Only two Army appointments have been made by the Government of India since independence in 1947. The rank of Field Marshal though, existed in the old Indian Army. Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... The Indian Army (भारतीय सेना Hindi: Bhartiya Sena) is the army of the Republic of India and is the 3rd largest army in the world. ...

Independent India's first, and only active Field Marshal (appointed when in service), was the then Chief of Army Staff Gen. S.H.F.J Manekshaw. A much admired and decorated World War 2 officer he was conferred the rank in 1973 by the Indira Gandhi-led government, largely in recognition of his sterling leadership during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. He is seen as being principally responsible, in a military sense, for an Indian victory in that war, and for the subsequent creation of Bangladesh. Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army is the highest post in the Indian Army ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and from January 14, 1980 until her assassination in 1984. ...

Later, the first Indian officer to be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces (see Indian Military), Gen. K.M Cariappa was awarded the honorary rank of Field Marshal in 1983. Cariappa had many firsts to his name in the Indian Army's annals and had led the force in the 1947 conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir. He was also the officer tasked by India with overseeing the equitable division of the Royal Indian Army into two new forces and laid down much of the structure of the modern Indian Army. Military branches: Indian Army, Indian Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Rashtriya Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Defense Security Corps and several other units) and the Strategic Forces... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

In 2002, the government conferred the Indian Air Force's equivalent rank of Marshal of the Air Force on Air Chief Marshal Arjan Singh in recognition of both, his service in building the Force, and for his astute helmsmanship of the IAF in the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict. He was also the first officer promoted to Air Chief Marshal in the IAF. All previous Indian Chief of Air Staff had been Air Marshals. The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air arm of the Military of India. ... Marshal of the Air Force is a generic term for the most senior rank in an air force, equivalent to Field Marshal or Fleet Admiral. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ...

No officer of the Indian Navy has yet been conferred an equivalent rank. The Indian Navy (भारतीय नौसेना in Hindi: Bharatiya Nau Sena) is the naval arm of the Military of India. ...