The Rajputana Rifles is the oldest

rifle regiment A rifle regiment is a military unit consisting of a regiment of infantry troops armed with rifles and known as riflemen. While all infantry units in modern armies are typically armed with rifled weapons the term is still used to denote regiments ...

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, 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

, 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 s ...

, as well as small sections of

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

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 nin ...

. 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 Gujar ...

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 Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's 20th-largest desert, a ...

, 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 The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

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, H ...

captured the Chittor Fort 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 ...

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 ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known as ...

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 ...

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

, 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 pastoralism, pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval time ...

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 Sout ...

(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 British Indian Army. 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 o ...

). 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 *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 *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 British Indian Army 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 The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...

, becoming the 3rd battalion, Brigade of the Guards.

History

In 1817 the 4th battalion met the

Marathas 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 ...

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 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 Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antio ...

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 Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

, the 1st battalion marched 145 miles in 5 days from

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

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a 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 of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

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, b ...

in China.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

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 regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

to Palestine. The 5th battalion was in all theatres of the war and participated in General Allenby’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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...

, three Ashok Chakras, one

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished servi ...

, fourteen

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) ( IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...

s, ten

Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) () is the second highest military decoration in India, after the Param Vir Chakra, and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. It replaced the ...

s, eleven Kirti Chakras, 18 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 50

Vir Chakra Vir Chakra (pronunciation: ʋ iː ɾ a tʃ a kɾa) is an Indian wartime military bravery award presented for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy on the battlefield and is third in precedence in wartime gallantry awards and ...

s, 28

Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, sometimes posthumousl ...

s, 122

Sena Medal The Sena Medal is awarded to members of the Indian army, of all ranks, "for such individual acts of exceptional devotion to duty or courage as have special significance for the Army." Awards may be made posthumously and a bar is authorized for s ...

s (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 exc ...

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, on ...

s.Sharma 1990, p. 97. and

Units

*2nd Battalion (formerly 120th Rajputana Infantry) *3rd Battalion (formerly

) *4th Battalion (formerly

) *5th Battalion (formerly 125th Napier's Rifles) *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 The Imperial Service Troops were forces raised by the princely states of the British Indian Empire. These troops were available for service alongside the Indian Army when such service was requested by the British government. At the beginning of ...

) * 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,

*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 -

, 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 -

, 2 Raj Rif * Maj. Vivek Gupta -

, 2 Raj Rif *Nk. Digendra Kumar -

, 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 ...

- Kirti Chakra, 17 Raj Rif, (Sawaiman Guards) * Maj (Later Brig) JK Tomar - Vir Chakra, 9 Raj Rif
Capt. Vijayant Thapar
-

, 2 Raj Rif *Col. Daljit Singh Randhawa -

, Vishisht Seva Medal, 5/6 Raj Rif *Lt. Gen. Abhay Krishna - Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal,

, Vishisht Seva Medal *Col. Magod Basappa Ravindranath -

, 2 Raj Rif *Capt. Mohammed Haneef Uddin -

, 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