Deshehra ceremony by soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles, Majidee Barracks, Johore, 1958 (c)

Photograph, Malaya, 1958 (c).

Deshehra, also called Vijayadashmi, is a Hindu festival that falls in the month of Ashwin (September-October). Hinduism is a popular religion in Nepal and many Gurkhas practice the faith. Battalions from the Brigade of Gurkhas were continually deployed on active service throughout the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960).