Grand lodge of india

Craft Masonry was established in India during the early eighteenth century under deputation from the Grand Lodge of England, beginning with the constitution of Lodge East India Arms in Bengal in 1730 1. Lodges were subsequently erected across the Bengal, Madras, and Bombay Presidencies under English, Scottish, and Irish warrants 2. Membership was initially restricted to European military and civilian personnel, but native Indians were admitted from the 1840s onward following the founding of dedicated lodges such as Rising Star Lodge in Bombay 2. Prior to 1961, administrative control was exercised through Provincial and District Grand Lodges subordinate to the British Grand Lodges 2.

The Grand Lodge of India was officially constituted and consecrated as a sovereign Grand Lodge on 24th November 1961 at the Asoka Hotel, New Delhi, as the Grand Lodge of India's website records. It was established with parentage from the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland, as an article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website notes. During the initial poll, 145 out of 277 eligible lodges chose to join the new body, according to an article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website.

In terms of jurisdiction, the Grand Lodge of India holds sovereign authority over its constituent Craft lodges throughout the republic. Its administration is divided into four regional bodies, including the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, which was inaugurated on 9th December 1961, as the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website records. It shares geographic territory with District Grand Lodges that remained under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodges of England, Ireland, and Scotland.