www.IKRHS.com

Here's an interesting photo I wish I knew more about. I found this on the site of a travel agency advertising Nepal tours, this one illustrating a tour of Gorkha. Obviously these men are dressed and armed as Nepalese soldiers from the first half of the 19th century. Who they are is a mystery.

The Ceremonial Palace Guard ?? Rod

Could be, but the only pics I've found that were identified as the palace guard showed modern uniforms.

Apparently these guys are the Samar Jung Battalion who at important festivals dress up, parade, play flutes & shoot old rifles in the air.

Spiral

Many thanks.
Here's yet another from Wikipedia, captioned "Nepalese army on traditional uniform during Indrajatra" with no attribution as to source. I have my doubts about the authenticity of the loafers with yellow socks. Can't identify the longarms, but I think I see two large dhal shields, kukris just visible in sashes?

Berk and Spiral..Thanks for sharing pics and info..A google on the Samar Jung Battalion reveals a pretty "checkered" past history..too much to cut and paste but worth a read. Rod

Fascinating picture! Snider short rifles, as best I can tell. Northwest Frontier, do you think?

I thought so to Berk, NWF sounds probably right to me.

That picture came titled "2nd GR on the way to kandahar Afgahistan" but I also have it in another book I think so will check how its titled & dated there. {might take a week or two to find it.}

spiral

Sorry Berk, Ive been unable to locate the copy of the book with the identicle photo in. So no further details to share unfortuanatly.

Came across this photo though. No description sadley.

id guess Long Lee Enfields but couldnt be totaly sure....

Spiral

another...





spiral

Great pic, thanks!
Interesting that the Nepalese-made short Snider rifles have the rear sling attachment at the front of the trigger guard, rather than in the buttstock like the British ones shown in your photo.

Perhaps the short sling was more useful in the generally mountainous terrain that the Nepalese troops usually fought in. AFAIK there are no period photos of Nepalese troops in the field, only British Gurkhas. Reconstruction of period Nepalese Army uniform and equipment details is difficult, since the clues are in the weapons themselves, or paintings which show little detail and considerable artistic license.

Yes Nepali army pictures seem much rarer, I expect some exist in Nepal somewhere though..

While not a picture Berk this might be of some use to you in some photo dating?

Dates of rifle issue according to the Offcial history of 8th GR .{Other regiments may vary.}

Spiral

For years pre.1872 muzzle loading Fusil.
1872 Enfield.
1874 Snider
1884 short snider
1888 Martini-Henry
1902 magazine Lee Enfield & maxim machine gun
1912 markIII* Lee-Enfield
WW1 era. Lewis gun
1926 Vickers machine gun
1934 Vickers Berthier.
WW2 era. Bren,Sten & S.M.Lee Enfields

Here's an interesting view of the Nepalese Army featuring lots of SMLEs with fixed bayonets. The event is the coronation of Prime Minister Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, son of Sri Tin Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. The Metropolitan Museum of Art gives the date of the photo as 1942, but Wikipedia says he was prime minister 1948-51. I suspect the latter date is more likely; hard to imagine all those weapons being available for pageantry during the earlier years of WWII.
Note the Samar Jung Battalion uniforms surrounding the elephant.

Although this picture does not show any Gurkha soldiers, it seems obvious that an ancestor's military service resulted in the family's prize Enfield P-53 pattern rifle musket. Probably the kukri, also.