History of Padma Awards
Padma Awards were first instituted in 1954. The government only instituted two awards–Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. The Bharat Ratna was to be the highest civilian award of the country. The Padma Vibhushan was to have three categories–Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg and Tisra Varg. In 1955, there three categories were rechristened Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri respectively.
