https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Bikaner_Camel_CorpsBikaner Camel Corps - Revision history2026-07-31T07:49:19ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Bikaner_Camel_Corps&diff=326941&oldid=prev2409:4054:2292:9723:352A:A0F:5CE:5E75 at 10:18, 2 March 20222022-03-02T10:18:14Z<p></p>
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{{infobox military unit<br />
|unit_name= Bikaner Camel Corps<br />
|image=A sowar of the Bikaner Camel Corps on his mount showing details of kit.jpg<br />
|caption=A sowar of the Bikaner Camel Corps on his mount showing details of kit<br />
|dates= 1889 - to date (The Ganga Jaisalmer Risala was dismounted in 1974 and underwent conversion into standard infantry.)<br />
|country= [[British India]] Later [[India]]<br />
|allegiance=<br />
|branch= [[Cavalry]]<br />
|type= [[Camel]] [[Cavalry]]<br />
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The '''Bikaner Camel Corps''' was a unit of [[Imperial Service Troops]] from [[India]] that fought for the Allies in [[Allies of World War I|World War I]] and [[Allies of World War II|World War II]].<br />
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The Corps was founded by Maharaja [[Ganga Singh]] of the Indian state of [[Bikaner]], as the Ganga Risala after the British government of India accepted his offer to raise a force of 500 soldiers. The state of Bikaner had a long tradition of using soldiers mounted on [[camel]]s. For instance, in 1465 [[Rao Bika]] led a force of 300 [[sowar]] (or camel riders) to conquer neighbouring territories.{{sfn|Crump|Toh|1996|p=204}} Ganga Singh led the Ganga Risala when it fought in the Boxer Rebellion in [[China]] in 1900, in [[Somaliland]] in 1902-1904 in failed effort at defeating the Somali Uprising and in [[Egypt]] in World War I. At the [[First Suez Offensive|Suez Canal in 1915]] the corps routed the opposing Turkish forces in a camel cavalry charge.{{sfn|Crump|Toh|1996|p=196}} The Corps fought in the [[Middle East]] in World War II, when it was supported by the camel-mounted [[Bijay Battery]], which became a mule team battery.<br />
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[[File:Bikiner Camel Corps soldier.jpg|thumb|Bikaner camel corps]]<br />
[[File:An Indian Officer of the Camel Corps.jpg|thumb|left|An Indian Officer of the Camel Corps]]<br />
After India's Independence the Bikaner Camel Corps was merged with camel troops from [[Jaisalmer]] in 1951 to become the Ganga Jaisalmer Risala and joined [[The Grenadiers]] as the 13th Battalion.{{sfn|Crump|Toh|1996|p=205}} It took part in the actions to foil Pakistani raiders in the Bikaner and Jaisalmer regions during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].<br />
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After 1975 all of the Indian Military Camel Corps, including the Ganga Jaisalmer Risala, were disbanded. A brief attempt was made to resurrect them but the plan never came to fruition. The Ganga Risala still survives though as a part of the [[Border Security Force]], retaining the name Bikaner Camel Corps.{{sfn|Rikhye|2003}} While primarily employed for ceremonial purposes, it is one of the few camel cavalry units still retained by present-day armed forces.<br />
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The Ganga Jaisalmer Risala was dismounted in 1974 and underwent conversion into standard infantry. The Mortar borne troops went on to became '''[[44 Field Battery]] of''' Regiments of Artillery. The battery is a part of 38 Medium Regiment and uses the soubriquet of “Ganga Risala Battery”. It continues to serve as a regular infantry battalion under the name 13 Grenadiers (Ganga Jaisalmer). Post 1971 the unit has seen action in counter insurgency operations in the states of Punjab and Assam. It has to its credit one [[Kirti Chakra]] and one [[Shaurya Chakra]] among numerous other awards.<br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{reflist|20em}}<br />
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==Sources==<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
* {{cite book |last1=Crump |first1=Vivien |last2=Toh |first2=Irene |title=Rajasthan |location=London |publisher=Everyman Guides |year=1996 |isbn=978-1-85715-887-8}}<br />
* {{cite web |url=http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/camel_1948-75.html |title=The Indian Army's Camel Troops 1948–75 |first=Ravi |last=Rikhye |year=2003 |work=Orders of Battle |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614005707/http://orbat.com/site/history/historical/india/camel_1948-75.html |archive-date=14 June 2006 }}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
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{{Commons category|Bikaner Camel Corps}}<br />
[[Category:Camel cavalry]]<br />
[[Category:Bikaner district]]<br />
[[Category:Regiments of the Indian Army]]<br />
[[Category:Military units and formations of the princely states of India]]<br />
[[Category:Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II]]<br />
[[Category:1889 establishments in British India]]<br />
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