Regiments of Indian Army

What is Regiment?

The word Regiment comes from a Latin word ‘regimen’ which implies a rule or system of order and describes the Regiment’s functions of raising, equipping and training of troops. Every Regiment has its own characteristic colours, coat of arms, uniform and insignia. Each regiment is headed by the ‘Colonel of the Regiment’ and is nearly an officer of General rank who at once served within the Regiment, and is liable for the protection of the simplest interests of the Regiment.

In Indian Army, regiments are of two kind:

1. Infantry Regiments

2. Battalion-sized units of arms (armoured corps, artillary, engineers, etc)

There is huge number of Regiments present in the Indian Army. Let’s fathom some most important famous of them:

1. Rajputana Rifles

Regimental Insignia

One of the senior-most regiment and the oldest rifle regiment of Indian Army, originally raised in 1921 as a part of the British Indian Army and was transferred to the newly independent Indian Army in 1947. It is composed of troops mainly from the Rajput and Jat community.

• Motto: “Veer bhogya vasundhara” (The brave shall inherit the earth).

• War Cry: Raja Ramachandra ki jai (Victory to King Ramachandra).

• Nickname: RajRif

• Regimental Centre: Delhi Cantonment

• Regimental Song: Raj Rif ke veer hum

• Colonel of the regiment: Lt. Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon

Active From: 10 January 1775

2. Madras Regiment

Regimental Insignia

One of the oldest infantry regiments of Indian Army, originated in 1750s. After independence, the infantry battalions of the Travancore ‘Nair Pattalam’, Cochin and Mysore state forces united into the Madras regiment.
• Motto: “Swadharme Nidhanam Shreyaha” (It’s a glory to die doing one’s duty).
• War Cry: Veera Madrassi, Adi Kollu, Adi Kollu (Brave Madrassi, Strike and Kill, Strike and Kill!)
• Regimental Centre: Wellington, Tamil Nadu
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen Harjinder Singh
Active From: 1758

3. Dogra Regiment

Regimental Insignia

The Dogra Regiment, an infantry regiment are the inhabitants of Duggar or Dogra land hail from the Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the hilly regions of Punjab.

• Motto: “Kartavyam Anvatma” (Duty before death).
• War Cry: Jawala Mata ki jai (Victory to Goddess Jawala)
• Nickname: Gentlemen Warriors
• Regimental Centre: Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh
• Regimental Song: Dikhi Lai Dogra Desh
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen Jai Singh Nain

Active From: 1877

4. Parachute Regiment

Regimental Insignia

An elite main Special Forces/airborne regiment consisting of PARA and PARA (SF) battalions is the elite volunteer force of the Indian Army. Because of its specified role, the regiment needs to be kept at optimum level of operational efficiency and physical fitness.

• Motto “Shatrujeet” (The conqueror)

• War Cry: “Balidan Param Dharma” (Sacrifice Before Duty)

• Nicknames: The Paras, Red Devils
• Regimental Centre: Bengaluru, Karnataka
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen Paramjit Singh Sangha
Active From: 1945

5. Kumaon Regiment

Regimental Insignia

The most decorated infantry regiment of the Indian Army, traces its origins to the 18th century which has fought in every major campaign of the Indian Army, including the two world wars. Composed of troops from Yadavs and Kumaonis.

• Motto: “Parakramo Vijayate” (Valour Triumphs)

• War Cry: “Kalika Mata Ki Jai” (Victory to the Great Goddess Kali)
• Nickname: Creed of Man Eaters
• Regimental Centre: Ranikhet, Uttarakhand
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita
Active From: 1813.

6. Bihar Regiment

Regimental Insignia

One of the highly decorated regiment, formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and raising new battalions. Affiliated to INS Vikramaditya, the largest warship and India’s only aircraft carrier of Indian Navy. Composition of troops from Rajputs and Bhumihar castes of Bihar & Jharkhand; Yadavas, Koeri, Kurmi and tribals from Bihar and Jharkhand.

• Motto: “Karam Hi Dharam” (Work is Worship)
• War Cry: Jai Bajrangbali or Birsa Munda ki Jai
• Nicknames: Veer Biharis, Killer Machines, Jungle Warriors, Bajrang Bali’s Army
• Regimental Centre: Danapur Cantonment, Patna, Bihar
• Colonel of the Regiment: Maj Gen OP Gulia
Active From: 1941.

7. Assam Regiment

Regimental Insignia

The infantry regiment consists of 25 battalions and recruits exclusively from all the Seven Sister States of northeast India. The regimental salutation of “tagra raho” (stay strong/fit) is unique in the Indian Army which was introduced by the regiment’s commanding officer during the 1960s, the late Major General S. C. Barbora. The regiment wears a hat, called the Rhino Hat, with the right side lowered.

• Motto: “Assam vikram” (“unique valour”)

• War Cry: “Rhino Charge”

• Nickname: The Rhinos

• Regimental Centre: Happy Valley, Shillong, Meghalaya.

• Regimental Song: Badluram ka Badan Zameen ke Niche hai
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar
Active From: 1941.

8. Sikh Regiment

Regimental Insignia

The most decorated infantry regiment of the Indian Army that recruits from the Sikh community. The first battalion of the regiment was officially raised just before the annexation of the Sikh Empire on 1 August 1846, by the British East India Company.

• Motto: “Nischay kar apni jeet karon” (With determination, I will be triumphant).
• War Cry: “Jo bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal” (He who cries ‘God is truth’ is ever happy).
• Regimental Centre: Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand
• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen PG K Menon
Active From: 1846

9. Gorkha Regiment

1 Gorkha Rifles
Regimental Insignia

Since the independence of India in 1947, as per the terms of the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite Agreement, 6 Gorkha regiments, formerly part of the British Indian Army, became part of the Indian Army where the troops mainly consists from Nepali Gorkhas. They have a history of courage in battle, evident from many gallantry awards won by them.

• Motto: Different for various Regiments.
{For 1 Gorkha Rifles: Kayar Hunu Bhanda Marnu Ramro (Better to die than live like a coward)}
• War Cry: “Jai Mahakali Ayo Gorkhali” (Hail goddess Kali, the Gorkhas are here)
• Regimental Centre: Different for different Gorkha Rifles regiment

Active From: 1815

10. Jat Regiment

Regimental Insignia

One of the longest-serving and most-decorated regiments of Indian Army. The regiment has its origin from Calcutta native Militia, Bengal Army and has participated in various actions & operations in India and abroad, including the 1st and the 2nd World Wars.

• Motto: “Sangathan va veerta” (Unity and Valour)

• War Cry: “Jat balwan, jai bhagwan” (The Jat is strong, victory to God)

• Regimental Centre: Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen BS Raju

Active From: 1795.

11. Maratha Light Infantry Regiment

Regimental Insignia

Most decorated regiment and most senior light infantry regiment of Indian Army have its origin from Bombay sepoys and class composition of the regiment was primarily formed by Maratha recruits from the former Maratha Empire.

• Motto: “Duty, Honour, Courage”

• War Cry: “Bolo Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai” (Hail victory to Emperor Shivaji).

• Nickname: Ganpats

• Regimental Centre: Belgaum, Karnataka

• Regimental Song: Sinhgad

• Colonel of the Regiment: Lt Gen Asit Mistry

Active From: 1768.

12. Regiment of Artillery

Regimental Insignia

The Regiment is an operational arm (a regiment/corps) of the Indian Army which was formerly the part of Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827. Today its the second-largest arm of the Indian Army, and with its guns, mortars, rocket launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, surveillance systems, missiles, and artillery firepower it constitutes almost one-sixth of its total strength. In the artillery, the regiments have been divided into different units where every Artillery unit has its own equipment during wartime.

• Motto: “Sarvatra Izzat-o-Iqbal” (Everywhere with Honour and Glory)

• War Cry: “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (Victory to Mother India)

• Regimental Centre: Nashik, Maharashtra

Active From: 1827.

Some other Regiments are as follows:

Mechanised Infantry Regiment, Garhwal Regiment, Grenadiers Regiment, Mahar Regiment, Naga Regiment, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, Armoured Corps Regiments, etc.

– DIVYA SHARMA

Sources: Wikipedia, indianarmy.nic.in, military.wikia.org and images from different sites.