Back جوركا Arabic Gurkha BAR গোর্খা Bengali/Bangla Gurkhes Catalan Gurkhové Czech Gurkha Danish Gurkha German Γκούρκα Greek Gurkoj Esperanto Gurkha Spanish

Gurkha

"Gorkha" and "Gorkhali" redirect here. For the early modern state, see Gorkha Kingdom. For the modern day Nepalese district, see Gorkha District. For other uses, see Gorkha (disambiguation).

Nepali soldiers; drawing by Gustave Le Bon, 1885
Monument to the Gurkha Soldier in Horse Guards Avenue, outside the Ministry of Defence, City of Westminster, London
A khukuri, the signature weapon of the Gurkhas
Kaji (equivalent to Prime Minister of Gorkha Kingdom) Vamshidhar "Kalu" Pande and Chief of the Gorkhali Army; one of the most highly decorated Gorkhali commanders

The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (/ˈɡɜːrkə, ˈɡʊər-/), with the endonym Gorkhali (Nepali: गोर्खाली [ɡorkʰali]), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of North India.[1][2]

The Gurkha units are composed of Nepali and Indian Gorkha, Nepali-speaking Indian people, and are recruited for the Nepali Army (96,000),[3] the Indian Army (42,000), the British Army (4,010),[4] the Gurkha Contingent in Singapore, the Gurkha Reserve Unit in Brunei, for UN peacekeeping forces and in war zones around the world.[5] Gurkhas are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving knife, and have a reputation for fearless military prowess. Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once stated that: "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha."[6]

  1. ^ Minahan, James (30 May 2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around the World A-Z [4 Volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 679. ISBN 978-0-313-07696-1. British military pay and pensions became the primary source of income for the Gurkha peoples of Nepal and north-eastern India.
  2. ^ "Who are Gurkhas?". www.gwt.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  3. ^ Sureis (9 August 2018). "Thapa to take charge of Nepali Army as acting CoAS". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Number of Gurkha" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ^ "» About the Gurkhas". www.gwt.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Who Are Gurkhas?". Gurkha Welfare Trust. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2011.

Developed by StudentB