History of freemasonry in India

Freemasonry was introduced to English settlements in India when George Pomfret received a deputation in December 1728 2. Brethren in India petitioned that same year to constitute a Provincial Grand Lodge in Calcutta, leading to the appointment of a Provincial Grand Master for India and the Far East, as the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India records. Captain Ralph Farwinter was appointed Provincial Grand Master for East India in Bengal in 1729 2, and the first lodge under the English Constitution, Lodge East India Arms (No. 72), was constituted at Calcutta in 1730 2.

Expansion across the subcontinent followed throughout the eighteenth century. The first lodge on the Coromandel Coast at Madras was established in 1752 1, followed by the appointment of Captain Edmond Pascal as Provincial Grand Master in 1766 1. In Bombay, Lodge No. 234 was warranted in 1758, where James Todd became Provincial Grand Master in 1763 1. An article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website notes that the first lodge in the Punjab region was established in 1786. Scottish Masonic governance was formalized when Dr. James Burnes was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Western India in 1836, later becoming Provincial Grand Master for all India under the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1846 1.

While membership originally comprised European military personnel, merchants, and civil servants 1, Indian candidates were later admitted. Omdat-ul-Omrah, the Nawab of Carnatic, was the first Indian admitted into the Craft, followed by other prominent leaders including Maharajah Duleep Singh and Maharajah Rundeer Sing 1. Dedicated lodges such as Lodge Rising Star in Bombay were set up in 1844 to facilitate the entry of Indian brethren 1. Bro. Ranganath Sastry became the first Hindu Mason in 1857, as an article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website records.

In October 1959, the Grand Masters of England, Ireland, and Scotland met in London to support forming an independent sovereign body, as the Grand Lodge of India records. Following a ballot where 145 out of 277 eligible lodges voted to join, the Grand Lodge of India was officially constituted on 24 November 1961 in New Delhi.