In 1920’s, all military personnel were armed with rifles in a rifle regiment and thus known as a ‘rifle regiment’. Cannons or swords were the weapon of choice for most troops at the period but, men with rifles were the troops that served in rifle regiments. As with fighters, rifle regiments have their own traditions and the Rajput regiment is one such decorated troop.
It is the oldest regiment of Indian Army. Before the Muslim invaders dominated the country, the Rajputs resisted many intrusions. Even the Islamic invading forces, recognized the Rajputi courage and offered artificial partnerships with them as a result. Eventually, the Rajputs joined the British Indian Army before joining the Indian Army . It won’t be wrong to say that they come from the state of the bravest people in the world, Rajasthan!
About the Rajasthan Rifles
The restructuring of regiments that took place in 1922 was to merge six different regiments, wherein the thirteenth Rajput Infantry became the 10th battalion of the 6th Rajputana Rifles.
British Indian Army units lost the count from their titles in 1945, giving the Rajputana Rifles their existing identity. During British control, Rajputana included more than 20 princely kingdoms, including Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaipur, Bikaner and Ajmer. Rajputana Rifles is a regiment with a set class system. In addition, it features a roughly equal ratio of Rajputs to Jats. Each of the 3, 6, and 8 battalions has a Khemkhani company, while the 9th battalion has a Gujarati company from Saurashtra.
The regiment transferred to India’s newly constituted army, after India’s partition in 1947. First battalion moved to the newly formed Brigade of the Guards in 1949, where Rajputana Rifles became the third battalion.
The Rajput community was dispatched to assist the country as part of India’s war effort in Mesopotamia. The Indian third battalion fought against Kut-al-Amara and Qurna.
Also Read – History of 7 Most Famous Battles Of Rajasthan
Achievements
The Rajputs also received a great number of additional decorations and combat honours, and by the end of World War I the Rajputs held 37 battle honours, more than any other brigade in the Indian Army. In the pre-independence era, the Rajputana Rifles alone were the recipients of six Victoria Crosses. One of the recipients of the Param Vir Chakra is Major Piru Singh Shekhawat of the 6th Battalion of Rajputana rifles.
The Rajputana rifles fought+ in all the wars against Pakistan, including the Kargil War in the year 1999. First unit out of seven troops of the Indian Army got an official recognition for their gallantry and that consisted of Rajputana Rifles’ scouts. Whenever Rajputana Rifles were out in a war, they chanted a war cry and that is ‘Raja Ramchandra ki Jai’. They also had a unique slogan that was ‘Veer Bhogya Vasundhara’ meaning ‘The brave shall take over the Earth’.
Conclusion
Rajputana rifles has a distinguished heritage of bravery that has marked the most impactful stories in the history of India. One such place is Rajputana Rifles Center which has a museum that displays grandiose , located in the middle of the city of Delhi.
The museum is 7000 square feet in size and you’ll learn all the chronicles of the regiment from its origin to present day. Using the latest technology, the museum tells the glorious past of the oldest battalion in the most engaging way possible. On a larger scale, this museum is by far India’s best army museum!
Undoubtedly, Rajputana rifles regiment has always been the pride and inheritance of Rajasthan state. With so many stories of courage and always being ready to fight for the nation, Rajputana Rifles battalion has successfully made a mark in Indian history!
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