61 Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 61st Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army
is one of at least three horsed cavalry
regiments left in any present-day army.
/Kachhawa horse, Mysore Lancers, and B Squadron, 2nd Patiala Lancers. During May 1953 Army headquarters further decided to disband all these separate horsed cavalry units and to raise one New Horsed Cavalry Regiment instead, at Gwalior, with the effect from 1st August 1953. Subsequently the date of raising was changed to 1st October 1953. Lt. Col. Phulel Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces was appointed the first Commandant of the "New Horsed Cavalry Regiment" and he assumed command on 19th November 1953.
The rather uninspired designation of the Regiment was subsequently changed from "New Horsed cavalry" to 61 Cavalry in January 1954. As a result, 61 Cavalry today is one of the few remaining unmechanised mounted cavalry regiments in the world, alongside the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
and the 11th Cavalry Regiment of the Moscow Military District
.
s, Maratha
s and Kaimkhanis in equal numbers. It was retained in the present form on Prime Minister Jawarharalal Nehru's instructions.
– the country's highest award for outstanding sportsmen – four times for polo and five times for equestrian events.
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
is one of at least three horsed cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiments left in any present-day army.
History
When the British finally departed the shores of India in 1949, the only horses left in the military stables were with the units of some of the Imperial Service (state Forces) troops in the armies of the Indian Princely States. Finally, on integration of the state forces into the Indian Army in 1951 the states' horsed cavalry units were reorganized and reconstituted into the Gwalior Lancers, JodhpurJodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
/Kachhawa horse, Mysore Lancers, and B Squadron, 2nd Patiala Lancers. During May 1953 Army headquarters further decided to disband all these separate horsed cavalry units and to raise one New Horsed Cavalry Regiment instead, at Gwalior, with the effect from 1st August 1953. Subsequently the date of raising was changed to 1st October 1953. Lt. Col. Phulel Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces was appointed the first Commandant of the "New Horsed Cavalry Regiment" and he assumed command on 19th November 1953.
The rather uninspired designation of the Regiment was subsequently changed from "New Horsed cavalry" to 61 Cavalry in January 1954. As a result, 61 Cavalry today is one of the few remaining unmechanised mounted cavalry regiments in the world, alongside the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment is a ceremonial cavalry regiment of the British Army. It is classed as a regiment of guards, and carries out mounted ceremonial duties on State and Royal occasions. These include the provision of the Sovereign's Escort, most commonly seen at the present...
and the 11th Cavalry Regiment of the Moscow Military District
Moscow Military District
The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of...
.
Recruitment
The regiment recruits RajputRajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s, Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s and Kaimkhanis in equal numbers. It was retained in the present form on Prime Minister Jawarharalal Nehru's instructions.
Sports
In view of the regiment's unique association with the horse, it is perhaps not all that surprising that it has a proud polo playing tradition. The regiment has produced some of the country's most outstanding and inspired polo players. A measure of the outstanding equestrian and polo skills displayed by the regiment can be gauged by the fact that since its raising its personnel have won the Arjuna awardArjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
– the country's highest award for outstanding sportsmen – four times for polo and five times for equestrian events.