8 Gorkha Rifles
| 8 Gorkha Rifles | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1824 – Present |
| Country |
 India
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Rifles |
| Size | 6 Battalions |
| Regimental Centre | Shillong, Meghalaya |
| Nickname(s) | The Shiny Eight |
| Motto(s) | Kafar Hunu Bhanda Marnu Ramro (Better to die than live like a coward) |
| Colors | Green; faced black |
| March | War Cry: Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali (Hail Goddess Kali, The Gorkhas are here) |
| Engagements |
First Anglo–Burmese War Bhutan War World War I World War II Sino-Indian war Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Kargil War |
| Decorations | 4 Victoria Crosses (Pre Independence) 1 George Cross 1 Param Vir Chakra 4 Ashoka Chakras 1 Padma Vibhushan 1 Padma Bhushan 4 Param Vishist Seva Medals 7 Maha Vir Chakras 1 Uttam Yudh Seva Medal 2 Kirti Chakras 8 Ati Vishist Seva Medals and 1 Bar 22 Vir Chakras 13 Shaurya Chakras 1 Yudh Seva Medal 34 Sena Medals 12 Vishist Seva Medals |
| Battle honours |
Post Independence Punch Chushul Sanjoi and Mirpur Theatre Honours Jammu & Kashmir 1948 Ladakh 1962 Jammu & Kashmir, 1965 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw |
| Insignia | |
| Regimental Insignia | A pair of crossed Khukris with the numeral 8 above |
| Tartan | Government (pipe bags and ribbons) |
The 8 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army comprising Gurkha soldiers of Nepalese origin. It was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and later transferred to the British Indian Army after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The regiment served in World War I and World War II, before being one of the six (of ten) Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence in 1947. Since then it has served in a number of conflicts including the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971. Today the 8th Gorkha Rifles is one of the most celebrated regiments of the Indian Army, having received numerous citations for bravery in the field of battle, and even producing one of the two field marshals, Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, of the Indian Army.
The "Shiny Eight", as the regiment is popularly known in the Gorkha fraternity of the Indian Army, can trace its history back to the 16th Sylhet Local Battalion, which was raised in 1824 as part of the British East India Company and since then the identity of the regiment has undergone a number of transitions before reaching its present designation as the 8 Gorkha Rifles, which it achieved in 1907.
Military assignments commenced as soon after the raising of the regiment when the first battalion formed the spearhead for operations in the First Anglo–Burmese War of 1824-25. The services of the regiment were to be requisitioned again when the British went to war with Bhutan in 1864. Two battalion columns of the regiment sallied forth, shoulder to shoulder to crush the Bhutanese revolts and the stronghold of Devnageri. The first Victoria Cross (VC), awarded to Richard Ridgeway, came to the regiment in October 1879 in its first ever operational mission when its units were summoned to deal with Nagaland Rebels. This was the first time that a regular army unit was ever been employed in the Naga hills.
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