The word Gorkha is derived from the prakrit words "go rakkha" (Gau: "Cow" in Sanskrit, Raksha: "to Protect" in Sanskrit ) meaning "protectors of cows". This name was derived from the name of Guru Gorakhnath/Gorkhanath, to refer to his disciples.
Guru Gorkahnath, whom the Gorkhas (Gurkhas) are named after, led the Gorkhas and the hill people of the Himalaya to not only halt, but throw back the first Muslim advance in India, and led his Gorkha troops to liberate the Hindu frontier territory of Gandhara (now Khandahar, Afghanistan) from the waves of Muslim invasion.
Gurkhas, Gorkhas, Ghoorkhas....
The Gorkha war cry as usually presented to Westerners is "Ayo Gorkhali"
or Aayo Gurkhali
Ayo Gurkhali!! (traditional Gurkha war cry - it means "the Ghurkas are here.")
BUT
The whole Gorkha war cry is "Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali"
The first part of the war cry is left out for Western ears.
information partly taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurkha and
http://www.himalayan-imports.com/gurkha.html
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