Rezang La War Memorial: Tribute to 114 soldiers who set an example of bravery in 1962 war
A few tent-like structures atop a nearby mountain are the first things to be noticed by a visitor at the Rezang La War Memorial on the high altitudes of the Chushul sector of eastern Ladakh.Those are the last physical remnants of a daring battle fought by the Indian army against the invading Chinese forces in the winter of 1962 at over 16,000 ft above mean sea level, in which 114 officers and soldiers of the 13 Kumaon Regiment laid down their lives.
"Those are the very structures in which our forces were stationed when they took on the invading troops. It was the site where their bodies were recovered next spring," pointed an official of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI), which is looking after the war memorial constructed on a nearby hillock.
The revamped Rezang La War Memorial was opened in November 2021 and is part of 'Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan', an initiative by the Indian Army and the Ministry of Tourism to promote battlefield tourism in India.
The Memorial is just a short distance away from the Rezang La ('la' means pass in Tibetan language), which serves as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China now.
At the centre of the War Memorial is the 'Ahir Dham', commemorating the soldiers killed in the battle of Rezang La."All the personnel of the Charlie company of 13 Kumaon Regiment who were martyred were from the Ahir community. This plaque has been erected at the site where they were cremated," the official, conducting a tour of the Memorial, said."This is mostly a barren landscape, and there was not enough wood for making a pyre. Furniture used in the military establishments here was used to complete the pyre as the cremation took place with full military honours," he added.Further inside is the memorial of Major Shaitan Singh, who had led the company and was awarded the country's highest military honour Param Vir Chakra (posthumously)."The body of Major Singh could be identified with the help of the tattered shoulder badge. Only his body was flown back to his native place for cremation," the official said.Commanding the infantry battalion divided into five platoon posts, Major Singh moved at great personal risk from one post to another sustaining the morale of his hard-pressed personnel.When he fell disabled by wounds in his arms and abdomen, his men tried to evacuate him but Major Singh ordered them to leave him to his fate in order to save their lives, the official citation of the Param Vir Chakra mentions.A guard of honour is presented daily at the memorial, typically when 100-150 visitors gather, with the site being a major tourist attraction.Recalling the bravery of the fallen heroes during the Sino-Indian War, the official narrated how the 114 personnel, led by Major Singh, had fought in sub-zero temperatures on November 18, 1962, against 5,000 Chinese troops.All the Indian soldiers were killed in the battle, which was written in letters of gold in the annals of war history for the unmatched bravery and patriotism displayed by these personnel in the face of harsh weather, and outmatched by the enemy in numbers and weaponry."When the bodies were recovered in February 1963, there were many who still had a finger on the gun. The body of even the nursing assistant attached to the company was found with a syringe ready to be injected in his hand, showing how each performed his duty till the last breath," the JAK LI official said, pointing to the photographs of the martyred personnel at the memorial.He also mentioned the lance naik in the Company, who was a former wrestler, and killed 10 Chinese soldiers with his bare hands after running out of ammunition and before falling to enemy bullets fired from a distance, citing instances of courage and undeterred spirit of the personnel.The bravery of the Company has been recognised with one Param Vir Chakra, eight Vir Chakras, four Sena Medals and one Mentioned-in-Dispatches, making it among the most decorated companies in the Indian Army.
The War Memorial, with its display of personal items, weapons and ammunition recovered from the battle site at the high pass of Rezang La, stands as a stark reminder of sacrifices made in the defence of the nation, making the visitors bow their heads in reverence to the martyred men who fought that winter six decades ago.
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