The Rajputana Rifles is the oldest rifle regiment of the

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- ...

. It was originally a part 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 ...

, when six previously existing regiments were amalgamated to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles. In 1945, the numeral designation was dropped from the title and in 1947 the regiment was transferred to the newly independent

. Since independence, the regiment has been involved in a number of conflicts against Pakistan, as well as contributing to the Custodian Force (India) in Korea under the aegis of the United Nations in 1953–54 and to the UN Mission to the Congo in 1962. As a rifle regiment, it uses a bugle horn as its insignia, the same as the British

Light Division The Light Division was a light infantry division of the British Army. Its origins lay in "Light Companies" formed during the late 18th century, to move at speed over inhospitable terrain and protect a main force with skirmishing tactics. These ...

, but unlike its British counterparts, the Rajputana Rifles march at the same march pace used in the Indian Army as a whole.

Etymology

The name Rajputana Rifles is derived from northwest, and the word

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 ...

, a historic region in northwest India that is roughly coextensive with the modern Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, as well as small sections of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. It is based on the word ''Rajaputra'', meaning "son of a king, which came in 6th century. The name Rajputana means "land of the Rajputs". The

Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad Gujarat. ...

crosses the southern part of the region from northeast to southwest. The northwestern part is largely the

Thar desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...

, but to the southeast, the land is extremely fertile. Rajput power rose here between the 6th and 13th centuries, and the princes resisted the early Muslim incursions, which began in the 11th century. Rajput power reached its peak in the early 15th century, but the area fell to the Mughals when

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

captured the

Chittor Fort The Chittorgarh (literally Chittor Fort), also known as Chittod Fort, is one of the largest forts in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day city of Chittorgarh. It sprawls o ...

in 1568. But the Rajputana was safe due to mutual understanding with mughals.From their seat at

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...

the Mughals ruled Rajputana until the early 18th century. The

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

s held feudatories in the region from c. 1750 to 1818, when it passed to Great Britain. When Britishers came Rajputs did treaty.The Rajput princely states came under British protection by treaties in the early 19th century; most of the area was formed into Rajasthan state in 1948. Under the British, Rajputana included more than 20 princely states, notably

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Formerly the capital of ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

Jodhpur Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the Ki ...

Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...

, and

. The internal autonomy of many of the states was guaranteed.

Recruitment

The Rajputana Rifles is a multi class regiment from niet region . 50% recruits from the

Jats The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and subse ...

and 50% from

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

which are recruited in equal proportion.

Lineage

The regiment's origins lie in the 18th century when the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

(HEIC) recruited

to protect its operations. The impressive performance of French local units which were composed of local recruits mixed with French officers, helped the HEIC to decide that it needed to do something similar. In January 1775, it raised its first local infantry units which included the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys, which is considered to be the oldest rifle regiment of the Indian Army. The 5th Battalion was successively redesignated as 9th Battalion Bombay Sepoys in 1778; 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in 1796; 4th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry in 1824, and then 4th Regiment Native Infantry (Rifle Corps) in 1881.Britishempire.co.uk - 104th Wellesley's Rifles
/ref> It thus became the first rifle regiment of the

. In 1899 the battalion was once more renamed as 4th Regiment (1st Battalion Rifle Corps) Bombay Infantry and again in 1901 as 4th Bombay Rifles. In Kitchener's 1903 reorganisation of the Indian Army, 4th Bombay Rifles became 104th Wellesley's Rifles, to commemorate the fact that the regiment had been commanded in 1800 by Arthur Wellesley (later the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

). In the further re-organisation in 1921, six regiments were brought together to form six battalions of the 6th Rajputana Rifles Regiment:

*1st Battalion -

104th Wellesley's Rifles The 104th Wellesley's Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1775, when they were raised as the 5th Battalion, Bombay Sepoys and presently its designation is 3 Guards (1 Rajputana Rifles) o ...

*2nd Battalion -

120th Rajputana Infantry The 120th Rajputana Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1817, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 10th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The regiments first action was ...

*3rd Battalion -

122nd Rajputana Infantry The 122nd Rajputana Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1818, when they were raised as the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry. The regiments first action was duri ...

*4th Battalion -

123rd Outram's Rifles The 123rd Outram's Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. History It traced its origins to the 12th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, part of the British East India Company's Bombay Army. It fought in the Battle of Khadki ...

*5th Battalion -

125th Napier's Rifles The 125th Napier's Rifles was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. At various points in history it was also known as the 1st Extra Battalion Bombay Native Infantry, the 25th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry (1826–1889) and the 25th ...

*10th (Training) Battalion -

13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment) The 13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment) was an infantry regiment of the Bengal Army, and later of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to the Shekhawati Regiment raised in 1835, as part of the Jaipur contingent of the Honour ...

. *18th Battalion - (

Saurashtra Rifles Saurashtra may refer to: * Saurashtra (region), also known as Sorath, a region of Gujarat, India ** Kathiawar, Kathiawar Peninsula, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathia ...

) In 1945 the regiments of the

dropped the numeral in their titles and so the Rajputana Rifles assumed its current name. In 1947 after the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

the regiment was allocated to the newly formed

. In 1949, the 1st battalion was transferred to the newly raised Brigade of the Guards, becoming the 3rd battalion, Brigade of the Guards.

History

In 1817 the 4th battalion met the Marathas at the Battle of Khadki. The defence earned the regiment the battle honor of "Khadki". In 1856–57 the 1st, 2nd, and 4th battalions were together in the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

theatre of operations. In 1856 Capt.

John Augustus Wood Colonel John Augustus Wood VC (10 June 1818 – 23 January 1878) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...

of the 2nd battalion (then the 20th Bombay Native Infantry) was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for storming Bushire Fort. This was the first Victoria Cross to be won in an Indian unit. Sub. Maj Mohammed Sharief and Sub. Peer Bhatt were recommended for the Victoria Cross for their actions in the same battle but were turned down as at that time the medal category was not open to Indians. In 1878–1880, during the Second Afghan War, the 1st battalion marched 145 miles in 5 days from

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

and laid siege to the city. In 1900–1902, the 3rd battalion was part of a force used to contain the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones 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 ...

saw the regiment fight in battlefields from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. The 5th battalion was in all theatres of the war and participated in

General Allenby Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in the First World ...

’s march to recapture

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the regiment was expanded to thirteen battalions and served in the Middle East, Burma and Malaya. The 4th battalion had the distinction of earning two Victoria Crosses during this conflict.Sharma 1990, p. 106. Over the course of its existence, members of the regiment have received six

es, two

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

es, one Param Vir Chakra, three

Ashok Chakra Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

s, one Padma Bhushan, fourteen Param Vishisht Seva Medals, ten Maha Vir Chakras, eleven

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

s, 18

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...

s, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 50 Vir Chakras, 28 Shaurya Chakras, 122 Sena Medals (including Bar), 39

Vishisht Seva Medal The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) is a decoration of the Indian Armed Forces. It is awarded to recognize "distinguished service of a high order" to all ranks of the Indian Armed Forces. From 1980, the Yudh Seva Medal was introduced to recognize excep ...

s, three Yudh Seva Medals, 85 Mentions-in-Dispatches and 55

Arjun Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

s.Sharma 1990, p. 97. and

Units

*2nd Battalion (formerly

) *3rd Battalion (formerly

) *4th Battalion (formerly

) *5th Battalion (formerly

) *6th Battalion (Param Vir Chakra Paltan) *7th Battalion (Mynamati Battalion) *8th Battalion *9th Battalion *11th Battalion *12th Battalion (formerly 31st Rajputana Rifles) *13th Battalion *14th Battalion *15th Battalion *16th Battalion *17th Battalion (former Imperial Service Troops) * 18th Battalion (former Saurashtra Rifles

Nawanagar State Forces Nawanagar may refer to: *Nawanagar, Bihar, a village in Buxur district, Bihar, India * Nawanagar State, a former princely state in Gujarat, India *Jamnagar Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of ...

) *19th Battalion *20th Battalion *21st Battalion *22nd Battalion * 9 Rashtriya Rifles * 18 Rashtriya Rifles * 43 Rashtriya Rifles * 57 Rashtriya Rifles Others: *1st Battalion is now 3rd Battalion, Brigade of the Guards *18th Battalion is now 11th Mechanised Infantry Regiment *23rd Battalion was transformed in 2013 into the 23rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment *105 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajputana Rifles – Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi *128 Infantry Battalion (TA) Rajputana Rifles Eco - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Alliances

* - The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment; 5th Bn

Rajputana Rifles Regimental Museum

The Rajputana Rifles Regimental Museum in the Rajputana Rifles Centre is located inside the Delhi Cantonment. The museum covers the rich history of the regiment in the most modern fashion. The museum is around 7000 square feet in size and covers the history of the regiment from its inception. The museum exhibits weapons and uniforms and narrates the history through large format images and audiovisual film. The museum was designed and conceived by Holistic Design a Delhi-based design studio headed by Nikhil Bhardwaj who specializes in designing museums and exhibitions. Col. M. S. Niranjan of the 19th battalion was the director of the museum project. It is rated as the finest military museum in India and even compared to the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

in London.

Gallantry Awards

*Lt. Col. (Brig.) Raghubir Singh Rajawat (vet. 1965 & 1971). Mahavir Chakra (1965 war), 18th Rajputana Rifles *Coy Hav. Maj.

Piru Singh Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawat (20 May 1918 – 18 July 1948) was an Indian Army non-commissioned officer, awarded the Param Vir Chakra (PVC), India's highest military decoration 3245. Singh enrolled in the British Indian Army ...

- Param Vir Chakra, 6 Raj Rif *Coy. Hav. Maj.

Chhelu Ram Chhelu Ram VC (10 May 1905 – 20 April 1943) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was born to ...

, 6 Raj Rif * Maj.

Padmapani Acharya Major Padmapani Acharya, MVC (21 June 1969 – 28 June 1999) was an officer in the Indian Army. He was awarded the second highest Indian military honour, Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his actions during the Kargil War on 28 June 1999. ...

- Maha Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif * Maj. Vivek Gupta - Maha Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif *Nk.

Digendra Kumar Digendra Kumar MVC, SM (born 3 July 1969) is a former soldier of the 2nd battalion of the Rajputana Rifles regiment of the Indian army. He was awarded the Mahavir Chakra on 15 August 1999, for his acts of bravery in the Kargil War. He retired ...

- Maha Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif * Capt. Neikezhakuo Kenguruse - Maha Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif * Hav. Rajesh Kumar - Ashoka Chakra, 11 Raj Rif * Nk.

Neeraj Kumar Singh Naik (military rank), Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh, Ashoka Chakra (military decoration), AC was a Non-commissioned officer, Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the Indian Army who was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration), Ashok ...

- Ashoka Chakra, 13 Raj Rif * Capt. Umaid Singh - Ashoka Chakra, 19 Raj Rif * Capt. (Later Col)

Karni Singh Rathore Karni Singh Rathore (1953–2005) was a colonel in the Indian Army and recipient of the Kirti Chakra award. Career Col. Karni Singh Rathore was commissioned as an officer in the 7th Rajputana Rifles, in which his father had also served, an ...

, 17 Raj Rif, (Sawaiman Guards) * Maj (Later Brig) JK Tomar - Vir Chakra, 9 Raj Rif
Capt. Vijayant Thapar
- Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif *Col. Daljit Singh Randhawa -

, Vishisht Seva Medal, 5/6 Raj Rif *Lt. Gen.

Abhay Krishna Lieutenant General Abhay Krishna, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC is a retired officer of Indian Army. He served as General officer commanding#Usage in the Indian Army, General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Central Command (India), Cen ...

- Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal *Col.

Magod Basappa Ravindranath Colonel Magod Basappa Ravindranath VrC was an Indian Army officer. He was awarded the Vir Chakra for his actions in the Battle of Tololing during Kargil War in 1999. He was commanding the Indian Army's 2 Rajputana Rifles battalion that successf ...

- Vir Chakra, 2 Raj Rif *Capt. Mohammed Haneef Uddin - Vir Chakra, 11 Raj Rif *Maj.Gen Shivkaran Alok Dubey Yudh Seva medal, Maha Vir Chakra, 22 Raj Rif * Hav. Sugan Singh Maha Vir Chakra, 7 RAJ RIF *LNK NO 20976 IDSM 4TH OUTRMN'S RAJPUTANA RIFLES

References

* Singh, Colonel Dr Narendar (2019) 'Third Battalion The Rajputana Rifles 'Waffadar Paltan' Volume 1 1818-1920'' (New Delhi: Pentagon Press) * Singh, Colonel Dr Narendar (2020) 'Third Battalion The Rajputana Rifles 'Gods Own' Volume 2 1921-2018'' (New Delhi: Pentagon Press) * Brigadier Raghubir Singh Rajawat; https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/ww-2-veteran-and-mvc-recipient-in-1965-war%C2%A0brig-raghubir-singh%C2%A0passes-away-at-99-267922

External links

Rajputana Rifles on globalsecurity.org
{{Indian Army Infantry Regiments Military units and formations established in 1775 British Indian Army infantry regiments R Rifle regiments Units of the Indian Peace Keeping Force