The first battalion of the Third Gorkha Rifles, a military camp near Siliguri (Sevoke Military Station) in north Bengal celebrated the bicentenary today.
The celebrations, having begun on Wednesday, will end today, the very day in 1815 when Sir Robert Colquhuon raised the Third Gorkha Rifles, also known as 1/3 Gorkha Rifles, in Almora.
There are few battalions in the Indian Army that can boast a glorious history spanning 200 years.
"The 'First Battalion of the Third Gorkha Rifles', known as the 1/3 Gorkha Rifles is the oldest existing infantry battalion of the Third Gorkha Regiment.
Only a few others including the Madras and Grenadiers Regiments (1758), Punjab Regiment (1761), Rajputana Rifles (1775), Rajput Regiment (1778), Jat Regiment (1795) and Kumaon Regiment (1813) are other native infantry regiments which are older than the 1/3 Gorkha Rifles, an officer said.
The battalion was first entrusted with policing the border with Nepal.
The 1/3 Gorkha Rifles now operates under the Eastern Command and plays an important role along the Line of Actual Control with China in Sikkim.
This battalion has been historically associated with Bengal.
The soldiers of the 1/3 GR gave the top teams in Kolkata tough competition in past, winning the hearts of soccer-loving Bengalis.
