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The British raised the Jodphur Legion in 1836 at Erinpura Cantonment in the north-east of the
Sirohi State Kingdom of Sirohi or later Sirohi State (in colonial time) was an independent Hindu state in present-day Rajasthan state of India. The state was founded in 1311 CE and lasted for six centuries until its peaceful dissolution in 1949 CE, when i ...
,
Rajputana Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...
, on the left bank of the Jawai River, about 6 miles from Erinpura Road. The Legion consisted of three troops of cavalry and eight companies of infantry, with two 9-pounder guns. The infantry were Poorbias. In 1841 the Legion added three more companies, but these were drawn from the
Bhil people Bhil or Bheel is an ethnic group in western India. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages. As of 2013, Bhils were the largest tribal group in India. Bhils are listed as tribal people of the s ...
. Each cavalry troop consisted of two native officers, eight non-commissioned officers (NCOs), 72 troopers, and a trumpeter. Each infantry company consisted of two native officers, 12 NCOs, and 80 privates. Each of the Bhil companies consisted of two native officers, 12 NCOs, and 70 men. The two guns were drawn by camels and manned from the infantry. The legion, especially the cavalry portion of it, had a good reputation for efficiency. The Legion, except for the three Bhil companies, joined the
Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
against the British. (Purbiyas constituted a large part of the Bengal Army and played a major role in the rebellion.) The Legion mutinied on 23 August 1857. The three Bhil companies formed the nucleus of the Erinpoorah (or Erinpura) Irregular Force, established in 1860.


Notes, citations, and references

Notes Citations References *Singh, Zabar (1970) "Mutiny of the Jodhpur Legion (1857)", ''Proceedings of the Indian History Congress'', Vol. 32, VOLUME II (1970), pp. 73-78. * {{cite book , last=Sheoran , first=Singh , title=Gallant Haryana : the first and crucial battlefield of AD 1857 , publisher=Routledge , publication-place=London , year=2019 , isbn=978-0-367-33826-8 , oclc=1105073353 British Indian Army infantry regiments Honourable East India Company regiments Military units and formations established in 1836 Bengal Presidency