Last Updated:
Russian President Vladimir Putin: Recently, when Russian President Putin reached Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, he was given a 21-gun salute. The 21 gun salute is one of the highest honors given across the world. Even in India, it is considered a very prestigious honor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a visit to India and on Friday he met the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan. During this, he was also given a 21-gun salute. Giving a 21-gun salute is considered the country’s highest honor. But do you know why a 21-gun salute is given and what is its history? Let us tell you.
The 21-gun salute is one of the highest honors given across the world. Even in India, it is considered a very prestigious honor. India inherited this tradition from the British rule, and was later adopted by all Commonwealth countries. Today this honor is given to the President, the National Flag and at special state functions. India developed a formal and elaborate gun salute system during the British Raj. Before independence, the order of salute for various posts was determined as follows-
101 gun salute – King of Britain/Maharaja of India
31 cannons- Queen, members of the royal family, Viceroy, Governor General
21 guns- Foreign heads of state and their family members
19 Guns- Head of Government, Governor General of Portugal, Indian Ambassador, Commander-in-Chief of Field Marshal rank
17 cannons- Governor of Bombay, Madras, Bengal Presidency, Governor of Indian provinces, Governor of French India, diplomats, military officers of general rank.
Why is 21 gun salute given? (Photo: StuffUnknownIndia)
Historical aspect of gun salute
According to the reports of ‘Vedantu’ and ‘Daily O’, the origin of gun salute is considered to be in the 14th century, when cannons were used for the first time. A cannon could only fire one shot, so ships or forts firing all their cannons at once was a way to send the message “There is no threat from us.” In the initial times, warships used to give a 7-gun salute. It was considered auspicious due to its astrological and biblical significance. Coastal forts fired three times as many bullets in response, making the total number 7 × 3 = 21. Over time this number became standard and was later adopted by all three armies. Maritime history tells us that when warships entered a known port, they would fire all their guns to prove that they were unarmed and had come for peaceful purposes. This laid the foundation for the modern 21-gun salute.
