This is a list of firsts in India.

This is a list of firsts in India.

Architecturs

• First Islamic (tomb) in India:Sultan Ghari Sultan Ghari  built in 1231 CE for Prince Nasir ud, eldest son of Iltumish.
• First true dome: Alai Darwaza, Qutb complex, Delhi, built in 1311 CE, by first Khilji Sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji.
• First true arch: Balban's tomb, Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi, built c. 1287 CE, by Ghiyas ud din Balban of Mamluk dynasty.
• First garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, also the first with Persian double-dome: Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, built 1562-1571 CE.
• First Mosque in India: Cheraman Juma Masjid Kodungallur (Kerala), built 629-630 A.D by Malik ibn Deenar, an Arab trader on the order of Chera ruler Cheraman Perumal(Tajjudin after conversion to Islam)

Awards and title

• Mr. Universe: Manohar Aich in 1952
• Miss World: Reita Faria in 1966. (She was also the first Asian to win the title.)
• Miss Asia Pacific: Zeenat Aman in 1970
• International Teen Princess: Radha Bartake in 1974
• Miss Teenage Intercontinental: Elizabeth Anita Reddi in 1978
• Miss World Amber : Mala Rai Singani in 1978.
• World Miss University: Priyadarshini Pradhan in 1989
• Miss Universe: Sushmita Sen in 1994
• Miss India Worldwide: Karminder Kaur Virk in 1994.
• Miss Intercontinental Pageant: Lara Dutta in 1997.
• Mr. International: Aryan Vaid in 2000
• Manhunt International: Rajeev Singh in 2001
• Miss Tourism International: Candice Pinto in 2001
• Mrs. World: Aditi Gowitrikar in 2001
• Miss Tourism World : Payal Rohatgi in 2002
• Miss Tourism Queen International: Zabina Abdul Rashid Khan in 2004
• Miss World Tourism : Sonal Chauhan in 2005.
• Miss Tourism: Priyanka Shah in 2007
• Miss Earth: Nicole Faria in 2010
• Miss Tourism Queen Of The Year International: Urvashi Rautela in 2011
• Miss Asia Pacific World: Himangini Singh Yadu in 2012
• Mister United Nations : Rahul Vyas in 2013
• First Indian to win any literary award (the Newbery Medal) in the United States, in 1927 for Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon: Dhan Gopal Mukerji
• Nirad C. Chaudhuri, first Indian to win a major non-fiction award, the Duff Cooper Prize in the United Kingdom, in 1966 for The Continent of Circe
• Man Booker Prize: Arundhati Roy for her novel "The God of Small Things" in the year 1997.
• Bhaswati Bhattacharya was the first Indian to speak as Orator at the Harvard University, in the Commencement Exercises in 1993.
• Bharat Ratna: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari, and C. V. Raman in 1954
• Padma Vibhushan: Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand Lal Bose, Zakir Hussain, Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon in 1954
• Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters: Mrinal Sen
• Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters: Sivaji Ganesan
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Devika Rani in 1969
• Ashoka Chakra Award to a civilian: D.K. Jatar (posthumous) and M.C Dixit, captain and co-captain respectively, of the sabotaged plane Kashmir Princess, for "most conspicuous bravery, daring and self-sacrifice"
• Magsaysay Award: Vinoba Bhave, 1958
• Stalin Peace Prize (now known as Lenin Peace Prize) in 1952-Saifuddin Kitchlew
• Oscar for Lifetime Achievement - Satyajit Ray
• Nishan-e-Pakistan: Morarji Desai, 1990

Nobel Prize

• 1913: Literature: Rabindranath Tagore; was also the first Asian to win the prize
• 1930: Physics: C. V. Raman
• 1968: medicine: Har Gobind Khorana; US citizen of Indian origin
• 1979: Peace: Mother Teresa; Indian citizen of Albanian origin
• 1998: Economics: Amartya Sen
• 2009: Chemistry: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan; US citizen of Indian origin
• 2014: Peace: Kailash Sathyarthi (first Indian-born)

Defence (in the Republic of India)

• President of Indian Republic: Dr Rajendra Prasad
• Vice President of Indian Republic: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• Defence Minister of India: Baldev Singh
• Commander-in-Chief of Free India: General Sir Roy Bucher
• Indian Commander-in-Chief of Free India: General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, 1949
• Chief of Air Staff: Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst
• Indian Chief of Staff: General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, 1947
• Commander-in-Chief, IAF: Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, 1954
• Chief of Naval Staff: Vice Admiral R D Katari
• Cosmonaut: Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, 1984
• Field Marshal: Sam Manekshaw, 1973
• First female jawan in the Army: Sapper Shanti Tigga
• First Param Vir Chakra Winner: Major Som Nath Sharma

-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru

Economy

• First power in India with Soviet Collaboration: Neyveli Lignite Corporation in 1962.
• First central PSU to be privatized: Modern Food Industries in January 2000

Exploration

• Person to fly in a balloon and land in a parachute: Ram Chandra Chatterjee
• Person to reach the South Pole: Col Jatinder Kumar Bajaj
• Woman to scale Mount Everest: Bachendri Pal on 23 May 1984. She was the 5th woman in the world to scale the peak.
• Woman to reach South Pole: Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu
• Person to reach the North Pole: Jagannathan Srinivasaraghavan on April 23, 1985.
• Person to have walked across Gobi desert: Sucheta Kadethankar
• Youngest Woman in the world to climb Everest: Malavath Purna on 25th of May 2014 at the age of 13.