Smiling Buddha: Why did Buddha smile in Pokhran on Buddha Purnima, know what happened in 1974?

Operation Smiling Buddha had put India in awe at the international level. By successfully conducting a nuclear test, India had become the only nation apart from the five countries of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which had achieved this feat.

49 years ago, in the year 1974, India surprised the whole world by conducting the first nuclear test in Pokhran , Rajasthan. The country had achieved this historic achievement during the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi . The codename given to this first nuclear test in Pokhran was Operation Smiling Buddha .

At that time, this operation made India the sixth country in the world to conduct nuclear tests. This test was done under the supervision of Dr. Raja Ramanna, the then director of Bhabha Atomic Research Center. We tell you what was the special connection of this historical event with Buddha Purnima.

Why was the Pokhran nuclear test named Smiling Buddha?

On 18 May 1974, India stood in the line of nuclear-rich nations in the world by successfully conducting nuclear tests in Pokhran, Rajasthan. On May 18, 1974, when the whole of India was celebrating Buddha Purnima, this secret mission was carried out. For this reason the first nuclear test was named Smiling Buddha.

Operation Smiling Buddha had put India in awe at the international level. With this nuclear test, India had become the only nation apart from the five countries of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which had achieved this feat. China, Russia, France, America and Britain were permanent members of UNSC.

Nuclear test information given to Indira on phone

It is said that in the year 1974, Dr. Ramanna informed the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi about the success of the nuclear test. He called Indira on the phone and said that Buddha is smiling. At that time Indira was in Delhi, about 300 kilometers from the testing range. Operation Smiling Buddha was also important for India because America and other intelligence agencies did not even know that India was going to take such a big step.

However, after the nuclear test, many developed countries including America imposed strict restrictions on India. He said that India's nuclear tests can start a race to make nuclear weapons in the world. This historic operation began on 7 December 1972, when the then PM Indira Gandhi asked scientists to make indigenous nuclear devices to conduct nuclear tests.

After Operation Smiling Buddha, India conducted five more nuclear tests in the year 1998. Of these, three were done on 11 May 1998 and the other two on 13 May 1998. Then the Prime Minister of the country was Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Who gave the slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Vigyan.