Bharata Ratna is the highest civilian award in India. This award was instituted on 2nd January 1954 by the President of India Babu Rajendra Prasad. The award is given for exceptional service towards advancement of Art, Literature and Science, Sports and in recognition of Public. The recommendations for the Bharat Ratna are made by the Prime Minister to the president. A certificate is signed by the president and a medal in the shape of a peepal-leaf are the only two things given to the recipients, no money is granted with the award Bharat Ratna. Maximum three nominees may be awarded per year.
List of Bharat Ratna Awardees
| Name | Awarded | Notes |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya | 2015 | Posthumous, Scholar and educational reformer and founder of Banaras Hindu University. |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee | 2015 | Ex-prime Minister. |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2014 | Cricketer |
| C. N. R. Rao | 2014 | Scientist |
| Bhimsen Joshi | 2009 | classical singer |
| Bismillah Khan | 2001 | Classical shehnai player |
| Lata Mangeshkar | 2001 | Playback singer |
| Gopinath Bordoloi | 1999 | Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Assam |
| Amartya Sen | 1999 | Economist and a Noble laureate |
| Ravi Shankar | 1999 | Sitar player |
| Jayaprakash Narayan | 1998 | Posthumous, independence activist and politician |
| Chidambaram Subramaniam | 1998 | Independence activist, Minister of Agriculture |
| M. S. Subbulakshmi | 1998 | Carnatic classical singer |
| Aruna Asaf Ali | 1997 | Posthumous, independence activist |
| Gulzarilal Nanda | 1997 | Independence activist, interim Prime Minister |
| A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | 1997 | Aeronautical Engineer, 11th President of India |
| Satyajit Ray | 1992 | Bengali Filmmaker |
| J. R. D. Tata | 1992 | Industrialist and philanthropist |
| Abul Kalam Azad | 1992 | Posthumous, independence activist, first Minister of Education |
| Morarji Desai | 1991 | Independence activist, fourth Prime Minister |
| Vallabhbhai Patel | 1991 | Posthumous, independence activist, first Home Minister |
| Rajiv Gandhi | 1991 | Posthumous, Sixth Prime Minister. |
| Nelson Mandela | 1990 | Second non-citizen and non-Indian recipient, Leader of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, and Noble laureate |
| B. R. Ambedkar | 1990 | Posthumous, Chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Crusader against Untouchability, Dalit Icon, Social Reformer, Historian, politician, economist, and scholar |
| M. G. Ramachandran | 1988 | Posthumous, film actor, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | 1987 | First non-citizen, independence activist |
| Vinoba Bhave | 1983 | Posthumous, social reformer, independence activist |
| Mother Teresa of Calcutta | 1980 | Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, and Noble laureate |
| K. Kamaraj | 1976 | Posthumous, independence activist, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu State |
| V. V. Giri | 1975 | Trade unionist and fourth President |
| Indira Gandhi | 1971 | Third Prime Minister, The First Woman Prime Minister of India |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | 1966 | Posthumous, independence activist, second Prime Minister |
| Pandurang Vaman Kane | 1963 | Indologist and Sanskrit scholar |
| Zakir Hussain | 1963 | Independence activist, Scholar, third President |
| Rajendra Prasad | 1962 | Independence activist, jurist, first President |
| Purushottam Das Tandon | 1961 | Independence activist, educator |
| Bidhan Chandra Roy | 1961 | A physician, political leader, philanthropist, educationist, and social worker. He is often considered as “Maker of Modern West Bengal” |
| Dhondo Keshav Karve | 1958 | Educator, social reformer |
| Govind Ballabh Pant | 1957 | Independence activist, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Home Minister |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | 1955 | Independence activist, author, first Prime Minister |
| Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya | 1955 | A civil engineer, Diwan of Mysore |
| Bhagwan Das | 1955 | Independence activist, author, Founder of Kashi Vidya Peeth |
| Radhakrishnan | 1954 | Philosopher, India’s First Vice President and India’s Second President |
| C. V. Raman | 1954 | A physicist from Madras and a Nobel laureate |
| C Rajagopalachari | 1954 | Independence activist, last and the only Indian Governor-General of India |
