India Celebrates 64th Republic Day: Stunning Images of National Celebration

The whole of India turned out on Saturday 26 January to celebrate the country's 64th Republic Day, marking the anniversary of the day the world's biggest democracy became a republic in 1950 with nationwide exhibitions of history, cultural diversity and military strength.

In the capital New Delhi, the main Republic Day parade was held on the Rajpath, the city's centrepiece boulevard, with military parades displaying weaponry and tableaux from various states, followed by a cultural show that celebrated India's rich heritage.

King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk was this year's chief guest, and the star of the military parade was India's own surface-to-surface Agni-V missile, which has a range of 3,106 miles.

The previous day, President of India Pranab Mukherjee addressed the nation, his speech sounding a sombre note about the brutal rape and murder of the 23-year-old medical student that took place on 16 December in Delhi.

"There is a law of the land. But there is also a higher law. The sanctity of a woman is a directive principle of that larger edifice called Indian civilisation. The Vedas say that there is more than one kind of mother: birth mother, a guru's wife, a king's wife, a priest's wife, she who nurses us, and our motherland. Mother is our protection from evil and oppression, our symbol of life and prosperity. When we brutalise a woman, we wound the soul of our civilisation," he said.

Google also dedicated a doodle to the occasion, showcasing national symbols like the tiger, the lotus and India Gate. The stripes in the tiger formed the word 'Google'.