When The Buddha Finally Smiled: 46 Years Of India’s First Successful Nuclear Test

May 18, 1974 — A landmark date in India’s history.

It was exactly 46 years ago that India conducted its first nuclear test, at Rajasthan’s Pokhran. The peaceful test, codenamed ‘Smiling Buddha’ as it was conducted on the day of Buddha Purnima, changed India’s status forever as they went on to become a nuclear power.

It was a first-of-its-kind test as it was carried out by a country that was not a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

After the successful conduct of the nuclear test, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director Raja Ramanna conveyed a message to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi saying, “The Buddha has finally smiled.”

One of the highlights of this nuclear test was that India managed to avoid detection by the United States and other intelligence agencies.

India was not sanctioned by superpower USA or any other major developed nation.