MARUDHARA’S WARRIORS

The glory of those brave veerbalidanis who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the sovereignty and borders of Bharat has always been adorned by history with the highest military honors. According to global and national military records, during the British era, a total of 40 warriors of undivided Bharat were awarded the Victoria Cross (including 29 soldiers of Bharatiya origin, with 2 medals being won by Marudhara). Keeping this tradition of valor intact post-independence, the nation’s brave sons have been decorated with 21 Param Vir Chakras (Rajasthan: 02), 219 Maha Vir Chakras (Rajasthan: 27), and 1,335 Vir Chakras (Rajasthan: more than 100) to date. In this prestigious chain of national honors, the contribution of Marudhara, and particularly the heroic land of Shekhawati, has always been supreme in every era.

A deep study of Bharatiya military history reveals the undeniable truth that the defense of the nation’s sovereignty was secured not by modern weaponry, but by the blood of generations of warriors. In this saga of valor, the contribution of Rajasthan’s Marudhara, and especially Shekhawati, is incomparable. From the global fronts of the British era to the icy peaks of Kargil, the warriors of this land have altered the course of history, earning the respect of global powers.

On the global battlefields of the First and Second World War, the fighters of Rajputana and Shekhawati astonished the world with their traditional combat expertise and strict discipline. During World War II, Rifleman Kamal Ram, a mere nineteen-year-old from Karauli, demonstrated such exceptional heroism while breaching Italy’s fortified ‘Gustav Line’ that it remains a subject of study for military strategists to this day. In May 1944, amidst heavy enemy fire, he single-handedly decimated enemy machine-gun posts and became the youngest warrior in the British Bharatiya Army to be decorated with the Victoria Cross. In the same glorious lineage during World War I, the name of Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat of the Jodhpur Lancers is inscribed in golden letters. Renowned as the ‘Hero of Haifa’, this immortal fighter played a transformative role in the liberation of Haifa by routing the heavily armed Ottoman army using only traditional swords and cavalry.

Immediately following the partition in 1947, when Pakistani military-backed tribesmen invaded Jammu and Kashmir, the sons of Shekhawati stood in the vanguard of those making the supreme sacrifice to defend the sovereign nation. In this war, the country found its first Param Vir Chakra recipient in Major Somnath Sharma, who held off the enemy at the Badgam front until his final breath. Simultaneously, the pride of Shekhawati’s soil, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh Shekhawat (Village Beri, Jhunjhunu) of 6 Rajputana Rifles, displayed indomitable courage on the ‘Darap Pari’ of the Tithwal sector, single-handedly destroying enemy bunkers before making the ultimate sacrifice, for which he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra. In the same conflict, Subedar Basant Ram Dhabhai (3 Rajput Regiment) of Bhagaina village, Jhunjhunu, earned the Vir Chakra for displaying exceptional strategic leadership on treacherous fronts. Thus, the sons of Shekhawati permanently immortalized their names among the earliest supreme military honors of independent Bharat.

Following this, the Battle of Rezang La in the Chushul sector of Ladakh during the 1962 Sino-Bharatiya War is counted among the greatest battles in military history. In temperatures thirty degrees below zero and with limited resources, 120 soldiers of ‘C’ Company of the 13 Kumaon Regiment faced thousands of Chinese troops. The hero of this unparalleled bravery was Major Shaitan Singh of Jodhpur. During the Chinese attack on November 18, 1962, he moved from post to post boosting the morale of his men and, despite being grievously wounded, led the battle until his final breath. For his supreme sacrifice, he was posthumously honored with the Param Vir Chakra.

Advancing this glorious tradition, the heroes of Rajasthan demonstrated their indomitable capability on the western fronts during the 1965 Indo-Pak War. Company Quartermaster Havildar Shambhu Singh Shekhawat (Jhunjhunu) of 4 Rajputana Rifles earned the Vir Chakra for maintaining supplies and holding the line amidst heavy enemy shelling in the Munabao region. Similarly, the brave Honorary Captain Ayub Khan of 18 Cavalry, hailing from Nua village in Jhunjhunu, earned the Vir Chakra in the Sialkot sector by destroying several enemy Patton tanks with his tank. The 1965 war became a powerful testament to Rajasthan’s rising military capability and tactical skill, which laid a strong foundation for the decisive victory of 1971.

During the 1971 war, the warriors of Rajsamand district from the Mewar region also displayed supreme valor on the frontline. Lance Naik Narayan Singh Chundawat of 18 Rajputana Rifles posthumously received the Vir Chakra for destroying an enemy bunker on the eastern front despite being fatally wounded. In the same vein, Captain Digvijay Singh of the Devgarh region earned the Vir Chakra for expertly leading his unit in tank battles on the western front.

In this saga of victory, the daring military foray into the Chachro region of Sindh by Lieutenant Colonel (later Brigadier) Bhawani Singh of 10 Para (Special Forces) during the 1971 war stands as a classic example of the strategic dismantling of the enemy’s tactical framework. On the same front, Lieutenant Colonel (later Lieutenant General) Hanoot Singh Rathore from Marwar, leading the 17 Poona Horse, demonstrated aggressive armored warfare in the historic tank battle of the Basantar sector to secure victory. Both of these top leaders, who decisively halted the enemy’s advance, were decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra for their extraordinary military acumen, proving that the land of Rajasthan has provided the nation not just with brave soldiers, but also with visionary military leadership.

When discussing modern high-altitude warfare, the Kargil War of 1999 emerges as the ultimate symbol of Bharat’s military resolve. A total of 527 officers and soldiers of the motherland made the supreme sacrifice in this war, among whom 212 warriors belonged to Rajasthan alone, creating a record for the highest number of casualties from a single state. In this supreme honor, the strategic dominance of the Shekhawati region was paramount, with more than 85 of its valiant sons (44 from Jhunjhunu, 27 from Sikar, and 14 from Churu) laying down their lives for the motherland. In this very conflict, heroes like Havildar Sultan Singh Naruka (Vir Chakra) and Naik Digendra Kumar (Maha Vir Chakra) wrote immortal chapters of victory on Tololing and Tiger Hill.

In counter-terrorism operations, out of the total soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation, more than 450 are from Rajasthan, and over 180 are from Shekhawati alone. For displaying indomitable courage in this proxy war, the state has received 02 Ashok Chakras and more than 15 Kirti Chakras. Major Sandeep Sankhla (posthumously) from Jhunjhunu and Naik Nirbhay Singh from Jhalawar are decorated with the Ashok Chakra, proving that the contribution of Marudhara has always been supreme in every battle for internal security.

The continuum of honors— from the Victoria Cross to the Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra and Ashok Chakra—demonstrates that Rajasthan is not merely a geographical region but a living institution of Bharat’s martial civilization. Weapons and technologies may evolve with time, yet the final determinant of victory remains the courage, endurance, and morale of the soldier. That indomitable spirit continues to flow through the sands of Marudhara. The nation therefore bows not only to the immortal veerbalidanis of this sacred land, but also to the families whose silent sacrifices sustain Bharat’s military strength.

Colonel Dev Anand Lohamaror, Security & International Affairs Expert