Who were the first Indian Freemasons and their contributions?

Who were the first Indian Freemasons and their contributions?

The first Indian Freemason was Omdat-ul-Omrah Bahadur, the Nawab of Carnatic, who was initiated in 1775 in Trichinopoly Lodge No.3. He played a significant role by assisting the British against Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, marking him as the first Muslim Freemason in India as well【4:0†source】.

Following him, the Parsis from Bombay, particularly Maneckjee Cursetjee, sought to join Freemasonry. After facing rejections, he was eventually initiated in Paris and later became a prominent figure in the Lodge Rising Star of Western India No.422, which was consecrated in 1845【4:1†source】.

Among Hindus, Ranganath Sastry became the first to be admitted into Freemasonry in 1857, while Prosonno Coomar Dutt became the first Hindu Freemason in Bengal in 1872 after a long struggle against racial barriers【4:3†source】【4:5†source】. The first Sikh to be initiated was Bro. Duleep Singh in 1861【4:15†source】.