Synopsis The military history of India dates back several millennia. The first reference of armies is found in the Vedas. The Rigvedic tribes of Indo-Aryans were led by their tribal chieftain (raja) and engaged in wars with each other as well as other tribes. The Army of India was raised under the British Raj in the 19th century by taking the erstwhile presidency armies, merging them and bringing them under the Crown.

The Indian Army is the world’s second largest army in terms of military personnel, and the largest in terms of active manpower. Initially, the army’s main objective was to defend the nation’s frontiers. The Indian Army has seen military action during the First Kashmir War, Operation Polo, the Sino-Indian War, the Second Kashmir War, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Sri Lankan Civil War and the Kargil War. The Indian Army has participated in several UN peacekeeping operations, including the ones in Cyprus, Leabanon, Congo, Angola, Cambodia, Vietnam, Namibia, EI Salvador, Liberia, Mozambique and Somalia.