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Grand Lodge of India

Freemasonry in India was introduced under European grand jurisdictions in the eighteenth century, beginning when George Pomfret brought the Craft to the English settlements in 1728, followed by the constitution of the Lodge East India Arms in Bengal in 1730 [6]. Overseas lodges established by English, Irish, and Scottish merchants, soldiers, and sailors operated under the same Constitutions, rituals, and patterns as their home grand lodges [2]. Early governance was maintained through Provincial Grand Lodges—later termed Districts from 1866—under warrants from England, Ireland, and Scotland [1][2].

Administrative authority across the subcontinent often faced severe delays and silences from grand officers in London, leading to dormant periods and occasional governance disputes [2][3]. English provincial grand masters were appointed for Madras in 1755, Bombay in 1763, and East India in 1762 [1][7]. Scottish governance expanded when Dr. James Burnes was appointed Provincial Grand Master of Western India in 1836, later becoming Provincial Grand Master for all India in 1846 [1]. Subordinate lodges, including Star in the East and Industry and Perseverance, continued working despite membership shifts due to military and commercial travel [4][8].

Regarding its origins, certain occultists and Theosophists have argued that Freemasonry originated in India [2]. However, Masonic authorities reject these claims, noting that no factual trace of Freemasonry existed in India prior to European arrival, and native inhabitants were admitted into membership only long afterwards in small numbers [2].

Drawn from Albert C. Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, pp. 959-959 · Albert C. Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, pp. 975-975 · Walter Kelly Firminger, The Early History of Freemasonry in Bengal and the Punjab, pp. 138-139 · Walter Kelly Firminger, The Early History of Freemasonry in Bengal and the Punjab, pp. 43-43 · Walter Kelly Firminger, The Early History of Freemasonry in Bengal and the Punjab, pp. 83-84 · Walter Kelly Firminger, The Early History of Freemasonry in Bengal and the Punjab, pp. 79-83 · Walter Kelly Firminger, The Early History of Freemasonry in Bengal and the Punjab, pp. 206-206

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