Battle of Tololing
Part of the Kargil War
Date May–June 1999 Location Dras, Ladakh, India 34°27′51″N 75°47′45″E / 34.46417°N 75.79583°E / 34.46417; 75.79583 Result Indian victory[1][2][3][4]
Belligerents
India	Pakistan
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Magod Basappa Ravindranath Major Padmapani Acharya † Major Rajesh Adhikari † Major Vivek Gupta † Major Mohit Saxena	Major Anwar Khan Major Abdul Wahab †
Units involved
18 Grenadiers 16 Grenadiers 1 Naga Regiment 2 Rajputana Rifles 197 Field Regiment 41 Field Regiment 1889 Light Regiment 108 Medium Regiment 158 Medium Regiment 253 Medium Regiment 139 Medium Regiment (1 battery) 244 Heavy Mortar Regiment (2 batteries) 212 Rocket Regiment (1 battery)[5]	5 Northern Light Infantry 6 Northern Light Infantry Mujahideen
Strength
900-4000 soldiers[6][7]	50-100 soldiers, many of whom were Mujahideens[8]
Casualties and losses
20-50[9] KIA	50[10] KIA

The Battle of Tololing^[11] was a pivotal battle in the Kargil War between India and troops from one full battalion of Pakistan’s Northern Light Infantry who were aided by Pakistani irregulars in 1999.

[fullscreen map]

Tololing near the Line of Control

Background

The Tololing peak dominates over the Srinagar-Leh Highway (NH 1D), which is a vital link. Peaks in Tololing include Point 5140 and Point 4875, etc. Tiger Hill (Point 5060), including Point 5100, is to the west of Tololing. Many of the Indian Army losses had to do with the nature of the terrain, as World War I style frontal charges had to be mounted to dislodge the intruders and reclaim the peaks. The three-week assault finally culminated with India taking control of the peak and changing the course of the war.

The battle

Major Rajesh Adhikari (posthumously), Major Vivek Gupta (posthumously), Major Padmapani Acharya (posthumously) and Havildar Digendra Kumar were awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest military honour for their daring actions on the peak. Col Ravindranath and Captain Vijayant Thapar were awarded Vir Chakra.

From Pakistan's side, Major Abdul Wahab (posthumously) was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat, Pakistan's third highest military honour as Major Abdul Wahab was killed defending the captured peak.^[12]

In popular culture

Turning Point at Tololing, a feature documentary hosted by Maj Gen G. D. Bakshi, aired on the Indian television channel Epic TV. It details the political and military background and course of the battle.^[13]