President Droupadi Murmu awarded a diamond jubilee silver trumpet and trumpet banner to the President's Bodyguard during a Tuesday ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The presentation marked 75 years since the unit received its current designation in 1950. Murmu praised the regiment's professional excellence and adherence to military traditions while noting the honor carries significant responsibility.
The President's Bodyguard stands as the Indian Army's oldest regiment after its establishment in 1773 as the Governor-General's Bodyguard. Warren Hastings raised the unit in Varanasi with 50 cavalry troopers, and later expanded it to 100 horsemen. The regiment adopted its present name on Jan. 27, 1950, and received its first silver trumpet from President Rajendra Prasad on May 14, 1957.
Viraat, the commandant's horse, retired in 2022, attended the ceremony as a symbol of the bond between personnel and their mounts. The regiment maintains strict selection standards for its hand-picked members who serve mounted on war horses in traditional ceremonial attire. The unit has protected one governor general and 15 presidents since 1947.
The President's Bodyguard stands as the Indian Army's oldest regiment after its establishment in 1773 as the Governor-General's Bodyguard. Warren Hastings raised the unit in Varanasi with 50 cavalry troopers, and later expanded it to 100 horsemen. The regiment adopted its present name on Jan. 27, 1950, and received its first silver trumpet from President Rajendra Prasad on May 14, 1957.
Viraat, the commandant's horse, retired in 2022, attended the ceremony as a symbol of the bond between personnel and their mounts. The regiment maintains strict selection standards for its hand-picked members who serve mounted on war horses in traditional ceremonial attire. The unit has protected one governor general and 15 presidents since 1947.
