1971 Indo- Pak war
78. Tactical Genius – Brigadier Bakshi 1971 Indo- Pak war
79. Lone Pilot – Wing Commander Ramesh Sakharam Benegal 1971 Indo- Pak war
80. Sailor to the Rescue – Seaman Chanam Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
81. Elusive Captain – Captain Swaraj Parkash 1971 Indo- Pak war
82. Heroes of Basantar – Lt. Colonel Vohra 1971 Indo- Pak war
83. One man mission – Captain Pradeep kumar Gour 1971 Indo- Pak war
84. Defender Of The Ridge – Major Jaivir Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
85. Hero Of Nagal Tekri – Lt.Col. Rattan Nath Sharma 1971 Indo- Pak war
86. Commander In The Skies – Wing Commander Talwar 1971 Indo- Pak war
87. Advance Into Basantar – Lt.Col.Ved Prakash Airy 1971 Indo- Pak war
88. The Last Charge – Second Lt. Samsher Singh Samra 1971 Indo -Pak war
89. Battle At Dawn – Lt.Col.Chitoor Venugopal 1971 Indo- Pak war
90. Siege Of Jamalpur – Brigadier Hardev Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
91. Flying Ace – Squadron Leader Ravinder Nath Bhardwaj 1971 Indo- Pak war
92. In Dangerous waters – Commander Mohan Narayan Rao Samant 1971 Indo- Pak war
93. The Defence Of Jarpal – Major Amarjit Singh Bal 1971 Indo- Pak war
94. True Grit – Major Anup Singh Gahlaut 1971 Indo- Pak war
95. The Height Of Valour – Colonel Udai Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
96. Nerves Of Steel – Lt.Col. Prem Kumar Khanna 1971 Indo- Pak war
97. Till Death Decides – Lt.Col. Ved Prakash Ghai 1971 Indo- Pak war
98. Champion Striker – Wing Commander Allan Albert D’Costa 1971 Indo- Pak war
99. The Garibpur Tank Battle – Major Daljeet Singh Narang 1971 Indo- Pak war
100. Armour Siege – Brigadier Theograj 1971 Indo- Pak war
101. Fight Over Brachil Pass – Subedar Mohindar Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
102. The Night Vigil – Lance Naik Nar Bahadur Chhetri 1971 Indo- Pak war
103. Man In Command – Wing Commander Harcharan Singh Mangat 1971 Indo- Pak war
104. Young Martyr – Pati Ram Gurung 1971 Indo- Pak war
105. In Dangerous Waters – Commander Babru Bahan Yadav 1971 Indo- Pak war
106. The Capture of Chakra – Major Dharam Veer Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
107. Bridge on the river Ravi – Lt. Col. Narinder Singh Sandhu 1971 Indo- Pak war
108. Experienced Soldier – Wing Commander Swarop Krishna Kaul 1971 Indo- Pak war
109. Gunned Down – Lance Naik Drig Pal Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
110. Defending Ranian – Major Basdev Singh Mankhotia 1971 Indo- Pak war
111. An Armoured Mission – Lt.Col. Sukhjit Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
112. Determined Resistance – Second Lt. Rajeev Sandhu Indo-Srilankan Peace Accord
113. Onwards to Dhaka – Brigadier Sant Singh 1971 Indo- Pak war
114. Double Honours – Squadron Leader Padmanabha Gautam 1971 Indo- Pak war
115. Battle on a Lagoon – Col. Vijay Kumar Bakshi Indo-Srilankan Peace Accord
116. Underwater Operation – Lt. Arvind Singh Indo-Srilankan Peace Accord
117. Master Tactician – Brigadier Manjeet Singh Indo-Srilankan Peace Accord
118. The Major Kept Cool – Major Ganapathi Puttichanda Somiah Indian Intervention in Srilanka
119. Vailant Soldier – Lt. Col. Inder Bal Singh Bawa Indo-Srilankan Peace Accord
120. Capturing "Shoulder" – Subhedar Sansar Chand 1987 Pakistani Infiltration in Siachen
121. He died a Hero – Lance Havildar Nar Bahadur Ale 1987 Siachen Conflict
122. Defending Ashok – Major Krishna Gopal Chatterji 1987 Pakistani Infiltration in Siachen
123. Khukri Attack – Naik Prem Bahadur Gurung 1987 Pakistani Infiltration in Siachen
124. Summer 0f '48 – Brigadier Yadunath Singh 1948 mission for Jhangar
125. The Charge Across Basantar – Lt. Colnel Hanut Singh 1971 Indo-Pak war
126. Hero In a Distant Land – Lt. Vedprakash Trehan 1962 UN Peace keeping in Congo
127. Devotion to Duty – Captain Pratap Singh
128. Last Charge – Major Harbhajan Singh 1967 Chinese Attack
129. Martyr of Sodreke – Major Bhupinder Singh 1965 Indo Pak war
130. Defending The Frontiers – Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat 1962 Chinese attack
131. Thapa's Last Stand – Naik Mahabir Thapa 1961 UN intervention in Congo
132. Worthy Of Honour – Hrushikesh Moolgavkar 1948 Jammu & Kashmir Operation
133. The doctor as Saviour – Major Anil Krishna Barat 1948 Jammu & Kashmir Operation
134. The Last Post – Captain Dara Dinshaw Mistri 1948 Jammu & Kashmir Operation
135. Fellow Feeling – Major Annavi Krishnaswamy Ramaswamy 1948 Jammu & Kashmir Operation
136. In defence of Srinagar – Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjeet Rai 1947 Indo-Pakistan War
137. An Immortal Hero – Brig. Mohammed Usman 1947 Indo-Pakistan War
138. Innovation in the Skies – Air Commodore Mehar Singh 1947 Indo-Pakistan War
139. Death of a Patriot – Lt. Col. Inderjit Singh Butalia 1947 Indo-Pakistan War
140. Smart Moves – Brigadier Kanhya Lal Atal 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
141. A determined fight – Naik Krishna Sonawane 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
142. Leading By Example – Lieutanant Kishan Singh Rathore 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
143. Superior Tactics – Lt. Col. Harbans Singh Virk 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
144. Master Soldier – Naik Nar Singh 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
145. Action At Uri – Nand Singh 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
146. The Story of Skardu Siege – Lt. Col. Sher Jung Thapa 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
147. Pathania's Ploys – Lt. Col. Anant Singh Pathania 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan War
148. One-Man Mission – Lance Naik Thapa 1962 Indo-China War
149. Guerilla Soldiers – Major Thakur Prithi Chand 1962 Indo-China War
150. – UNKNOWN – 1962 Indo-China War
151. Fortune Favours the Brave – Lance Havildar Ramprasad Gurung 1962 Indo-China War
152. Valiant Airman – Sidney Basil Noronha 1948 Indo-Pak War
153. The Brigadier's Sacrifice – Brigadier Rajendra Singh 1948 Indo-Pak War
154. To The Last Man – Havildar Saroop Singh 1948 Indo-Pak War
155. Heroic Defence – Lt. G.V.P. Rao 1962 Indo-China War
156. Vailant Soldier - Commandant N.C. Sharma
157. Kargil Hero - Captain Anuj Nayar 1999 Kargil War

References

1. http://www.onlinegkguide.com/2011/12/17/list-of-maha-vir-chakra-recipients-india/

External links

• List of Awardees, Awards given on 26 January 2011, India
• Writeups on Maha Vir Chakra winners
• Official Citations, Photos of MVC Awardees of the Indian Air Force
• Recipients of Mahavir Chakra from Indian Navy
• Recipients of Mahavir Chakra from Indian Army