When did India gain independence?
Quick answer
India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. At midnight, Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, gave his famous “Tryst with Destiny” speech. Independence came with Partition, which created the separate state of Pakistan a day earlier, on August 14, and caused mass migration and violence.
The road to freedom
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1858 | After the 1857 uprising, the British Crown takes direct control: the British Raj begins |
| 1885 | The Indian National Congress is founded |
| 1919 | British troops kill hundreds of peaceful protesters at Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) |
| 1930 | Mahatma Gandhi leads the Salt March against the British salt tax |
| 1942 | Gandhi launches the Quit India movement |
| 1947 | Britain, weakened by World War II, agrees to leave |
Gandhi’s strategy of nonviolent resistance (satyagraha) later inspired leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. The salt protest is described in was salt ever used as money.
Partition
Britain’s last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, oversaw the division of British India into two countries:
| Country | Independence day | Majority religion |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan (including today’s Bangladesh) | August 14, 1947 | Islam |
| India | August 15, 1947 | Hinduism |
The borders were drawn in just weeks. Around 15 million people were displaced, and estimates of deaths in the violence range from several hundred thousand to two million. Bangladesh later became independent from Pakistan in 1971.
Independence Day vs Republic Day
| Holiday | Date | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Independence Day | August 15 | Freedom from British rule (1947) |
| Republic Day | January 26 | India’s constitution taking effect in 1950, ending the British monarch’s role |
On Independence Day, the prime minister raises the national flag at Delhi’s Red Fort and gives a speech.
Gandhi’s fate
Gandhi, called the “Father of the Nation,” was assassinated in January 1948, less than six months after independence.
For the time in India today, see what time it is in India. For a festival celebrated across India, read what Holi is.
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