Indian Army's Most Decorated Unit Turns 125

The Indian Army's 2/5 Gorkha Rifles battalion turns 125 today. Going by the motto Shauryam Evam Nishtha (courage and determination), the unit was raised in Abbottabad, present day Pakistan (yes, the same one). Commentator and columnist Maj Gen (Retd) Ashok K. Mehta, who belongs to the unit, has this column today. Many felicitations to the unit on this very special day.
Livefist: Indian Army's Most Decorated Unit Turns 125

125 years? So they fought against the motherland as well as for it?

Gorkha Rifles is just a name. It consists all kind of people and not only Gorkhas. Also, There are many Gorkhas who are Indian and part of Army. Lots of Gorkhas living in Darjeeling area, Uttrakhand, H.P., etc.

That is right. Only gorkhas in Gorkha Regiment, Sikh or Rajputs in Sikh/Rajput regiment may have been a case in British times when these regiments were first created. Now the names do not imply much other than symbolism and some ideology/traditions in the respective regiments perhaps.

Regards,
Virendra

Actually they are not Gorkhas..rather Kumaonis and Garwhalis.

And I do believe the IA still maintians a bit of homogeneity in their regiments for the sake of espirit-de-corps.

Gorkhas are actually what is called Nepalis.

They are of two types.

Indian Domicile

Nepal Domicile

They are not Kumaonis or Garhwalis!

Till lately, they were caste based (Nepali), but it is no longer so!

5 Gorkha Rifles was originally raised as the 25th Punjab Infantry (or the Hazara Gorkha Battalion) on 22 May 1858 at Abbotabad. Later rechristened as 5th Gorkha (Rifle) in 1891, the Regiment has since acquitted itself with a dazzling record of military victories, valour and array of awards not forgetting the unique feature of winning two Victoria Cross on a single day. It is the only Regiment to have won nine Victoria Crosses in the Great Wars and has 49 battle honours to its credit. It saw hard fought actions in the scorched deserts of Gallipoli and Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) and rugged clime of Afghanistan during the First World War with an enviable martial account. The British conferred the title 'Royal' on the Regiment in 1921 in recognition of its superlative combat services in the Great War. The Second World War too bore the testimony of sustained military glories with the 'Fighting Fifth' fighting their way through Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Italy, Lebanon, Burma, Java, Malaya and Siam. In the post independence era, the battalions of the Regiment continued with their forays in all the wars with ??lan and heroism now typical to the Regiment.

In the Hyderabad action the Regiment claimed one Ashoka Chakra. Zojila pass was captured paving the way for link up with Leh in 1948 and Dera Baba Nanak Bridge was captured in 1965. The 1971 war with Pakistan yet again endorsed the stoic resilience and fortitude of the Regiment when a battalion executed the first ever heli-borne operations well behind the enemy lines, where it fought one of the fiercest battles in Sylhet. Concurrently, another battalion captured 'Sehjra Bridge' in Bangladesh. On the Western frontier infiltration was undertaken in the Chicken Neck Sector with a masterly technique that completely surprised the enemy. The Regiment was honoured with four MVCs together with five Battle Honours. In the IPKF Operations in Sri Lanka the Regiment earned one Maha Vir Chakra and two Vir Chakras. The eminent personalities associated with the Regiment include Lt. Gen. (retd.) Z.C. Bakshi, PVSM, MVC, VrC, VSM, till date considered one of the highly decorated fighting Generals and Lt. Gen. (retd.) S.K. Sinha, PVSM, ADC the former Vice Chief of Army Staff, Ambassador of Nepal and Governor of Assam.

But the Gorkha regiments do consist of the Garwhalis and Kumaonis...

Baddest of all the badasses out there.8)