Until recently, there were two District Grand Lodges under the Grand Lodge of Scotland, namely the District Grand Lodge of Eastern India (Scottish) and the District Grand Lodge of Western India (Scottish). Both these were merged into one in 1992.

At one time in the past, there used to be a few French and Dutch Lodges in India too. However, very few records of these are now available.

Each of the four constitutions have their own set of officers with the District or Provincial or Regional Grand Master as the head. Although the District or Provincial or Regional Grand Lodges are subservient to their respective Grand Lodges, they enjoy a status almost equivalent to a Grand Lodge. Needless to say, each of the four constitutions have their own sets of rituals, which differ in varying degrees from each other, even though the central theme is the same. It is not uncommon for Masons to be members of more than one Lodge, and across different constitutions. This is one of the reasons why it is very difficult to assess the total number of Masons in India.

This shows the Map of India and the locations of Scottish Lodges, and the number of Lodges in each city. Bombay has 14 Scottish Lodges of the total of 29 Lodges is India.

I may mention here, that unlike most Lodges in the US, all our Lodges always open in the first degree. All business matters are transacted in the first degree. Any resolution or propositions are also moved and passed in the first degree with the provision that only Master Masons are eligible to move or vote on a resolution, but in some Lodges, even the Entered Apprentices may vote on any propositions.

If there is a candidate for the Fellow of the Craft Degree or Master Mason’s Degree, then the Lodge is progressively passed and raised to the second and third degree as required. Also the Lodge is always closed in the first degree, after it is progressively reduced to the first degree, except that the Scottish Constitution permits a Lodge to be closed (only) directly from a higher degree.

The Installation of the Master of the Lodge is done in a Board of Installed Masters, which in English and Indian Lodges is opened in the first degree, whereas in the Scottish Lodges is opened when the Lodge is in the Master Mason’s Degree. Hence, after the Installation is over in a Scottish Lodge, and the Board of Installed Masters is closed, the Lodge automatically resumes in the Master Mason’s degree. All Master Masons who were retired are re-admitted, the proclamation and salutations are done. The Lodge is reduced to the Fellow of the Craft degree, all Fellows of the Craft are readmitted, with proclamation and salutations again. The Lodge is then reduced to the Entered Apprentice degree and all Entered Apprentices are readmitted, with proclamation and salutations for the third time. Finally, the investiture of all the other officers takes place, and the Lodge is closed in the first degree.

At every Lodge meeting, just before closing, a charity box (more often a bag) is passed around and collections are made. This is an item on the agenda of the meeting, usually put down as “To honour the charity box”. The Deacons usually pass the bag around the Lodge, and while the bag is proffered to a person, the Deacon turns his face away, so as not to see the amount being deposited. The bags are then taken to the treasurer’s table, opened and counted and the total amount collected is announced. The amounts may not be great, but the fact that they are collected at every meeting, and deposited in the charity account of the Lodge every month, adds up to a fair sum for the year. At the end of the year, usually on the installations night, the donations for the year are announced. Under special circumstances, the charity fund may be drawn upon at any time during the year to provide particularly emergent relief, if it duly moved and approved in open Lodge.

Before I proceed with the degrees beyond the Craft, let me give you a look at the Freemasons Building in Bombay. The foundation stone of this building was laid in 1897, almost 168 years after Freemasonry first came to India (in 1729). The main temple – the Sandhurst Temple – was consecrated in 1899. This building has four temple rooms, and four dining halls. On any evening, at a time four Masonic meetings can be held simultaneously. One hall is the Main Hall, where all District or Provincial or Regional Grand Lodge meetings are held, as also the Installation Meetings of Lodges are held. The building also houses the Offices of the English District Grand Lodge of Bombay and Northern India, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Ireland in India, and the Regional Grand Lodge of Western India. The District Grand Lodge of India (Scottish) has it’s offices in another building close by. The building also has a good Library, and a Grand Masters’ Room. The Grand Masters’ Room is used by the District or Provincial or Regional Grand Masters most of the time, and by the Grand Masters (of any Constitution) when they visit India. The building also has a huge kitchen, where the banquets are prepared daily for the Lodges meeting on that day, and each individual lodge may have a different menu, depending on the individual preferences. As many of the diners are vegetarians, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are served.

This is a view of the Main Temple – the Sandhurst Temple as seen from the West, behind the SW’s chair. It can accommodate about 120 Masons. Some popular meetings have a bigger attendance and a row or two of extra chairs have to be put in the front row.

This is another view of the same hall, from the North-West corner of the hall. The checkered floor with the tessellated border and a blazing star in the center, is seen in the middle of the room, with the trestle-board in the south-west corner. There is a beautiful organ in the South, behind the Junior Warden’s chair. I may add that the ceiling (not seen) is blue in colour, with lights representing the Sun, and the Moon, and the ‘Bright Morning Star’ in their appropriate places. In addition, there are seven stars, in the form of the constellation of the Great Bear, with the pointers pointing to the North.

The Altar, as shown here, is in the East, immediately in front of the Worshipful Master’s table. This is the position in English and Indian Lodges. The Scottish Lodges have the Altar in the middle of the room. The Altar is on rollers, and can be moved from one location to another as required.

This is the organ behind the Junior Warden’s chair. The electric bellows are outside the room, where there is a small passage.

This building is located in South Bombay, right in the midst of the business locality. The magnificent Victoria Terminus, where the local suburban trains terminate, is just a stone’s throw away, making it easily accessible even for suburban brethren. Besides, this locality is also well served by the bus network from all over the huge city.

The Freemason’s Hall of Bombay, with its four temple rooms, is the meeting place for over a hundred and thirty Masonic bodies, drawn from all the four constitutions, most of them meeting every month, some once in two months, with a few meeting four times a year.

This table shows the number of different Masonic bodies under each of the four constitutions. The first column is English Constitution, the second is Irish, the third is Scottish and the fourth is Grand Lodge of India.

The Craft Lodges confer the three craft degrees, but all Scottish Craft Lodges also have the warrant to confer the Mark Master’s Degree. I took my Mark Degree from my Craft Lodge. In English and Indian constitutions, the Mark and the Royal Ark Mariner Degrees are under a different Grand body which alone has jurisdiction over these degrees. Besides, in English and Indian constitutions, it is not necessary to be a Mark Master to be exalted to the Royal Arch. One can become a Royal Arch mason once one has been raised to the third degree in a Craft Lodge. In Irish and Scottish constitutions, it is necessary to have taken the Mark degree to become a Royal Arch Mason. However, in both these constitutions, the Mark Lodge is not a separate body, but is attached to a Royal Arch Chapter, and meets only within the Royal Arch Chapter. Hence, they do not appear in the table. An Irish Royal Arch Mason needs to be a Mark Master before he can be exalted. Besides, the Irish Royal Arch is completely different degree from the other three constitutions. It’s legend is based not on the re-building of the Temple after the Babylonish captivity, but much earlier, when some major repairs were undertaken to the Temple. The three principals, which in other constitutions are Zerubbabel, Haggai, and Joshua are not the Principals in an Irish Chapter, which has The Excellent King, The High Priest and The Chief Scribe as the principals (in that order!), collectively addressed as The King and Council.

The Scottish Royal Arch Chapter is another story. To be a Scottish Royal Arch Mason, one has to be a Mark Master, and an Excellent Master. Both these degrees can be taken in Lodges attached to a Scottish Chapter. If the candidate has already taken the Mark Degree in a Craft Lodge, that is acceptable. I may mention here that the Excellent Masters degree is not to be confused with the Most Excellent Masters Degree of the York Rites. Briefly, it consists of the ceremonial of passing the veils, which is a part of the Exaltation in the York Rites, as also in the Irish Royal Arch. In Scottish usage, this is a separate degree. Scottish Royal Arch Constitution also has jurisdictions over a few other degrees beyond the Royal Arch, and may optionally have Lodges and Councils attached to a parent chapter to confer these additional degrees after the Royal Arch.

A full-fledged Scottish Royal Arch Chapter has these bodies attached to it. The Supreme Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland has jurisdiction over the working of these degrees. In India, the Supreme Grand Chapter has a local Grand Chapter – United Scottish Royal Arch Freemasonry in India and Ceylon (USRAFIC) on its rolls. Each of these attached bodies have their own officers and heads, who may not necessarily be the same as the Royal Arch Officers. This is why Scottish Mark and Royal Ark Mariner Lodges are not shown in the previous table, as in English and Indian Constitutions. Most of these degrees are equivalent to some of the York Rite Degrees, but we do not have them as a system of rites – governed by a central Grand Jurisdiction as is the case here in America. There are no bodies offering the Knight Templar Degrees.

One very popular Order in India is the Order of the Secret Monitor, or the Order of the Brotherhood of David and Jonathan. The Conclaves of this order in India are governed by the District Grand Conclave of Bombay and Northern India under the authority of The Supreme Grand Conclave of England and Wales. I may mention that this Order is of Dutch origin, which was first brought to New Amsterdam (now New York) by the early Dutch settlers, from where it went to England and from England it spread to India, Australia and South Africa, where it flourishes, whereas it has practically disappeared here in the US. I am told that it has been brought under the jurisdiction of the American Allied Masonic Degrees. There are two degrees in this order, and the third is the Installation degree. One is inducted as a Brother of David and Jonathan, and then received as a Prince of the Order. On being elected to the chair, one is Installed and Commissioned as the Worthy Supreme Ruler of a Conclave.

The Allied Masonic Degrees is another Order which has four councils in India, one being in Bombay. They are directly under the Supreme Grand Council in London, there being no District level Grand body here. The degrees conferred under this Order are almost identical to the 5 degrees conferred here by the American Allied Masonic Degrees, namely St. Lawrence the Martyr, Knight of Constantinople, Grand Tilers of Solomon, Red Cross of Babylon and The Grand High Priest.

I have very little information of the other two Orders, as I am not a member in these. These are Christian Orders and open only to those who believe in the Christian Trinity. Very briefly – the Rose Croix is of the Princes of Rose Croix of Heredom of Ancient and Accepted Rite for England and Wales. There are three Chapters operating in India, one in Calcutta, one in Bombay and one in Pune.

The Order of the Roman Eagle is a Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine, and the Appendant Orders of the Holy Sepulchre and of St. John the Evangelist, acting under the Authority of the Grand Imperial Conclave in London. Till recently, there was only one Conclave operating outside Europe in Bombay, but last year one was consecrated in Thailand.

Regular Freemasonry in India is an all-male affair. There are none of the Appendant bodies admitting ladies operating in India. There are however other organizations, purporting to be Masonic, which admit ladies. The regular Masonic bodies do not have any connections with them, and would like to believe that they do not exist.

Now I come to some interesting parts of my presentation – the spice that makes the Indian Curry distinctively different from the soup or the stew. Just as the spices used to make the Indian curry have a wide and varied flavour and taste, so does the multiplicity of the cultures, languages and religions go to make up Freemasonry in India. Here in our Lodges, one can find Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Sikhs, Christians, Jews, Jains, Buddhists – you name it, all sitting side by side. All our rituals are conducted in English, with the exception of one Lodge in Hyderabad, under the Grand Lodge of India, which is the only Lodge in the world that conducts it’s rituals in Urdu. Urdu is one of the over 100 recognized Indian languages, and is also the National language of Pakistan. And come to the festive board, and one will find conversations in many languages, depending on who is talking and who is not listening.

In almost every Lodge in India, irrespective of the Constitution, there are five Volumes of Sacred Law, opened side by side, upon the Altar. Yes! Our Altars are big enough for that! The Square and the Compasses are placed in the manner of the Degree on either the Bible, or on that holy book which the Worshipful Master of the Lodge holds in reverence. Or, if there is a candidate to be obligated, it may in some Lodges, be placed on the Volume of the candidate’s faith. At times, it so happens that a candidate not subscribing to any of the above faith has to be obligated. In such cases, the candidate is asked to bring his own book of his faith, which is then also placed on the Altar, side by side with the other books.

On account of the several cultural and religious differences, a certain amount of trivial laxity is usually tolerated in our Lodges. For instance, when a prayer is being recited, it is normal for a Christian to uncover his head. Quite to the contrary, in quite a few other faiths, it is considered improper to have the head uncovered during prayers. So, during the recitation of the prayers, some orthodox heads get covered. After the obligation, when the ritual requires the Worshipful Master to say "... you will now seal this obligation by kissing the Volume of Sacred Law ...", it is not uncommon in India for the Master to say "... you will seal this obligation on the Volume of Sacred Law in a manner most binding on your conscience ...". Because the manner of reverencing the Volume of Sacred Law is very different for each individual, and some dare not touch their lips on the Volume of Sacred Law. It is very interesting to observe the several different ways that are "most binding".