President's Bodyguard
The President's Bodyguard is the senior-most regiment of the Indian Army and an elite mounted household cavalry unit responsible for escorting and protecting the President of India.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The President's Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite household cavalry regiment of the Indian Army based at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence and workplace of the President of India in New Delhi. Its most visible duty is ceremonial: mounted escorts, state occasions, presidential processions, guard duties and participation in national commemorations. It also has an operational military role and its personnel are trained in armoured warfare, parachuting and high-altitude service. The regiment traces its institutional origins to September 1773, when Governor-General Warren Hastings raised a bodyguard of 50 selected troopers from the Moghal Horse, a force associated with local military leaders and traditionally dated to 1760. Maharaja Chait Singh of Benares subsequently supplied another 50 troopers, bringing the unit's initial strength to 100. During the period of the East India Company, the Presidency armies and later the British Indian Army, the unit served as the Governor-General's Bodyguard and changed in size and designation as political and military structures evolved. The regiment became part of the Indian Army at independence in 1947. Partition divided the former British Indian Army between India and Pakistan. Muslim members of the bodyguard transferred to Pakistan and helped form the Governor General's Bodyguard there, while Sikh, Jat and Rajput personnel remained with the Indian unit. The division also produced a symbolic dispute over the former Viceroy's gold-plated state buggy. Its ownership was settled by a coin toss between representatives of India and Pakistan, with India receiving the vehicle. On 27 January 1950, when India became a republic, the regiment was renamed the President's Bodyguard. PBG combines traditional mounted service with modern military capabilities. It maintains a ceremonial horse establishment and uses horses for presidential duties, while armoured vehicles, including BTR-80 vehicles, support its combat role. Personnel are trained as horsemen, tank crew and paratroopers; the regiment is expected in principle to provide pathfinders for airborne operations. Small detachments have served in demanding high-altitude locations, including Siachen, eastern Ladakh and Sikkim. The unit has participated in India's major post-independence conflicts and military deployments. During the 1962 Sino-Indian War, its Humber and Daimler armoured cars were used in the defence of Chushul at elevations above 14,000 feet. It took part in Operation Ablaze during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, and later provided personnel for the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in 1988–89. Members also served with Indian contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations in Somalia, Angola and Sierra Leone. Recruitment after independence developed a distinctive regimental composition of roughly equal representation from Sikh Jats, Hindu Jats and Rajputs, with officers and administrative personnel drawn from across India. The regiment is known for demanding physical standards, including a published minimum height requirement of 1.84 metres for enlisted recruitment. Its size has varied considerably, from the original 100 troopers to nearly 2,000 in the nineteenth century; in the modern period it has generally operated at approximately squadron strength. A 2003 establishment listed seven officers, 15 junior commissioned officers and 140 other ranks. The PBG also preserves a formal relationship with the presidency through its standards, trumpets and banners. Under the republic, successive presidents have presented silver trumpets and associated banners bearing presidential monograms and regimental symbolism. These ceremonial objects connect the regiment's colonial antecedents with its current constitutional role. Today, the President's Bodyguard remains both a working military formation and a highly visible institution of the Indian state, representing continuity, presidential authority and the ceremonial traditions of the Indian Army.
History
The President's Bodyguard originated in September 1773, when Warren Hastings, Governor-General of the Bengal Presidency, organized a bodyguard from 50 selected troopers of the Moghal Horse. The Moghal Horse had been raised in 1760 by local sirdars. Maharaja Chait Singh of Benares contributed a further 50 troopers, creating an initial force of 100. Captain Sweeny Toone became the first commander, with Lieutenant Samuel Black serving as his subaltern. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the unit served successive governors-general and operated within the military structures of the East India Company and the British Indian Army. It was known under forms of the title Governor-General's Bodyguard and was periodically expanded or reorganized. Its inherited battle honours include Java, Ava, Maharajpoor, Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Aliwal and Sobraon. The regiment's later Indian identity treats most of these honours as incompatible with republican regimental colours, although they remain part of its historical inheritance. The unit's institutional history changed sharply with independence and Partition in 1947. The British Indian Army was divided between India and Pakistan. Muslim members of the bodyguard transferred to Pakistan and formed the basis of the Governor General's Bodyguard there. Sikh, Jat and Rajput members remained with the Indian Army. India and Pakistan also disputed the former Viceroy's gold-plated state buggy; the issue was resolved by a coin toss between Colonel Thakur Govind Singh on the Indian side and Sahabzada Yaqub Khan on the Pakistani side, with India winning possession. On 27 January 1950, after India became a republic, the unit was renamed the President's Bodyguard. Its constitutional role became the protection and ceremonial escort of the President of India. The regiment was based at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi and retained a mounted identity while acquiring or using modern armoured equipment. In the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Humber and Daimler armoured cars associated with the regiment were deployed in the defence of Chushul at more than 14,000 feet. The bodyguard also participated in Operation Ablaze during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War. The PBG's later service extended beyond presidential ceremony. A detachment served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka during 1988–89, and personnel contributed to Indian contingents in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Angola and Sierra Leone. The regiment has also maintained small rotating detachments in high-altitude areas such as Siachen, eastern Ladakh and Sikkim. Its personnel are trained in mounted skills, armoured operations and parachuting, with a nominal wartime role as airborne pathfinders. Recruitment has traditionally emphasized equal representation among Sikh Jats, Hindu Jats and Rajputs, while officers and support personnel may come from across India. A published enlistment standard requires a minimum height of 1.84 metres. The regiment's size has fluctuated substantially: it began with 100 troopers, reached approximately 1,929 personnel in 1845, and generally operated at around squadron strength after 1950. A 2003 establishment recorded 7 officers, 15 junior commissioned officers and 140 enlisted personnel. Ceremonial standards have remained central to the unit's identity. Under the viceroys, each new officeholder presented a banner. Under the republic, each president has continued the relationship by presenting a silver trumpet and banner bearing presidential insignia. President Rajendra Prasad presented the first presidential trumpet and banner on 14 May 1957 and later presented related standards in 1958. President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented a further banner in 1962 and new standards in 1963. The regimental standard includes the motto “Bharat Mata ki Jai,” the regimental crest, lotus flowers, Ashoka leaves and scrolls recording battle honours. The President's Bodyguard remains an active Indian Army regiment. Its duties combine close protection of the head of state, public ceremonial representation and conventional military readiness, making it a distinctive institution at the intersection of India's constitutional, military and historical traditions.
- 1988
Service with Indian Peace Keeping Force
[1]A detachment served in Sri Lanka with the Indian Peace Keeping Force during 1988–89.
- 1965
Participation in Operation Ablaze
[1]The regiment participated in Operation Ablaze during the Indo-Pakistani War.
- 1962
Deployment during Sino-Indian War
[1]The regiment's Humber and Daimler armoured cars were deployed in the defence of Chushul at extreme altitude.
- 1957
First presidential trumpet and banner presented
[1]President Rajendra Prasad presented the first presidential trumpet and banner to the regiment on 14 May.
- 1950
Renamed President's Bodyguard
[1]The unit received its present name on 27 January 1950, following India's transition to a republic.
- 1947
Partition reshapes the regiment
[1]Muslim personnel transferred to Pakistan while Sikh, Jat and Rajput personnel remained with the Indian Army; India also secured the former Viceroy's state buggy by lot.
- 1773
Governor-General's Bodyguard raised
[1]Warren Hastings established the bodyguard with 50 selected troopers, later expanded to 100 through a contribution from Maharaja Chait Singh of Benares.
- 1760
Moghal Horse established
[1]The Moghal Horse, from which the first bodyguard personnel were selected, was raised by local sirdars.
Products and positioning
An elite presidential protection and ceremonial cavalry regiment combining constitutional symbolism, mounted display and operational military capability.
Brand decisions
1950
Transition from governor-general's guard to presidential regimentStrategyBackground
India's establishment as a republic required the former colonial governor-general's bodyguard to serve the new constitutional head of state.
Action taken
The unit was renamed the President's Bodyguard and assigned presidential escort, protection and ceremonial responsibilities.
Aftermath
The regiment retained its mounted tradition while becoming an institution of the Republic of India.
1947
Settlement of the former Viceroy's buggy disputeOtherBackground
India and Pakistan both sought possession of the gold-plated state buggy associated with the former Viceroy's bodyguard.
Action taken
Representatives of the two sides settled the matter by a coin toss, which India won.
Aftermath
The buggy became part of the ceremonial heritage associated with India's presidential establishment.
Recent events
President's Bodyguard participates in presidential ceremonial duties[1]
Other
The regiment continues to perform mounted escort, protection and ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhavan and other state occasions.
President's Bodyguard maintains operational high-altitude deployments[1]
Other
Personnel serve in rotating detachments in challenging high-altitude sectors, including Siachen, eastern Ladakh and Sikkim, alongside the regiment's ceremonial responsibilities.
Sources1 sources
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