Bharat Ratna is the highest national award given for exceptional work for advancement of art, literature and science or in recognition of public service of the highest order.
Recipients of Bharat Ratna
| C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972) | 1954 |
| Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) | 1954 |
| Dr. C.V. Raman (1888–1970) | 1954 |
| Dr. Bhagwan Das (1869–1958) | 1955 |
| Dr. M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962) | 1955 |
| Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) | 1955 |
| Govind Ballabh Pant (1887–1961) | 1957 |
| Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve (1858–1962) | 1958 |
| Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882–1962) | 1961 |
| Purushottam Das Tandon (1882–1962) | 1961 |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884–1963) | 1962 |
| Dr. Zakir Hussan (1897–1969) | 1963 |
| Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane (1880–1972) | 1963 |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–1966) (Posthumous) | 1966 |
| Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) | 1971 |
| Varahagiri Venkatagiri (1884–1980) | 1975 |
| Kumaraswami Kamraj (1903–1975) (Posthumous) | 1976 |
| Mother Teresa (1910–1997) | 1980 |
| Acharya Vinobha Bhave (1895–1982) | 1983 |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890–1988) | 1987 |
| Marudu Gopalan Ramachandran (1917–1987) (Posthumous) | 1988 |
| Dr. Bhim Rao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956) (Posthumous) | 1990 |
| Dr. Nelson Rolihlaha Mandela (1918) | 1990 |
| Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991) (Posthumous) | 1991 |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950) | 1991 |
| Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (1869–1995) | 1991 |
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888–1958) (Posthumous) | 1992 |
| Jahangir Ratanji Dadabhai (J.R.D.) Tata (1904–1993) | 1992 |
| Satyajit Ray (1922–1992) | 1992 |
| Aruna Asaf Ali (1909–1996 (Posthumous) | 1997 |
| Gulzari Lal Nanda (1898–1997) (Posthumous) | 1997 |
| Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (1931) | 1997 |
| Madurai Shanmukhavadivu (m.s) Subbalakshmi (1916) | 1998 |
| Chidambaram Subramaniam (1910–2000) | 1998 |
| Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan (1902–1979) (Posthumous) | 1999 |
| Professor Amartya Sen (1933) | 1999 |
| Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi (1890–1950) (Posthumous) | 1999 |
| Pandit Ravi Shankar (1920) | 1999 |
| Lata Mangeshwar (1929) | 2001 |
| Ustad Bissmillah Khan (1916–2006) | 2001 |
| Pt. Bhimsen Joshi | 2008 |
eature : The decoration is the form of a Peepal leaf, 2 inch long, 1-1/8inch in width and 1/2 inch thick, toned in bronze. On the obverse side is embossed a replica of the sun, below which the words ‘Bharat Ratna’ are embossed in Hindi. On the reverse are the State Emblem and a motto in Hindi. The emblem, the sun and rim are made of platinum.
Discontinuation of the Award : The award was discontinued by the Janta Government (Prime Minister Morarji Desai on July 13, 1977, and those who received the award in the past were informed that they would not be allowed to use it as a title).
Revival of the Award : In January 1980 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to revive this award. After the revival, Mother Teresa was the first recipient.
Discontinuation of the Award : The award was discontinued by the Janta Government (Prime Minister Morarji Desai on July 13, 1977, and those who received the award in the past were informed that they would not be allowed to use it as a title).
Revival of the Award : In January 1980 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to revive this award. After the revival, Mother Teresa was the first recipient.