Every August 15, the image of the Prime Minister hoisting the Tricolour from the Red Fort is central to India’s Independence Day celebrations. But this familiar tradition did not begin on August 15, 1947. On the day India became independent, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the national flag at Princess Park near India Gate in New Delhi. The first flag ceremony at the Red Fort took place a day later, on August 16, 1947, according to historical accounts and a Press Information Bureau record. The distinction is easy to miss because Nehru’s Red Fort ceremony has become one of the defining images of India's Independence Day. But the events of those first two days were different.
Where did Nehru hoist the Tricolour on August 15, 1947?
The first Prime Minister of independent India unfurled the national flag at Princess Park, near India Gate, on August 15, 1947.
The location was part of what was then known as the War Memorial area. The ceremony was attended by a large gathering, and Nehru addressed the people present. Historical accounts place the event in the vicinity of India Gate rather than at the Red Fort.
This makes the first Independence Day ceremony different from the one Indians see every year today.
Why was the Red Fort not the venue on August 15?
India's independence came into effect at midnight between August 14 and 15, 1947. The Constituent Assembly held its historic midnight session, where Nehru delivered his famous “Tryst with Destiny” speech as India entered a new chapter.
The celebrations continued through August 15, but the Red Fort ceremony that later became an annual tradition was not held that day.
The official account preserved by the Press Information Bureau says Nehru first hoisted the national flag over the Red Fort on August 16, 1947, rather than August 15.
Nehru unfurled the flag at Red Fort on August 16
The Red Fort ceremony happened the following day. On August 16, Nehru went to the historic fort and unfurled the Tricolour from its ramparts. He also addressed the gathering, establishing the connection between the Prime Minister, the Red Fort and the Independence Day tradition that continues today.
India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru began the Red Fort tradition in 1947, but his first address from the fort was on August 16, a day after the formal transfer of power.
The distinction is important: August 15 was the first Independence Day, while August 16 was the first time Nehru unfurled the national flag from the Red Fort.
When did August 15 become the Red Fort tradition?
The Red Fort ceremony did not remain tied to August 16.From 1948 onwards, the Prime Minister's Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony at the Red Fort has been held on August 15. This eventually became one of the most recognisable annual national ceremonies in India.
Over the decades, the ceremony has followed a familiar pattern. The Prime Minister reaches the Red Fort, unfurls the national flag, addresses the nation and speaks about India's journey and its future.
That is why the Red Fort is now almost inseparable from the visual identity of August 15.
Why is Nehru's first Red Fort ceremony often confused with August 15?
One reason is the powerful imagery associated with the Red Fort. Photographs of Nehru unfurling the Tricolour from the fort are frequently connected with the first Independence Day in popular retellings. Over time, the distinction between the first Independence Day ceremony and the first Red Fort flag ceremony has become blurred.
Historical records, however, separate the two events. The Press Information Bureau's account states that the national flag was first unfurled over the Red Fort on August 16, 1947.
What happened on August 15, 1947?
The first Independence Day was unlike the modern ceremony Indians know today. The country was celebrating freedom after nearly two centuries of British rule, while the Partition had brought violence and displacement across large parts of the subcontinent.
In New Delhi, political leaders and citizens took part in celebrations marking the transfer of power. Nehru, who had become independent India's first Prime Minister, attended the flag ceremony near India Gate.
At the same time, the new government was beginning the difficult task of running a country that had just emerged from colonial rule and Partition.
The Red Fort tradition came to symbolise Independence Day
The Red Fort eventually became the country's most prominent Independence Day venue. The historic fort had a strong association with India's political past and, particularly, with the memory of Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army. When Nehru hoisted the national flag from its ramparts on August 16, 1947, the event carried symbolism beyond the ceremony itself.
The Red Fort tradition has continued for generations of Prime Ministers. The government has described the annual unfurling of the Tricolour from the fort as synonymous with India's Independence Day celebrations.
August 15 vs August 16: The key difference
The easiest way to remember the history is to separate the two dates:
- August 15, 1947: Nehru unfurled the national flag at Princess Park near India Gate.
- August 16, 1947: Nehru unfurled the national flag at the Red Fort for the first time.
- August 15, 1948: The Red Fort ceremony began being held on August 15, establishing the tradition followed today.
So, the familiar picture of Nehru at the Red Fort belongs to an event that took place one day after India's first Independence Day .
The first flag was raised, but the tradition evolved later
India's Independence Day ceremony did not arrive in its present form fully formed on August 15, 1947.
The country was experiencing an extraordinary transition. The midnight Constituent Assembly session marked the formal beginning of independent India, while celebrations unfolded at different locations in Delhi on August 15. The Red Fort became the central venue for the Prime Minister's Independence Day ceremony only after this first celebration.
That small difference in dates changes an often-repeated version of the story: Nehru did hoist India's flag at the Red Fort, but he did not do so there on the first Independence Day.
The first August 15 flag ceremony took place near India Gate. The Red Fort tradition followed on August 16 and was shifted to August 15 from the following year.
