The British raised the Jodphur Legion in 1836 at Erinpura Cantonment in the north-east of the Sirohi State,

Rajputana Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...

, on the left bank of the

Jawai River The Jawai River originates in the hills of Goriya village, situated in Bali tehsil of Pali district, near the border of Pali and Udaipur districts. Sukri river is its main tributary. The river flows in a north-west direction for about , befor ...

, 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 refer to the various indigenous groups inhabiting western India, including parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and are also found in distant places such as Bengal and Tripura. Though they now speak the Bhili language, an Indo-A ...

. 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 Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

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