The Kumaon Regiment is one of the oldest regiments in the country. It was established on October 27, 1788. In 1788, Nawab Salabat Khan of Berar founded the Alipur Brigade. The first battalion of this very brigade is also known as the 4 Kumaon. Thirty-five years later, its second battalion was established as the 5 Kumaon.
In 1797, a French officer named Raymond formed the First Brigade Infantry at the court of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Today, it is known as the 2 Kumaon. In 1917, Colonel Lager established the First Kumaon Rifles; within the regiment, this unit is now known as the 3 Kumaon Rifles.
After independence, the 4 Gwalior Infantry Battalion was incorporated into the Kumaon Regiment as the 14 Kumaon; this unit was later designated as Mechanized Infantry. The regiment was officially named the Kumaon Regiment on October 27, 1945.
The headquarters of this regiment was established in Ranikhet in 1948. The Kumaon Regiment has provided the Indian Army with three Chiefs of Army Staff: General S.M. Shrinagesh (1955–1957), General K.S. Thimayya (1957–1961), and General T.N. Raina (1975–1978). Furthermore, Major Somnath Sharma of the Kumaon Regiment was posthumously awarded India’s highest defense honor, the Param Vir Chakra. To mark the bicentenary of the Kumaon Regiment (1788–1988), the Government of India issued a commemorative postage stamp.
**The Garhwal Regiment**
On May 5, 1887, the Garhwali Battalion was formed in Almora, constituted from the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Gorkha Regiment. It was also designated as the 3rd Kumaon Regiment, and the task of establishing a cantonment at Kalo Danda—now famously known as Lansdowne—was entrusted to it. In 1851, with the assistance of six Garhwali companies, the 39th Garhwali Regiment of Bengal Infantry was raised. This unit achieved unprecedented success against the Chinese in Burma.
In 1892, it was awarded the title of ‘Rifles.’ In 1901, the 2nd Battalion of the 39th Garhwal Rifles Regiment of Bengal Infantry was raised; subsequently, it was renamed the 2nd Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles. On February 2, 1921, it was bestowed with the title ‘Royal,’ leading to its renaming as the 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles.
Following a military reorganization in 1922, it was designated as the 18th Royal Garhwal Rifles, and by April 1945, it came to be known simply as the Royal Garhwal Rifles. After the nation attained independence, it was renamed ‘The Garhwal Rifles.’ In October–November 2012, the Regiment celebrated the 125th anniversary of its raising.
