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.
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.
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. The first Sikh to be initiated was Bro. Duleep Singh in 1861.