77th Moplah Rifles

The 77th Moplah Rifles were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1777, when they were raised as the 17th Carnatic Battalion.

The regiment's first action was during the Carnatic Wars followed by the Battle of Sholinghur in the Second Anglo-Mysore War. They also took part in the Battle of Nagpore.^[1]

In 1902 the basis of recruitment for this regiment and one other (see 78th Moplah Rifles for additional detail) was changed from Madrasis to Moplahs. Both units were disbanded in 1907.^[2]

Predecessor names

• 17th Carnatic Battalion - 1777
• 16th Madras Battalion - 1784
• 2nd Battalion, 5th Madras Native Infantry - 1796
• 16th Madras Native Infantry - 1824
• 17th Madras Infantry - 1861
• 1st Moplah Rifles - 1902
• 77th Moplah Rifles - 1903

Memorial at the St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore

After the regiment's disbandment, the military colours of the 77th Moplah Rifles was buried within the west wall of St. Mark's Cathedral, Bangalore. There is also a memorial for the lives lost in the Moplah revolt.^[3]

References

• Barthorp, Michael; Burn, Jeffrey (1979). Indian infantry regiments 1860-1914. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-307-0. 
• Rinaldi, Richard A (2008). Order of Battle British Army 1914. Ravi Rikhye. ISBN 0-9776072-8-3. 
• Sharma, Gautam (1990). Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army. Allied Publishers. ISBN 81-7023-140-X. 
• Sumner, Ian (2001). The Indian Army 1914-1947. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-196-6. 
• Moberly, F.J. (1923). Official History of the War: Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum. ISBN 1-870423-30-5