Logo India

THE NAGA REGIMENT The Naga Regiment is the youngest Regiment of the Indian Army. The Nagas were quite well represented in the Assam Regiment and they also had access to other arms and services. During 1960, the delegation of the Naga Peoples Convention put forward a proposal for a separate regiment to fulfil their desire of playing a greater role in the Defence Forces of India. First Battalion (1 Naga) of the Regiment was raised at the Kumaon Regimental Centre, Ranikhet on November 1, 1970 under the command of Lt. Col. R.N. Mahajan, VSM. Being the only battalion, it was then designated as the Naga Regiment. The manpower to raise this battalion was provided by battalions of Kumaon, Garhwal and Gorkha (3 GR) regiments. 69 Nagas were enrolled directly from rehabilitation camps of underground Nagas. However, the Regiment was to comprise 50% Nagas and 50% of an equal number of Kumaoni, Garhwali and Gorkhas. Since many Kumaon battalions had been associated with Nagaland,

THE JAMMU & KASHMIR RIFLES The Jammu & Kashmir Rifles has a unique regimental history. It was not raised by the British but by an intrepid Indian ruler called Gulab Singh in 1821. Gulab Singh was one of the ablest Generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later became the ruler of the Jammu & Kashmir state. He and his legendary General Zorawar Singh led many spectacular campaigns to add Ladakh, Baltistan, Hunza and Skardu to the State territories. Zorawar Singh mounted a breath-taking invasion of Tibet in 1841. The state forces fought as Imperial Service troops in both World Wars under their own native officers. They distinguished themselves in East Africa, Palestine and Burma. However, the regiment's grimmest hour came during the Pakistani invasion of Kashmir in 1947. It was their heroic stand that gained time for the entry of the Indian Army and thus saved the Kashmir Valley. It may not be out of place to mention that the Indian people largely owe the

THE DOGRA REGIMENT The Dogras who form the hardy and loyal population of the hill regions of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir have a long tradition of soldiering. They had been in the service of the British some years as part of the Frontier Force. The Dogras formed into a regiment in 1887 and three Dogra Regiments were raised as part of the Bengal Infantry. During the World Wars, more Dogra battalions were added and after 1947 the Dogra Regiment gained further in the additional battalions as part of the Army's post-1962 expansion. The Dogra Scouts come under the aegis of the Dogra Regiment. Its Regimental Centre is Fazizbad, Uttar Pradesh and its Regimental insignia is a tiger, revered as the mount of Goddess Durga, who is a widely worshipped deity in the Dogra Hills. Its Regimental motto is ‘Kartavyam Anvatma’ (Duty Before Death) and its war cry is ‘Jawala Mata Ki Jai’ (Victory to Goddess Jawala). Its insignia is A Tiger, revered as the moun

27 MOUNTAIN DIVISION The 27 Mountain Division is a division of the Indian Army - Mountain Lion Division was based originally in Kalimpong, West Bengal, but moved to Jammu and Kashmir to contain the situation in the troubled state and along the border with Pakistan. Formations of the Kalimpong based Army's 27 Mountain Division, which had gone for counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir during Operation Parakaram in 2001. The golden skinned hairy lion is an archetypal symbol for the golden rayed sun, the lord of the day, whose appearance kills the god of the night. Durga, the beautiful goddess of dawn, life and victory, riding a lion, defeats the buffalo-demon Mahisasura . In all her exploits the lion is her mount, ferocious in look and action. The lion also symbolised in all ancient civilizations as the solar, igneous and luminous principle of life and knowledge. The formation badge and sleeve patch of this Division has a roaring lion  in gold col

SAKTA TILAK Sakta or Shakta sect is the name of a Hindu sect, whose members worship the female principle of energy, which is the counterpart of the god Siva. The metaphysical ideas of Saktism are thus described by Sir Edward Gait, “Saktism is based on the worship of the active producing principle, Prakriti, as manifested in one or other of the goddess wives of Siva (Durga, Kali, Parvati) the female energy or Sakti of the primordial male, Purusha or Siva. Saktism reveres the Supreme as the Divine Mother, Sakti or Devi, in Her many forms, both gentle and fierce. Saktas use mantra, tantra, yantra, yoga and puja to invoke cosmic forces and awaken the kundalini power. The Sakta sect, when they avow themselves, mark either with a saffron or with turmeric and borax.