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1815. Over time they have served in all theatres of war and won many military decorations. Here are some facts about the most respected regiment of the Indian Army.
Reuters
1. So impressed were the British by the fighting skills and valour of the Gorkha soldiers in the Anglo Nepal War of 1814-16, that they were quick to integrate them in the British Indian Army.
Indian Army
2. They weren’t raised as the Gorkha Regiment however. Instead it was called the Nasiri Regiment. The regiment was later renamed 1st King George’s Own Gurkha Rifles.
Reuters
3. After India’s Independence, six regiments, the 1 GR, 3 GR, 4 GR, 5 GR, 8 GR and 9 GR were retained in the Indian Army, while 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army.
Reuters
4. Another regiment was raised by the Indian Army, the 11 GR, to accommodate the soldiers who refused to be transferred to the British Army.
Military Photos
5. The Gorkha units are some of the most decorated in the Army. They have played an important role in all the wars and have won Battle Honours in Uri sector in 1947-48, Ladakh in 1962, Jammu and Kashmir in 1965 and 1971. They were also a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.
Reuters
6. The Gorkha Regiments have been awarded 3 Param Vir Chakras, 33 Maha Vir Chakras, and 84 Vir Chakras during operations.
7. The Regimental Insignia of all the Gorkha Rifles Regiments consists of a pair of crossed khukris. The khukri is a curved Nepalese knife which all Gorkha Rifles soldiers carry as a personal weapon.
Reuters
8. The Gorkha Regiment also has a tradition of sacrificing a male buffalo on the festival of Dusshera. The head of the buffalo has to be severed in one clean sweep of the khukri. Usually the youngest member of the unit gets the privilege.
Reuters
9. Field Marshal Manekshaw, who’s parent unit was 12th Frontier Force Regiment that moved to the Pakistani Army, became a part of the 8 GR. He would later become the Colonel of the regiment of the unit. He once famously said “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gorkha.”
Reuters
10. The war cry of the Gorkha Regiments is ‘Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali’ which translates to Hail Goddess Kali, The Gorkhas Are Here.
11. Officers in the Gorkha Regiments of the Indian Army have to learn the Gorkhali language to be able to interact with their men in their native tongue.
Gurkha-antiques
12. The current Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh Suhag is also from the Gorkha Rifles. He was commissioned in 4/5 GR in 1974. And according to the 5 GR tradition, he wears his head gear with the strap below the lower lip. Other GR units wear the chin strap below the jaw.
Card image: idrw.org
Reuters
1. So impressed were the British by the fighting skills and valour of the Gorkha soldiers in the Anglo Nepal War of 1814-16, that they were quick to integrate them in the British Indian Army.
Indian Army
2. They weren’t raised as the Gorkha Regiment however. Instead it was called the Nasiri Regiment. The regiment was later renamed 1st King George’s Own Gurkha Rifles.
Reuters
3. After India’s Independence, six regiments, the 1 GR, 3 GR, 4 GR, 5 GR, 8 GR and 9 GR were retained in the Indian Army, while 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army.
Reuters
4. Another regiment was raised by the Indian Army, the 11 GR, to accommodate the soldiers who refused to be transferred to the British Army.
Military Photos
5. The Gorkha units are some of the most decorated in the Army. They have played an important role in all the wars and have won Battle Honours in Uri sector in 1947-48, Ladakh in 1962, Jammu and Kashmir in 1965 and 1971. They were also a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.
Reuters
6. The Gorkha Regiments have been awarded 3 Param Vir Chakras, 33 Maha Vir Chakras, and 84 Vir Chakras during operations.
7. The Regimental Insignia of all the Gorkha Rifles Regiments consists of a pair of crossed khukris. The khukri is a curved Nepalese knife which all Gorkha Rifles soldiers carry as a personal weapon.
Reuters
8. The Gorkha Regiment also has a tradition of sacrificing a male buffalo on the festival of Dusshera. The head of the buffalo has to be severed in one clean sweep of the khukri. Usually the youngest member of the unit gets the privilege.
Reuters
9. Field Marshal Manekshaw, who’s parent unit was 12th Frontier Force Regiment that moved to the Pakistani Army, became a part of the 8 GR. He would later become the Colonel of the regiment of the unit. He once famously said “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gorkha.”
Reuters
10. The war cry of the Gorkha Regiments is ‘Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali’ which translates to Hail Goddess Kali, The Gorkhas Are Here.
11. Officers in the Gorkha Regiments of the Indian Army have to learn the Gorkhali language to be able to interact with their men in their native tongue.
Gurkha-antiques
12. The current Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh Suhag is also from the Gorkha Rifles. He was commissioned in 4/5 GR in 1974. And according to the 5 GR tradition, he wears his head gear with the strap below the lower lip. Other GR units wear the chin strap below the jaw.
Card image: idrw.org
