Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat died on 17th November 1962. Yet, he still wakes up every morning at 4:30 AM for his tea. Breakfast is served to him at 9 AM. His bed is made, his uniform is pressed, and his room at Jaswant Garh in Arunachal Pradesh is always in order, except when the guards on duty find the bedsheet crumpled, or clothes lying out of place.
To this day, he receives promotions, his salary is credited, and he is granted leave to “visit home”. When that happens, his photo, not a coffin, is taken to his ancestral village with full military honours. And upon his “return”, the same framed portrait is respectfully brought back to Jaswant Garh.
This is not superstition or folklore. It is the Army’s way of remembering a soldier who never left his post. A soldier who earned not just medals, but immortality. Jaswant Singh Rawat was not an ordinary man. He was, and remains, the Indian Army’s most extraordinary tale of devotion, sacrifice, love for the country, and an eternal post left un-surrendered.
The legend of Jaswant Garh
Jaswant Garh stands at over 10,000 feet in the icy terrain of Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Unlike any other Indian Army post, it is not named after a commanding officer or a decorated general. It honours a young rifleman, a soldier who fought not just until death, but beyond it.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat’s presence is not symbolic. His room is maintained with military precision. Every morning at 4:30 AM, tea is placed by his bedside. His uniform is pressed, his bed is made, and meals are served in his name three times a day. If guards find his bedsheet crumpled or boots displaced, they take it as a sign that Baba is still making his rounds.
Five soldiers are permanently assigned to care for his belongings and room. These men are not just caretakers, but fellow soldiers who serve with him. When Jaswant Singh is granted leave to visit home, his framed photograph is ceremonially carried to his ancestral village with full military honours. Upon his return, it is brought back to Jaswant Garh and placed in his room.
Among both Army circles and locals, he is lovingly called Baba Jaswant Singh. Stories abound of his spirit walking the corridors, waking sleeping jawans on duty, and inspecting posts. He is not referred to as a martyr, he is believed to be still on duty.
Jaswant Garh is not just a memorial. It is a living post where discipline meets devotion, and legend merges with duty. Perhaps the only such instance in military history, it is where a soldier continues to serve long after laying down his life.
Born to serve
Jaswant Singh Rawat was born in Uttarakhand’s Baryun village in Pauri Garhwal on 19th August 1941. He was the son of Guman Singh Rawat. People of Garhwal are known as warriors. The service to the nation came naturally to them.
When Jaswant was young, the retired veterans in his village used to tell stories of bravery which inspired him. Like many Garhwali youths, he grew up with an unwavering sense of patriotism and a single dream, to wear the revered Army uniform.
At the age of 19, Jaswant fulfilled that dream by joining the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles on 19th August 1960. The regiment already had a distinguished history and a reputation for raw courage. Within just two years, the young man from a quiet Himalayan village was on the brink of writing one of the most extraordinary chapters in Indian military history.
The war that tested India
Independent India was still a young nation in 1962. It was finding its footing on the world stage. However, China, the neighbour on the Himalayan frontier, had other plans. The tensions between the two nations escalated quickly and war broke out. Arunachal Pradesh, which was then called the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), became the centre of a brutal conflict between Indian and Chinese troops.
The fight was not equal. Indian soldiers were heavily outnumbered and ill-equipped. However, they were expected to hold their ground against the Chinese assault.
4 Garhwal Rifles was among the regiments deployed near Tawang. Jaswant Singh Rawat was one of the many determined soldiers tasked with defending the motherland. Nuranang, a key post just 40 km from the Indo-China border, was their location. Conditions were brutal, the Chinese had superior numbers and firepower. Indian forces lacked even basic supplies. But what they had was unshakable resolve.
As the battle intensified, a general order to fall back was issued, forcing many Indian units to withdraw. The Garhwal Rifles received the same command. But Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat made a fateful choice. He refused to leave.
In doing so, he chose a path only the truly brave dare tread, to stay behind and face the Chinese army alone.
Battle of Nuranang – November 1962
By November 1962, the Indo-China War escalated into a full-scale military conflict. The Indian troops were asked to do strategic withdrawals. Amidst all the chaos, the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles held on to the critical delaying position at Nuranang. It was a vital post to protect the main defence that was being established in Sela.
Sikh and Dogra battalions formed the broader Company. These battalions were getting thinner and lacking ammunition and supplies while facing bitter cold. After the 4th Infantry Division withdrew from Tawang, the defensive burden fell on the shoulders of the Garhwal Rifles.
The ‘A’ Company of the battalion was led by Second Lieutenant SN Tandon. They picked a defensive position left of the Sela-Jang road. On the morning of 17th November 1962, Chinese forces launched a massive offensive with nearly two battalions of infantry. Despite the waves of attack, the Garhwalis held their ground and repelled the first three attacks.
However, the fourth wave came with a dangerous shift. The Chinese brought forward a Medium Machine Gun and positioned it just 30 metres from the Indian bunkers. The concentrated fire from the MMG inflicted significant damage. There was a threat to the defensive line. 2nd Lt Tandon sensed the danger and called for volunteers to neutralise the threat.
Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain stepped forward without any hesitation. They crawled across exposed terrain under cover fire and advanced to within 15 yards of the MMG position.
As they got close to the post, they lobbed grenades into the Chinese position. Jaswant Singh showed sheer courage and leapt into the enemy post to seize the MMG. While attempting to retreat to Indian lines, he was fatally shot in the head, killing him instantly. Trilok Singh provided suppressing fire but was hit during the exchange. Gopal Singh, though wounded, managed to drag the MMG back to the trench.
The mission lasted only 15 minutes, but it left a deep impact. The destruction of the MMG post disoriented the enemy and turned the tide of battle. The fifth and sixth Chinese assaults were beaten back, and the Garhwal Rifles held their ground. Over 300 Chinese soldiers were reported killed or wounded in the conflict. Indian casualties remained low.
Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and Rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain were both awarded the Vir Chakra. The 4 Garhwal Rifles earned the rare and prestigious Battle Honour ‘Nuranang’, the only unit to receive such distinction during the 1962 war.
The legend of Jaswant Singh Rawat and the Tribal girls who helped him
An alternate story is popular among the Army circles and the locals. According to the legends, the Indian battalion was ordered to fall back. When it began its tactical withdrawal from Nuranang, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat simply refused to abandon his post. No direct orders were disobeyed in the process. He answered to the greater calling, that of duty, of dharma, which anchored him where others retreated. He had only a few rifles with him and limited ammunition. However, what kept him going was the will of a lion.
But even heroes need allies. That is when two young girls from the Monpa tribe, Sela and Nura, came into the picture. According to the local legends and the army lore, Sela and Nura were two courageous girls who came forward to provide support to Jaswant Singh in an extraordinary act of tactical brilliance. Together, they set up multiple firing positions across the terrain. They placed rifles, stacked sandbags, and created an illusion of a fully manned defence. They moved swiftly between those stations and made it appear as if an entire company of Indian soldiers was holding ground.
What came next was directly from a mythical storybook. For 72 straight hours, Jaswant Singh Rawat held off waves of Chinese assaults. He fired from one post, then ran to the next before the enemy could zero in. Chinese soldiers were baffled and bleeding. They believed there was a full-fledged Indian force fighting with them. There were 300 Chinese casualties in those three days, inflicted largely by a single rifleman and two unarmed girls who believed the soil beneath their feet was more sacred than life itself. But legends, no matter how gallant, often meet betrayal.
The courage of Sela and Nura
Sela and Nura were not soldiers. They had no ranks, uniforms, or formal weapons. But during the battle at Nuranang, they supported Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat with courage and commitment.
According to accounts from army personnel and locals, the two girls helped him maintain the appearance that Indian forces were still holding the post. They assisted in setting up firing positions, moving between locations, carrying cartridges, loading rifles, and stacking sandbags.
Their actions helped delay the Chinese assault. Jaswant Singh was able to move from one position to another and fire at the enemy from different angles, creating the illusion that the Indian side had more soldiers than it did.
Eventually, the Chinese forces captured a local ration supplier who told them that only one rifleman and two girls were holding the position. After this, the Chinese troops launched a heavy attack.
Sela died during this attack. Some reports say she was killed by a grenade, while others say she jumped off a cliff to avoid capture. There are also claims that she had developed feelings for Jaswant Singh, though this is not verified.
Nura’s fate remains unclear. Some believe she was killed, while others say she was captured by the Chinese. Her story remains incomplete, but her role in supporting Jaswant Singh is remembered.
Sela and Nura did not receive any medals or formal recognition, but their efforts are remembered in oral histories, songs, and local traditions in Arunachal Pradesh.
Jaswant Singh Rawat, the last one to fall
On 17th November 1962, after three days of holding the post with unmatched courage, Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat faced his final stand. Sela and Nura had already fallen. Jaswant knew what capture would mean. Refusing to let the enemy turn him into a war trophy, he made his final choice.
Some accounts say he turned his rifle on himself. Others claim he was captured and hanged. There are versions where he fought to the very last bullet, gunned down while still clutching the machine gun he had earlier seized from the enemy. The truth may lie somewhere in between, but what remains certain is that his courage never wavered.
In a gesture rarely seen in warfare, the Chinese, stunned by his bravery, are said to have severed his head and taken it back as a grim trophy. And yet, when the ceasefire was declared, they returned it, not out of compulsion, but as a mark of respect.
Along with it, they reportedly sent a brass bust of Jaswant Singh Rawat, sculpted by Chinese hands as a tribute to the man who had stood alone and turned a mountain pass into a symbol of honour.
Few soldiers in history are saluted by the very enemy they fought. Jaswant Singh Rawat was one of them.
A legacy carved in stone
Time moves on. Wars begin and end. Names appear and then fade away. But in the case of Jaswant Singh Rawat, the name lived. His legacy has not just been remembered; it has been institutionalised. The very post he defended with his life is now called Jaswant Garh. It is not just a memorial. The post is still active in the Indian Army’s honour roll, where his name figures as a soldier on duty. He has been posthumously promoted, rising through the ranks to Major General, perhaps the only soldier in history to be promoted after death, not ceremonially, but in military records.
Arunachal Pradesh | Wreath laying ceremony of rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who was martyred in 1962 Sino-India war was held at Jaswantgarh, this afternoon.
— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2021
Rifleman Rawat was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously for his gallantry during the 1962 war. pic.twitter.com/T32kKN99by
His Maha Vir Chakra citation reads like poetry written in blood and courage. It recounts how, on that fateful day, he crawled within 12 metres of an enemy medium machine gun bunker, lobbed grenades, snatched their weapons, and fought his way back. He was later fatally hit just before reaching Indian lines. Yet, even in death, he held the enemy gun tight.
The citation read, “On 17th November 1962, a Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles was occupying a defensive position near Nuranang bridge in NEFA. Rifleman Jashwant Singh’s Company was subjected to a serious attack by the Chinese forces. Three attacks made by the enemy were unsuccessful, but the enemy managed to bring forward a medium machine gun very close to one of our platoons and weakened its defences.
Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat and two other men (a Lance Naik and another Rifleman) volunteered to go and destroy the enemy MMG position. Under cover of boulders, scraggy bushes and trees and under the risk of their own as well as heavy enemy fire, they crawled forward and reached to within 10 to 15 yards of the target.
While the Lance Naik undertook covering fire with a Sten gun, Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat and the other rifleman hurled grenades on the enemy MMG. The grenades exploded and without losing time both of them rushed towards the MMG position. They saw two Chinese lying dead and another, though badly wounded, still holding the MMG.
They jumped on him and overpowered him. Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat snatched the MMG and both of them returned to their own position under the covering fire provided by the Lance Naik. As they were entering their trenches, the enemy opened automatic fire from close range. Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat was hit on the head and died on the spot, still holding the MMG in his hand. The other rifleman, though badly wounded, managed to enter the trench and was saved.”
The courage and initiative shown by Rifleman Jashwant Singh Rawat in the face of intense enemy fire was in the best traditions of our Army.
His regiment, the 4 Garhwal Rifles, was awarded the rare Battle Honour ‘Nuranang’, the only such distinction given during the 1962 war. And far away in Dehradun, a housing project named Jaswant Nagar stands tall in his memory.
In Jaswant Garh, five soldiers are permanently posted to maintain his room. His uniform is cleaned, his bed is made, and his shoes are polished. Tea is served every morning. Dinner is laid out every evening. And when he “goes on leave”, his framed photograph is carried back to his village with full honours, as if he were still alive.
Because to his regiment, and to the Indian Army, he is.
The spirit that still stands guard
Most soldiers die once. Jaswant Singh Rawat never did. At Jaswant Garh, his presence is more than symbolic. Soldiers posted there speak of strange occurrences, bedsheets found crumpled, boots displaced, and rifles felt inspected. Sentries claim they have been nudged awake when nodding off during duty. Some say they have seen a figure walking silently in the mist. Others say he speaks in dreams, calm, commanding, protective.
He is no longer just a man, or even just a martyr. In the collective memory of his regiment, Baba Jaswant Singh is an eternal guardian. He is remembered and saluted. In uncertain moments, soldiers still look to him for guidance. In a world that often forgets its dead, the Indian Army has built a system where one man continues to live because his will simply never left.
The rituals are not theatrics. They are discipline, the same discipline he showed when he faced down hundreds with nothing but grit and an outdated rifle. Some memorials are built with stone and mortar. But this one? It is built with reverence.
When a fresh batch of soldiers arrives, they are told, “This post was once held by one man. Let that be your standard.” And in the biting winds of Tawang, where snow hides trails and fog cloaks vision, the soldiers know, he is watching.
Immortality of a soldier’s soul
There are stories in every army, of bravery, sacrifice, and duty. But Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat’s story does not end where others do. It transcends death, outruns memory, and refuses to be tucked into a footnote of history.
Jaswant Singh Rawat was only 21 when he sacrificed his life for the motherland. But the life he gave birthed a legacy larger than medals, parades, or plaques. In every sunrise at Jaswant Garh, in every cup of tea placed at his bedside, in every whisper that tells a rookie soldier to stand straighter, his presence is felt. Not mourned, but honoured.
Jaswant Singh teaches and inspires the young soldiers. His soul guards the border, not as folklore, but as faith. He did not just fight the Chinese; he fought the idea that duty ends with death. Perhaps this is why the Army promotes him. Perhaps this is why his salary is credited. Perhaps this is why he is not a “Shaheed”, as he is still around, guarding the borders.
In every soldier out there, there is a heartbeat that refuses to surrender. That heartbeat is Jaswant Singh Rawat. Rifleman. Legend. India’s Immortal Soldier.
