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Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He is one of only two Indian Army officers to hold the five-star rank of field marshal; the other being Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.[1]



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Cariappa was born on 29 December 1898, in Madikeri, Kodagu (Coorg), to a family of farmers belonging to the Kodandera clan. After completing his education in the Central High School at Madikeri in 1917, he attended Presidency College, Chennai to pursue his education further.[2]



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During college, he learned that Indians were being recruited into the Army. As he wished to serve as a soldier he applied for the training.[3] Of the 70 applicants, Cariappa was one of 42 who were finally granted admission into the Daly Cadet College, Indore.[3]



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Cariappa graduated on 1 December 1919, and was granted a temporary commission. A permanent commission was granted on 9 September 1922, with effect from 17 July 1920.[3][4]



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He was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion of the 88th Carnatic Infantry at Bombay (Mumbai) as a temporary first lieutenat.[5] He was promoted to temporary lieutenant on 1 December 1920.[6]



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Later he was transferred to the 2/125 Napier Rifles which moved to Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) in May 1920. He was promoted to lieutenant on 17 July 1921.[7]



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In June 1923, Cariappa was transferred to the 1/7 Rajputs, which became his permanent regimental home.[8]



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In 1927, Cariappa was promoted to Captain,[9] but the appointment was not officially gazetted until 1931.[10]



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His coaching at Royal United Services Institute in 1932, and the courses he attended at Small Arms School and the Royal School of Artillery helped him to get through the Quetta Staff College's entrance examination. He was the first Indian military officer to attend the course.[11]



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In March 1936, he was appointed as staff captain of the Deccan Area.[12] In 1938, Cariappa was promoted to major[13] and was appointed the deputy assistant adjutant and quarter master general.[12]



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After World War II began, Cariappa was posted as Brigade Major to the 20th Indian Brigade stationed in Derajat. Later he was moved to 10th Indian Division which was stationed in Iraq. He earned a Mention in Despatches while serving in the 10th Division.[14]



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On 15 April 1942, he was promoted to acting lieutenant colonel and was appointed commanding officer of the same battalion, receiving an advancement to temporary lieutenant-colonel on 15 July.[15] With this appointment he became the first Indian to command a battalion[16]



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In 1943, he was posted as AQMG of the 26th Indian Division stationed at Buthidaung in Burma. The division played an important role in pushing the Japanese back from Arakan. For his services in the operation, Cariappa was awarded the Order of the British Empire in June 1945.[17][18]



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On 1 November 1944, Cariappa was promoted to the acting rank of Brigadier,[15] but was not given the command of a brigade as expected. Instead, he became a member of the Reorganisation Committee chaired by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Willcox.[17]



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In November 1945, Cariappa was made the commander of the Bannu Frontier Brigade in Waziristan.[19]



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In 1947, Cariappa was the first of two Indians selected to undergo training at the Imperial Defence College, at Camberly, in the UK, to attend the higher command courses.[19]



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Post-Independence, being promoted to the rank of Major General, Cariappa was appointed as deputy chief of the general staff.[20] In November 1947, on being promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, he was appointed as the Eastern Army commander.[21]



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In January 1948, owing to the worsening situation in Kashmir, Cariappa was called back to the capital and appointed as the GOC-in-C Delhi and East Punjab Command. After taking over the command, he immediately renamed it the Western Command and moved its headquarters to Jammu.[21]



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Plans were laid to drive out the Pakistani forces from Kashmir, but they were stopped. On 6 July 1948, the Army HQ issued strict instructions against conducting any major operations without its permission. Cariappa protested against this, stating that this policy would threaten the Kashmir Valley, putting the country's security at stake.



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He disobeyed orders and launched strikes in the Ladakh area allowing India to assert control over the region.[21][22] Cariappa continued several operations and offensive strikes against the Pakistanis which involved high risk. Failure of any of them might have threatened the Indian forces.[23][24]



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When Lieutenant General Sir Roy Bucher's appointment as the C-in-C of the Indian Army was about to expire in January 1949, it was decided to replace him with an Indian. Cariappa took over as the first native Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.[24]



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The day Cariappa took over the reins of the Indian Army, 15 January 1949, was marked as official Army Day and celebrated annually.[25]



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As the chief of the Army, Cariappa was instrumental in the formation of the Territorial Army in 1949.[25]



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Though the National Cadet Corps had been already formed in 1948, it was Cariappa who extended support during its formative years. These two complimentary branches of the Army later proved to be very helpful in the wars India fought in later years.[25]



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After four years of service as the C-in-C, Cariappa retired on 14 January 1953. Before he retired, he made a farewell visit to his parent regiment, the Rajput Regiment, at the Rajput Regimental Centre accompanied by his son and daughter.[26]



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Cariappa and his wife Muthu had a son and a daughter. Their son, K C Cariappa joined the Indian Air Force and rose to the rank of air marshal.[27]



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After his retirement in 1953, he served as the Indian high commissioner to Australia and New Zealand until 1956.[28]



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Cariappa took part in the re-organisation of the armed forces in many foreign countries. He was awarded the Legion of Merit in the degree of Chief Commander by the American President Harry S Truman.[29]



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As a mark of recognition for the commendable service rendered by him to the nation, the Government of India conferred the rank of field marshal on Cariappa on 28 April 1986, at a special investiture ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official home of the President of India.[30]



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Cariappa's health began to deteriorate in 1991; he suffered from arthritis and heart problems. He died in his sleep on 15 May 1993.[30]