The Mahar community of Maharashtra, also known as Kathiwale (men with sticks), Bumiputera (sons of the soil), and Mirasi (landlords), by tradition has the role of defending village boundaries from outsiders, invading tribes, criminals, and thieves.

[7] Later during Peshwa rule Shidnak mahar saved the life of his commander Parshurambhau Patwardhan during the Battle of Kharda in 1795.

[8] During the colonial period, large numbers of Mahars were recruited for military duties by the East India Company and the British Raj.

[5] After the Revolt of 1857, the British officers of the Indian Army, particularly those who had served in the First and Second Afghan Wars, began to give currency to the Martial Races Theory.

The final blow for the Mahar troops came in 1892, when it was decided to institute "class regiments" in the Indian Army.

Petitions to this effect were drafted by ex-soldiers such as Gopal Baba Walangkar in 1894 with the help of Mahadev Govind Ranade, and Shivram Janba Kamble in 1904.

[10] These petitions were supported in principle by the politician and social reformer Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who was opposed to the Martial Races theory.

The shortage of men forced the Government to begin more broad-based recruiting, and the Mahars were at last allowed to enlist in the Army.

[11] In that year B. R. Ambedkar was appointed to the Defence Advisory Committee of the Viceroy's Executive Council.He also appealed to the Mahars to join the Army in large numbers.

During the Second World War, the 1st and 3rd Mahars served in the North-West Frontier Province, while the 2nd and 25th were employed on internal security duties within the country.

The 2nd battalion also saw service in the Burma Campaign as a part of the 23rd Indian Division, where they suffered 5 casualties and had one officer mentioned in dispatches.

The new badge had two crossed Vickers machine guns over the Koregaon Pillar, over a scroll that said "The Mahar MG Regiment".

Hailing as they did from the erstwhile greater state of East Punjab (which included the present states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh), the force had people hailing from a greater mix of ethnic, religious and caste backgrounds than was the norm in the Indian Army.

They did some useful work defending villages from attacks during partition, and as a reward, were given a more permanent character as the East Punjab Frontier Scouts in 1948.

Parameswaran was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration, for his bravery.

[citation needed] Battalions:[3] Territorial Army (TA) Rashtriya Rifles (RR) Special Task Force (STF)