The army was the British regime's most important pillar in India. The majority of the Company's army was made up of Indian soldiers, mostly from the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
It performed four critical functions:
- It was the instrument of conquest for the Indian powers.
- It defended the British Empire in India from foreign rivals.
- It protected British supremacy from the ever-present threat of internal revolt.
- It was the primary tool for extending and defending the British Empire in Asia and Africa.
Reasons for consistency in better performance of Indian army:
- The army was run entirely by British officials as a counterweight, and a contingent of British troops was kept on hand to keep the Indian soldiers under control.
- Indian soldiers were trained with advance techniques.
- Britishers instilled a sense of discipline, a clear chain of command and order in Indian army to be rule based and disciplined.
- Access to modern weapons helped to outcast native rulers with primitive technology and weapons
- A combination of British professionalism and Indian valour favoured Indian army in its various conquest.
- Indian soldiers also aided in helping Britisher in knowing the local polity, language, terrain, etc which provided Britisher a great advantage.
The British Indian army has won in numerous wars like the Revolt of 1857, Battle of Plessey, Battle of Buxer, Anglo-Maratha, Anglo-Mysore war, Anglo-Sikh wars; etc. This shows efficiency, effectiveness and professionalization of British Indian Army.