Bihar Regiment: When the Lions Roar!!!

Our creative writers had written a blog on Bihar Regiment for a long time. Infact, they had so much to share that the debate was on the title of the blog. Finally, days after India conducted the surgical strikes in Pakistan and Bihar regiment played a vital role, we decided to title the blog  “Bihar Regiment- When the Lions Roar”.

Elephants and Lions have historically been the symbol of strength and aggression in Bihar. In the days of yore, it was the fleet of Elephant Warriors  only that the army of Great Alexander was not ready to face, hence, returned back without crossing Indus and invading erstwhile Magadha which is current day India. Elephants find a special place in Bihar’s Mithila Art depicting strength and power.  Magadh and Maurya dynasties had Lion as its symbol , hence Bihar Regiment proudly owns the badge of Ashoka Lion.

In the modern history, Bihar regiment was formed by Mir Kasim to battle the East India Company. Later, Lord Clive inducted them to British Army as Sepoy Battalions. Most soldiers came from Bhojpur region (Modern day Bihar and East UP). For over 100 years from 1740 to 1857, Bihar regiment formed the backbone of Bengal Infantry and British Empire in India. Till 1857, Danapur, a mini city near Patna, was the centre of country’s second oldest and one of the largest Cantonments of India.

Sepoy Mutiny and India’s First War of Independence:

Bihar regiment (34^th and 19^th Bengal Infantry) mainly constituted soldiers from Rajput, Brahmin and Bhumihar communities. So when the British wanted them to fire using greased cartridges, Bihar Regiment revolted. This was led by the famos  Mangal Pandey at Barrokpore at Kolkata. Mangal Pandey along with Ishwari Prasad proudly met gallows after three Sikh soldiers testified against them. Soon the then King of Bhojpur, Vir Kunwar Singh declared Bhojpur a free state and Bihar troops marched along with him. In the first war of Bhojpur, Bihar Regiment crushed British and few other regiments who fought with the British against India’s independence. After defeat, Britishers re-organised themselves and attacked Bhojpur with greater force. It is said that Bihar Regiment was out-numbered 1: 15 and eventually lost the battle. Importantly, it is this brave regiment that almost single handily won India its independence. The seeds of our independence were sown in this struggle.

Bihari or Purbiya and Disbanding of Bihar Regiment:

After India lost its First war of Independence, British disbanded this regiment. People from the region were chided as Purbiya or Bihari and jokes were cracked on them to keep the morale of the people of this region down. A low morale of this population meant no revolution. The people of Bhojpur, Mithila and Magadh (modern day Bihar and East UP) were not inducted into British Army for the next 84 years. Hence, once the backbone of British Indian Army, Bihar regiment did not exist until the British were to face the Japanese and Germans.

World War Two and Rebirth of Bihar Regiment:

World War Two is the war wherein fortunes changed as it progressed. Initially when Nazis kept winning, one win was evident to Great Britain in South East Asia. The Japanese were advancing in Burma and Britishers needed fighters who could fight the Chinese and Japanese. British Empire looked towards India’s most fearless region - Bihar. Thus, in 1941 was reborn the Bihar regiment. Finally, Rangoon fell and Japanese wanted to capitalise on their victory and advance. However, Bihar regiment halted their advance and later participated in Operation Tiderace winning back Singapore for British Empire from Japan. 

The Regiment in Independent India:

The Bihar regiment continues to recruit mainly from Bhojpur region of East UP and Bihar and also from states of Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gujarat. Two recent famous heroes are Capt. Gurjinder Singh Suri who gave the supreme sacrifice in Operation Vijay at Kargil and Major Sandeep Unikrishnan who made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists during Mumbai attacks.

The Uri Attack:

Indian Army and Bihar regiment were attacked by terrorists at Uri in which 19 of our soldiers (18 from Bihar regiment) attained Martyrdom. The Indian army avenged by surgical strikes inside the enemy territory. Bihar and Gorkha regiments along with the Special Forces carried out these surgical strikes.

What Lies Ahead:

The 10-year-old son of Martyr Naik Raj Kishore Singh, 6 Bihar Regiment, says my grandfather was in Indian Army, my Father has made the supreme sacrifice for Indian Army and I will also join the Indian Army. This 10-year-old, like his father, is also the son of Bhojpur. Bhojpur and Rest of India will continue to produce these brave sons.

                              Bihar Regiment and our Indian Army has many Shers in the waiting.

   

We rest our pen with the war cry of this brave regiment in the honor of our martyrdom brethren - “Jai Bajrang Bali”         

imithila.com engages in promoting and selling the original form of Handpainted Mithila / Madhubani paintings Home Decor and Handloom products. For owning one masterpiece for yourself, log on to www.imithila.com.

If you want to share more details about this tradition, please write to us at business@imithila.com.