The 1st battalion, Gajaba Regiment was formed on 14 October 1983 with the amalgamation of officers and men of the 1st
Rajarata Rifles and the 1st
Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Vijaya Wimalaratne at Saliyapura Camp with a strength of 36 officers and 752 other ranks. The 2/3 (
Volunteer) Rajarata Rifles was reconstituted as the 2nd (
Volunteer) battalion, Gajaba Battalion at
Fort Fredrick in
Trincomalee on the 14 October 1983 under the command of the Lieutenant Colonel W.R. Wijerathna. The Cap badge of the Gajaba Regiment was designed with a shield, two
Keteri (
battle axes) and a
Kandian powder flask. The newly formed regular infantry battalion was deployed for internal security duties in the
Jaffna peninsula from 1983 to 1984 and again in 1985, where it sustained casualties in counter-insurgency operations. With the escalation of the
Sri Lankan Civil War and Sri Lanka Army expanded and to cope with the demand of operational needs, a multi-battalion structure was introduced. A second regular infantry battalion was formed as the 3rd battalion in January 1986. Both regular battalions took part in the
Vadamarachchi Operation in May 1987. With the start of the
1987–1989 JVP insurrection, both regular and volunteer units of the regiment were deployed in the southern part of the island for counter-insurgency operations. The regiment took part in all major offensives of the civil war and was involved in many major battles were the Gajaba units involved suffered over 80% casualty rates such as the 3rd battalion (149 killed and 115 missing) in the
Battle of Pooneryn and the 8th battalion in the
Second Battle of Elephant Pass. By the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the regiment had 27 battalions and 3,500 of its officers and men had been killed in action. The regiment was awarded
President's colours by President
Mahinda Rajapakse on 11 January 2007. In 2008 a detachment from the regiment was sent to take part in the
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. == Sports ==