Maha 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