King Birendra with Gurkhas Soldiers welcomes UK Queen Elizabeth II 1986 IN NEPAL

King Birendra with  Gurkhas Soldiers welcomes UK Queen Elizabeth II 1986 IN NEPAL

The Gurkhas (Nepali : गोर्खा) pronounced and alternately spelled as Gorkhas, are soldiers from Nepal. Historically, the terms "Gurkha" and "Gorkhali" were synonymous with "Nepali," and derived from the hill town and district of Gorkha from which the Kingdom of Nepal expanded.[1][2] The name may be traced to the medieval Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath[3] who has a historic shrine in Gorkha.[4] The word itself derived from Go-Raksha, raksha becoming rakha. Rakhawala means protector and is derived from raksha as well.

There are Gurkha military units in the Nepalese, British and the Indian army (Gorkhas) enlisted in Nepal. Although they meet many of the requirements of Article 47 [5] of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions regarding mercenaries, they are exempt under clauses 47(e)&(f) similar to the French Foreign Legion.[6]WATCH VIDEO

Gurkhas are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving Nepalese knife and have a well known reputation for their fearless military prowess. The former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, once stated that[7] "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."