The 8th Rajputs was an infantry battalion of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

. They could trace their origins to 1798 when they were the 1st Battalion, 30th Bengal Native Infantry. Over the years the regiment became known by a number of different titles. The 59th Bengal Native Infantry 1824–1861, the 8th Bengal Native Infantry 1861–1897, the 8th (Rajput) Bengal Infantry 1897–1901, the 8th Rajput Infantry 1901–1903 and finally the 8th Rajputs after the

Kitchener reforms The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

of the Indian Army. During this time the regiment took part in the First Afghan War, the

First Sikh War A Sikh War may mean: *The Mughal-Sikh Wars *The Afghan–Sikh Wars *The Gurkha-Sikh War (1809) *The Sino-Sikh War (1841-1842) *The First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–1846) *The Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military con ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After World War I the Indian Government reformed the Indian Army again, moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. The 8th Rajputs now became the 4th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment. After Indian gained independence in 1947, this was one of the regiments allocated to the new

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

References

* British Indian Army infantry regiments Honourable East India Company regiments Military units and formations established in 1798 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Bengal Presidency {{India-mil-unit-stub