The Madras Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment of the Indian Army, originating in the 1750s as a unit of the British East India Company. The regiment took part in numerous campaigns with the British Indian Army and the post-independence Indian Army. The Madras Regiment primarily recruits from the erstwhile Madras state and the kingdom of Mysore. However, the 9th and 16th battalions were later formed from troops from the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin in present day Kerala.