Which motif appears around the state emblem on the Param Vir Chakra?
- A.Four replicas of the vajra, the thunderbolt of Indra
- B.Four lotus flowers
- C.The Ashoka Chakra with twenty-four spokes
- D.Two crossed swords and a shield
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, four replicas of the vajra, the thunderbolt of Indra. Savitri Khanolkar chose the motif from the old story in which the sage Dadhichi gave up his body so that his bones could be made into the weapon with which Indra defeated his enemy, a symbol of sacrifice that suits the highest award for valour.
Option B, lotus flowers, appear on other Indian decorations, notably the Padma awards, whose very names are drawn from the lotus. Option C, the chakra with twenty-four spokes, is on the national flag and on the emblem, and it lends its name to the Ashoka Chakra award but is not the motif of the Param Vir Chakra. Option D, crossed swords and a shield, is a common military emblem but not the design of this medal. The vajra is the detail worth remembering, along with the name of its designer.
Read the full article: Gallantry Awards: Param Vir Chakra to Shaurya Chakra, with MCQs
Practice Questions
View allWhich is the highest wartime gallantry award of India?
- A.Ashoka Chakra
- B.Param Vir Chakra
- C.Maha Vir Chakra
- D.Kirti Chakra
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It is given for the most conspicuous act of bravery or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy, on land, at sea or in the air, and its name means the wheel of the ultimate brave.
Read the full explanation →Which is the highest peacetime gallantry award of India?
- A.Shaurya Chakra
- B.Kirti Chakra
- C.Ashoka Chakra
- D.Vir Chakra
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It is awarded for the most conspicuous bravery or an act of daring or self-sacrifice of the highest order away from the field of battle, and it may be given to civilians as well as to members of the armed forces.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra?
- A.Major Somnath Sharma
- B.Captain Vikram Batra
- C.Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey
- D.Subedar Joginder Singh
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His company held off a much larger body of raiders and kept them from reaching the airfield, which allowed reinforcements to continue arriving in Kashmir.
Read the full explanation →The Param Vir Chakra was designed by
- A.Nandalal Bose
- B.Savitri Khanolkar
- C.Pingali Venkayya
- D.Deenanath Bhargava
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Born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and a Hungarian mother, she married an officer of the Indian Army, took Indian citizenship and made a deep study of Indian languages and tradition, which she drew on for the design of the medal and its vajra motif.
Read the full explanation →The Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra and Vir Chakra were instituted on
- A.15 August 1947
- B.26 November 1949
- C.26 January 1950
- D.4 January 1952
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The three wartime awards were instituted on that date but were given effect from 15 August 1947, so that acts of bravery in the fighting in Kashmir could be recognised.
Read the full explanation →