Gurkha

\n Gurkha (or Gorkha) are a people from Nepal who take their name from that of the ruling dynasty. They are most famous as foreign soldiers serving the British Army.\n{|\n|Bravest of the brave,
\nmost generous of the generous, never had
\ncountry more faithful friends than you.\nSir Ralph Turner (former officer in the 3rd Gurkha Rifles).
\nCarved on the London memorial to Britain's Gurkha soldier unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on December 3, 1997 \n|} Gurkhas claim descent from the Rajputs of Northern India who entered modern-day Nepal from the west. In the early 1500s they conquered the small state of Gorkha and adopted its name. By 1769, the Gorkha dynasty had taken over the area of modern Nepal. They made Hinduism the state religion. In 1814-1816 they waged war with the British East India Company army. The British were impressed by the Gurkha soldiers and began to regularly hire them as mercenaries to the Gurkha Brigade. This continues to this day with Gurkhas serving in both the British and Indian armies. The 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Regiments, after Indian independence, became part of the Indian Army. The Indian Army uses 'Gorkha' as the official spelling. In 1996 the British Army merged all Gurkha battalions into the Brigade of Gurkhas, with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions, Royal Gurkha Rifles. Both the U.K. and India continue to maintain Gurkha units and have used them in combat. The 1st Battalon of the 7th Gurkhas fought in the Falklands War of 1982, while the 1st Battalion of the 11th Gorkha Regiment fought in the 1999 Kargil conflict for India. Today the Gurkhas are not considered mercenaries by the British Army who point out that they are fully integrated into to the British armed forces, take the prescribed oaths in accordance with the Army Act of 1955, and are therefore subject to Military Law like British soldiers. In the mid 1980s some Nepali speaking groups in West Bengal began to organize their own Gurkha state. In 1988 they were given broader autonomy. Genetically Gurkhas are Tibeto-mongolians. They speak a Rajasthani dialect. They are also famous for their large knife called the kukri. See also: History of Nepal, Gurkha Brigade\n

External link

\n*The Tripartite Agreement (TPA) 1947 Category:Nepal