List of First in India – India is a developing country Indian, we are progressing to a better place with the upliftment of various domains related to arts, science, architecture, sports, etc. In this article, we have covered the list of the first achievements of India and Indians in various fields such as Science, Governance, Defence, Sports, Architecture. This is an important topic for UPSC and all other government or competitive exams.
List of First in India
Architecture
| First Dam in India |
Kallanai Dam – Constructed by Chola King Karikala Cholan |
Thiruchirapalli |
2nd Century CE |
| First Stepwell in India |
Mata Bhavani |
Gujarat |
11th Century |
| First Temple Constructed from a Single Rock |
Kailasa Temple – Constructed by Rashtrakuta king Krishna I |
Ellora |
744 CE |
| First Temple in Kalinga Architecture |
Konark Sun Temple |
Puri, Odisha |
1255 AD |
| First Indian Temple with many interconnected structures |
Brihadeeshwarar Temple |
Tanjore |
1002 AD |
| First True Dome in India |
Alai Darwaza, Qutb Complex – Constructed by first Khalji Sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khalji |
Delhi |
1311 CE |
| First Church in India |
St. Thomas Church |
Palayur, Kerala |
52 AD |
| First Mosque in India |
Cheraman Juma Mosque |
Methala, Kerala |
629 AD |
Nobel Prize
| First Nobel Prize in Literature |
Rabindranath Tagore |
1913 |
| First Nobel Prize in Physics |
Sir. C. V. Raman |
1930 |
| First Nobel Peace Prize |
Mother Teresa |
1979 |
| First Nobel Prize in Economics |
Amartya Sen |
1998 |
| First India-born recipient in Peace |
Kailash Sathyarthi |
2014 |
Science
| First Hydroelectric Plant in India |
Sidrapong, Darjeeling |
1897 |
| First Indian Man in Space |
Rakesh Sharma |
3 April 1984 |
| First Indian Woman in Space |
Kalpana Chawla |
19 November 1997 |
| First Test-Tube Baby in India |
Durga Agarwal |
Born in 1978 |
| First Nuclear Reactor in India |
Apsara, Mumbai |
– |
| First Satellite in India |
Aryabhata |
19 April 1975 |
| First satellite indigenous launch vehicle of India |
SLV-3 |
– |
| First Technology Park in India |
Trivandrum |
1990 |
| First Humanoid Robot in India |
Manav |
2015 |
| First Graduate in Medicine from India |
Surjo Kumar Chakraborty |
– |
Governance
| First President of India |
Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
1950-62 |
| First Vice-President of India |
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |
1952-62 |
| First Prime Minister of India |
Jawaharlal Nehru |
1947-64 |
| First Deputy Prime Minister of India |
Vallabhbhai Patel |
1947-50 |
| First Viceroy of India |
Lord Canning |
1858 |
| First Governor-General of India |
Lord William Bentinck |
1833 |
| First Governor-General of Independent India |
Lord Mountbatten |
1947 |
| First Chief Election Commissioner of India |
Sukumar Sen |
1950 |
| First Chief Justice of India |
H.J. Kania |
1947-51 |
| First Finance Minister of Independent India |
R. K. Shanmukham Chetty |
1947-49 |
| First Home Minister of India |
Sardar Vallabhai Patel |
– |
| First Speaker of Lok Sabha in India |
G. V. Mavlankar |
1952-56 |
| First Chairperson of Lokpal of India |
Pinaki Chandra Ghose |
– |
Sports
| First Olympics Team Medal |
Gold in Field Hockey (1928, Summer Olympics) |
| First Indian woman wrestler to win an Asian gold medal |
Navjot Kaur |
| First Indian woman badminton player to win an Asian Games medal |
Saina Nehwal |
| First Indian woman to win a medal at Asian Games |
Santhi Soundarajan |
| First-person to win an international bronze medal in skiing |
Aanchal Thakur |
| First Woman to Win an Olympic Silver Medal |
P. V. Sindhu in Badminton |
| First female to represent India at the Summer Olympics |
Nora Polley, 1924 Summer Olympics |
| First Individual Gold Medal won by |
Abhinav Bindra, 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing |
| First Woman to Win a Medal in Wrestling |
Sakshi Malik Bronze in the 2016 Summer Olympics |
Women – First in India
| First Woman Speaker of Lok Sabha |
Meira Kumar (2009) |
| First Woman President in India |
Pratiba Patil |
| First Woman Prime Minister in India |
Indira Gandhi |
| First Woman Governor |
Sarojini Naidu |
| First Woman IPS Officer in India |
Kiran Bedi |
| First Woman Chief Minister of State |
Sucheta Kripalani |
| First Woman Union Minister in India |
Rajkumari Amrita Kaur |
| First Woman President of INC |
Annie Besant |
| First Woman Judge of Supreme Court in India |
Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi |
| First Woman to get Ashok Chakra in India |
Nirja Bhanot |
| First Indian Woman Ambassador at UN |
Vijalakshmi Pandit |
| First woman who reached Antarctica from India |
Mahel Musa |
| First Woman to get Nobel Prize |
Mother Teresa |
| First Woman to swim across English Channel from India |
Arati Saha |
| First Indian Woman to climb Mt Everest |
Bachendri Pal |
| First Indian Miss World |
Miss Reita Faria |
| First Indian to climb Mt Everest twice |
Santhosh Yadhav |
| First Indian Miss Universe |
Susmita Sen |
| First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna |
Indira Gandhi |
| First Indian Woman to get Jnanpith Award |
Ashapurna Devi |
| First Indian Woman to win WTA Title |
Sania Mirza |
| First Indian Woman Airline Pilot |
Durga Banerjee |
| First Indian Woman to win Gold in Asian Games |
Kamaljeet Sandhu |
| First Indian Woman President of INC |
Sarojini Naidu |
| First Indian Woman to Booker Prize |
Arundhati Roy |
| First Woman Musician to get Bharat Ratna |
MS Subbalakshmi |
| First Indian Woman to go to space |
Kalpana Chawla |
Get more Static GK updates – Click Here
