The Jats are one of India’s most powerful martial races. The community has an immensely rich history of valour and sacrifice replete with famous (and many untold) tales of raw courage. Though pastoralists, the Jats transformed into an influential warrior community in the Mughal times. That image of theirs continues to this day.

With time, some Jats were able to establish their own kingdom. Chief of them was Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur who gave a very tough time to the Mughals in 18th century. Eventually, the Jats were recruited by the British, which subsequently paved their way into the Indian Army.

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1. The British inducted Jats for the first time in 1795 in the Calcutta Native Militia.

The militia would later become a part of the Bengal Army.

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2. In 1857, the British formed the 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers under the name Jat Horse Yeomanry.

It was a cavalry regiment consisting of 250 sepoys and 150 sowars (cavalrymen) who fought for the East India Company in the 1857 first war of independence.

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3. All the men in the 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers were Jats thus making it the first all-Jat regiment.

The regiment received a battle honour and a theatre honour in their Afghan campaign of 1878-79.

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4. The 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers have been featured in the iconic video game Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties.

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5. It was the valour of the Jats which made the British government recruit them in large numbers. In 1897 more infantry units were created.

It was also the time when the British had started recruiting according to their ‘martial class’ theory.

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Officer and soldier of the 10th Jat Regiment                Pinterest

6. Following the 1922 reforms, the British raised the 9th Jat Regiment, which was an infantry regiment.

Badge depicting the insignia of the 9th Jat of British Indian Army            militarybadgecollection

7. The 9th Jat was so named because of its standing in the regimental hierarchy of the British Indian Army.

The Roman numeral 9 was dropped after independence but it is still used in the insignia.

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8. Between 1839 and 1947, the Jat Regiment won 19 battle honours and 2 Victoria Crosses.

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9. Risaldar Badlu Singh was the first from 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers (and 9th British Indian) to be honoured with the Victoria Cross.

He was attached to the 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse) when he died fighting in River Jordan in Palestine 1918 during World War I. Havildar Abdul Hafiz of 9th Jat Regiment received the same posthumously for his action in Imphal during World War II in 1944.

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10. Besides 14th Murray’s Jat Lancers, Jats were also recruited in 6th Jat Light Infantry, 10th Jats, 2nd Lancer (Gardner’s Horse), 12th Pioneers and 48th Pioneers.

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11. A majority of the Jats in the British Indian Army came from Rohtak and adjoining areas.

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12. The Jat Regiment of the Indian Army has won 5 battle honours, 3 Ashok Chakras, 8 Maha Vir Chakras, and numerous other gallantry awards.

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13. Their war cry is “Jat Balwan, Jai Bhagwan” (The Jat is powerful, Victory to god!) and their motto is “Sangathan Va Veerta” (Unity And Valour).

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14. There are 20 Battalions in the Jat Regiment and there are two reserve Battalions.

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15. Though Jat Regiment hasn’t won a Param Vir Chakra (PVC), Colonel (later Brigadier) Hoshiar Singh Dahiya of 3 Grenadiers was a Jat.

Colonel Hoshiar Singh was honoured with the PVC for his gallantry in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

Colonel Hoshiar Singh Dahiya, PVC (5 May 1937 – 6 December 1998) thecivilindia

16. Except 12th, 15th and 20th Battalions, the Jat Regiment battalions are composed of mainly the members from Jat community.

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17. The Jat Regiment has participated in all military operations since India’s independence.

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18. Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Desmond Hayde of 3 Jat was honoured with the MVC for his leadership in Dograi during the Indo-Pak war of 1965.

With just 500 Jat soldiers, Lt. Col. Hayde first captured the Pakistani town of Dograi and then successfully defended it against a Pakistani onslaught twice in number and backed by air power and tanks.

An artwork of Brigadier Desmond Hayde by M.F. Husain.        rediff

19. It was the Jat soldiers of the 43rd Bengal Native Infantry who were tasked with carrying the gates of Somnath Temple back to India after the Battle of Kabul in 1842.

After the victory over the Afghans, the British Indian forces removed the gates from Mahmud Ghazni’s tomb and brought them to India. The gates were originally from the Somnath Temple which Ghazni had taken with him to Afghanistan after plundering the city in the 11th century.

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20. Captain Anuj Nayyar of 17 Jat was posthumously honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra for his heroic action in the Kargil War 1999.

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Salute to the Jats.

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