India conducted its first successful nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha,” on Pokhran in Rajasthan

India conducted its first successful nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha,” on Pokhran in Rajasthan

¨     India conducted its first successful nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha,” on 18 May 1974 at Pokhran in Rajasthan.

¨     The test took place during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

¨     It was officially described as a “Peaceful Nuclear Explosion” and established India as a nuclear-capable nation.

¨     The test used plutonium and was conducted underground at the Pokhran site in the Thar Desert.

¨     With this test, India became the sixth country in the world to conduct a nuclear test after the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France, and China.

¨     Pokhran-II Nuclear Tests were later conducted in May 1998 under Operation Shakti.

¨     These tests involved five nuclear explosions and were led by scientists including A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, R. Chidambaram, and Anil Kakodkar.

¨     After the 1998 tests, India declared itself a nuclear weapons state.

¨     India observes National Technology Day on 11 May to mark the 1998 Pokhran-II tests, first celebrated in 1999.

¨     A United States delegation of senior executives from the American nuclear industry is visiting India from 18–21 May 2026 to explore cooperation in the civil nuclear sector following the enactment of the SHANTI Act.