In 1901 the Regiment's title was shortened when it became the 1st Gurkha Rifles and in 1903 its title was changed once more, this time to the 1st Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment). This title had been adopted to commemorate due to the significance of Malaun to the Regiment; it was where the British had decisively beaten the Gurkhas in 1815 during the Anglo–Gurka War and subsequently recruited them into the Nusseree battalions. The Regiment was located near Dharamsala when the 1905 Kangra earthquake struck on 4 April, killing 20,000 people. The 1st Gurkhas themselves suffered over 60 fatalities.