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Kumaon Regiment
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| Kumaon Crest |
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Kumaon Regiment
The famous Kumaon Regiment is one of the Indian army's best. On 27th October 1947, India's National Army fought for the preservation of India's freedom. The first person to die and get the Param Vir Chakra was Major Somnath Sharma from Fourth Kumaon at the Battle of Badgaun.
The inhabitants of the Kumaon hills are commonly known as the Kumaonese. The word Kumaon is believed to have been derived from "Kurmanchal," meaning land of the Kurmavatar (the tortoise incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Preserver of the Hindu Trinity). The region extends from the northern end of the Gangetic plains right up to Tibet. Kumaon is a maze of mountains, some of which are among the loftiest known.
The Kumaon Regiment has its roots in the contingent of Nizams of Hyderabad and its history dates back to 1788. The regiment, thus, has over two centuries of distinguished service in which eight generations of Indians had served. Before Independence, the units of the regiment fought under the British in Palestine, Egypt, Burma, Malaya, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Europe. In the post Independence period, the battalions took part in operations in Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Siachen. Sir Henry Russel, a British resident in the province of Nizams, is credited to be the founder of the regiment.
The senior battalions of the regiment were drawn from the Nizams' contingent and the present fourth and the fifth battalions proudly trace their lineage back to 1788, when they were first raised as the first and second regiments of the then Subedar of Berar, Muhamad Salabat Khan's Ellichpur Brigade. The present second battalion (Berar) too has a proud history of nearly 206 years. It was raised as the 1st Berar Infantry of the Nizams contingent. Between 1826 and 1903, the Indian Army was reorganised thrice. The Nizams' contingent was renamed as the Hyderabad Contingent. In 1922, the Indian Army was reorganised again and Hyderabad Contingent was renamed as the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. More importantly, the class composition of battalions was altered. The Deccan Muslims in each battalion were replaced by a company each of Kumaonis, Jats, Ahirs and others. Thus, the active links with the Deccan were supplanted by those of the Kumaon region. The year 1923 marked the affiliation of the newly raised 1st Kumaon Rifles which was drawn from the Royal Garhwal Rifles with the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. Thus, the 1st Kumaon Rifles was composed solely of Kumaoni troops.
During the Battalion Commanders' Conference held on February 12, 1935, a unanimous decision was taken to request the Army Headquarters for changing the name of the regiment from "19th Hyderabad Regiment" to "19th Kumaon Regiment." The proposal was, however, rejected by Army Headquarters for two reasons. First, the case was not projected properly and second, the redesignation of various units and regiments of the Army was finalised only 13 years back in 1922. A change so soon was not favoured by Army Headquarters.
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(Home of Kumaon Regt)
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By Second World War, the process of Indianisation of the Armed Forces gained momentum. The Kumaon regiment was no exception. Gradually, the heroic deeds of its battalions in Burma and Malaya earned the regiment many battle honours like North Africa, North Malaya, Slim River, Burma, Kangaw, Shweli, Magwe, Kama, and Sittang. As the links with Hyderabad and Deccan began to diminish slowly, the demand to rename the regiment grew. Keeping this in view, on October 27, 1945, the name of the regiment was changed to '19 Kumaon Regiment'. Later, '19' was dropped from the name. Similarly, 1 Kumaon Rifles, having been completely amalgamated, was redesignated as the third battalion of the regiment, with Kumaon Rifles in brackets. Thus, October 27 is observed as Kumaon Day.
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A total of 106 jawans out of 111 men of a single company of the Kumaon Regiment died defending 'chusul' against Chinese attack in 1962. The 1962 war saw an active participation of 6 and 13 Kumaon at Walong and Rezang-La in Ladakh. At Rezang-La, 114 other ranks saw action out of whom 106 soldiers laid down their lives. This was a matchless feat in the history of sacrifice of any regiment and it was well recognised the world over. It was here that Maj Shaitan Singh of 13 Kumaon laid down his life in action. He was honoured posthumously with Param Vir Chakra for his exemplary leadership. At Walong, 6 Kumaon led the action against the Chinese. In 1965, the regiment again proved its mettle.
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A monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the 13 Kumaon Regiment
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Four Kumaon, one of the most decorated and oldest battalions of Indian Army, was the first battalion of Army to be presented Colours on April 7, 1961 for its glorious deeds and unique performance, both in peace and war, by the first President of India, late Dr Rajendra Prasad. On October 27, 1970, 14 Battalion of the regiment also received Colours at Ranikhet from the then President, late Mr VV Giri. |
The Battalions:
- 2nd Battalion
- 3rd Battalion
- 4th Battalion
- 5th Battalion
- 6th Battalion
- 7th Battalion
- 8th Battalion
- 9th Battalion
- 11th Battalion
- 12th Battalion
- 13th Battalion
- 15th Battalion
- 16th Battalion
- 17th Battalion (ex-31st Battalion)
- 18th Battalion
- 19th Battalion
- 20th Battalion
- 21st Battalion
- Kumaon Scouts
- 1 Naga
- 2 Naga
- 1st Battalion is now 3 Para
- 10th Battalion is now Kumaon Regimental Centre
- 14th Battalion is now 5 Mech. Inf.
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