Garhwal Rifles

Garhwalis, the people of Garhwal Hills, have always been known for their hardiness. Garhwal consists almost entirely of rugged mountain ranges running in all directions, and separated by narrow valleys which in some cases become deep gorges or ravines. The only level portion of the region is a narrow strip of waterless forest between the southern slopes of the hills and the fertile plains of Rohilkhand.

Millions of young boys were known to leave their mountain villages of Uttarakhand in search of good fortune or a better life than in the hills. Brave Uttarakhandi soldiers of the bygone era were originally bhagoras (deserters) of their village. Since time immemorial, the running away of village boys from the hills in search of wonderland has been a common practice. In fact it has become a tradition in Uttarakhand, which still continues unabated. The sole source of solace for the hills has been the Indian army. Most appropriately, it is the only institution that has somehow been able to check the migration of village youth. Paharis have always played a formidable role in defending the frontiers of India. Twenty-three battalions of Garhwal Rifles and nineteen battalions of the Kumaon Regiment clearly reflects the participation of hill people in the defence forces.

"Garhwal" is the the land of many ‘Garhs’ meaning forts. This region was made up of many small forts which were ruled by chieftains. Garhwal originally consisted of 52 petty chieftainships, each chief with his own independent fortress (garh). The rulers of Garhwal remained independent and repeatedly expelled the attacks of the Mughal rulers of Delhi. During the 19th century, the Gurkhas attacked Garhwal and drove the rulers of Garhwal down to the plains. Thereafter the rulers of Garhwal took the help of the British forces in India and regained their kingdom. The rulers of Garhwal gave away 60% of their kingdom for the support the British gave them in driving back the Gurhkas.

Lansdowne is the most notable, albeit small, hill station in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal. It is situated 45 km from Kotdwar en route Kotdwar–Pauri road in the Pauri Garhwal district. The famous Garhwal Rifles of the Indian Army has its command office here. They have maintained the old-world charm of the 19th century and the place is still an ideal getaway. It was founded by Lord Lansdowne in 1887 AD thus being named after him.

The Garhwal Rifles was raised in 1887, to give the Garhwali hillmen their own regiment. This was propagated by Field Marshal Sir FS Roberts VC, who realised that many Garhwalis had served in Gurkha regiments, and a large proportion of the early awards to Gurkha regiments were actually won by Garhwalis. In the First World War, the Garhwal Rifles had one of the finest fighting records of any regiment in the Indian army. As a result of their outstanding bravery in France and Flanders, the Garhwal Rifles was the only Indian Infantry regiment given the title of Royal.

The regiment fell into disfavor with the British because a detachment of Garhwali troops employed at Peshawar refused to open fire on unarmed civilians. In April 1930 at Peshawar, a part of a battalion of The Royal Garhwal Rifles mutinied and did not open fire against nationalist satyagrahis who were were protesting for the unlawful arrest of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. The soldiers of the 2/18 Garhwal Rifles under the leadership of Chandra Singh Garhwali refused to fire upon the non-violent Pathan demonstrators, in spite of the communal instigation by their British officers. A total of 67 soldiers and others were punished, some receiving life imprisonment. A court martial found 17 Garhwali troops guilty and these were sentenced to various terms of transportation for life and lesser forms of imprisonment. This incident galvanised the entire freedom movement.

After the formation of India in 1947 and the subsequent merger of the various states in India at the time, the Garhwal Rifles was merged in with the Indian Army. Soldiers from this unit were among the first to receive the Victoria Cross - the highest decoration for a soldier in the British Army.

The Garhwal Rifles' played a significant role in the India-China War of 1962. The sacrifice along the frontier of Garhwali lives was enormous, as the Indian Army was ill-prepared for the rapidly advancing Chinese. Badly equipped for high altitude combat, short on supplies, and reconnaissance of the enemy, the Indian troops struggled valiantly onward, despite fighting a loosing war to both the invaders and frostbite. Indeed, one battalion of the Garhwal Rifles was captured, and many widows were made of the short, but bloody engagement.

The Garhwal Rifles had the proud privilege of playing a decisive role in dislodging Pakistani forces and recapturing Tiger Hill during the Kargil conflict. The Chief of Army Staff made a special instant award of "Unit Citation" to 18th Battalion, The Garhwal Rifles for their meritorious and gallant performance during the battles of Point 5140 on night 19/20 June and Point 4700 on night 27/28 June 1999, in Dras Sector. The unit performed with distinction during Operation "VIJAY" and displayed exemplary valour and grit in the face of the enemy.

The overall performance of 18th Battalion, The Garhwal Rifles [along with 13th Battalion, The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles] was exceptional and marked with exemplary valour and grit in the face of the enemy. The brave troops of a battalion of The Garhwal Rifles have captured three more positions North of Point 4927, viz, BumpI, II and III on night 08/09 July 1999. 18th Battalion, The Garhwal Rifles also acquitted itself with distinction in the battles of Point 5140 on night 19/20 June and Point 4700 on night 27/28 June 1999. The peak had been held by approximately 30 Pakistan soldiers along with some militants as a composite task force. While the enemy suffered heavy casualties, 11 other ranks from the Garhwal Rifles were also killed. Capt. Sumit Roy was lost in heavy artillery exchange with the enemy.

With so many families in the hills of Garhwal and Kumaon who have sons (and daughters) in the military, the conflict in Kashmir has taken a heavy toll. The Garhwal Rifles, as well as other Himalayan regiments (the Gurkha Rifles, Ladakh Scouts, Naga Regiments, and Jammu and Kashmir Infantry) were all entrusted with operations in Kargil in 1999. They joined their Sikh, Rajasthani, Mahar, and Bihari brothers as a multicultural and multifaith force on the frontlines, suffering the brunt of casualities in defense of the state.

A special team of the Indian Army successfully removed 800 kg of environmentally hazardous garbage from the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, a renowned world heritage site closed for visitors since 1982. The 40-member team of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment successfully scaled the India's second highest peak. Nanda Devi, and collected the non-biodegradable garbage left behind by previous expeditions in the 2000-sq kin bio-reserve. The team scaled the 7,817-meter peak in September 2001 and collected the garbage through the expedition. The peak, even though isn't one of the highest 20 peaks in the world, at one point in time, enjoyed the singular status of being the highest mountain in the British empire - the reason being the Mount Everest lay in Nepal and K2 lay in the princely state of Kashmir.