Which is the Standard Meridian of India?

Key Points

• The Standard Meridian of India is 82º30ʹ E.
• This meridian passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and is the reference for Indian Standard Time (IST).
• Indian Standard Time is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+5:30).
• The selection of this meridian helps in maintaining a uniform time across India, despite its vast longitudinal extent.

Additional Information

• India spans approximately 30 degrees of longitude, from 68º7ʹ E to 97º25ʹ E.
• The concept of a standard meridian helps in avoiding confusion caused by having multiple local times.
• The decision to adopt 82º30ʹ E as the Standard Meridian was made during the era of British India to ensure uniformity in timekeeping across the country.
• Before this standardization, different regions followed their own local time, leading to inconsistencies.