Gurkhas “ the happy warriors” are cheerful men, proud and content to be soldiers, and capable of finding humour in the direst circumstances. These Nepalese hillmen, small of stauture but possessing most of the qualities that make ideal infantrymen, have gained a fearsome reputation in war.

Gurkhas take their name from the small pricinpality of Gorkha, which by the middle of 18th century had conquered most of what is today known as Nepal. The king of Gorkha and his successors became so powerful that they overran the whole of the hill country from the border of Kashmir (South of China) to the east of Bhutan (Northeast India).