Operation Smiling Buddha: India’s First Nuclear Test Explained
Last Updated:May 18, 2026, 06:20 IST India entered the nuclear club on May 18, 1974, after successfully conducting Operation Smiling Buddha at Pokhran, becoming the sixth nation to test a nuclear device. A crater marks the site of the first Indian underground nuclear test conducted at Pokhran, Rajasthan, on 18 May 1974. (AFP file photo)…