The Gurkhas or Gorkhas with endonym Gorkhali are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent of Nepalese nationality and ethnic Nepalis of Indian nationality recruited for the British Army, Nepalese Army, Indian Army, Gurkha Contingent Singapore, Gurkha Reserve Unit Brunei, UN peacekeeping force and war zones around the world. Historically, the terms Gurkha and Gorkhali were synonymous with Nepali, which originates from the hill principality Gorkha Kingdom, from which the Kingdom of Nepal expanded under Prithivi Narayan Shah. The name may be traced to the medieval Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath who has a historic shrine in Gorkha. The word itself derived from Go-Raksha , raksha becoming rakha . Rakhawala means protector and is derived from raksha as well. Ethnically, Gurung, Magar and Kshetri or Khas, Thakuri mainly were the Gorkha tribes that united the erstwhile Gorkha Kingdom and fought against the British invasions. Today, Gorkha soldiers mostly belong to the Gurung, Magar, Thakuri and Khas. There are Gurkha military units in the Nepalese, British and Indian armies enlisted in Nepal, United Kingdom and India. Although they meet many of the requirements of Article 47 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions regarding mercenaries, they are exempt under clauses 47 and similarly to the French Foreign Legion.Gurkhas are closely associated with the khukuri, a forward-curving Nepali knife, and have a reputation for fearless military prowess. Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw once stated that: If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha.
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