The first parade was held at Irwin Stadium on 26 January 1950, not Rajpath. Rajpath became its permanent home in 1955.
About 3,000 armed forces and police personnel paraded before some 15,000 people. Rajendra Prasad arrived by horse-drawn coach; Sukarno was chief guest.
Nehru wanted the military march paired with a cultural pageant. Folk performances and state floats joined the celebrations.
After four venues in five years, the avenue from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate became permanent. Pakistan's Malik Ghulam Muhammad was chief guest.
After the 1971 war, Indira Gandhi inaugurated an eternal flame under India Gate for fallen soldiers.
Doordarshan telecast the parade live in colour for the first time, months after its colour service began.
After Indira Gandhi's assassination, the President stopped using the open horse-drawn buggy and security tightened.
A scaled-down parade with no chief guest. The Rafale made its flypast debut, and the route ended at the National Stadium.
The redeveloped avenue was renamed Kartavya Path in September 2022. The first parade under the new name came in January 2023.
100 women musicians opened the parade, an all-women tri-service contingent marched, and the presidential buggy returned.
The Army, Navy and Air Force shared a single tableau for the first time. Indonesia's Prabowo was chief guest.
The Army's first Battle Array Formation, 30 tableaux and about 10,000 special guests. EU leaders Costa and von der Leyen were chief guests.
Read the complete story, FAQs and key facts.