Original: The British Indian Army was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947 . It was not designated as the British Indian Army but as the Indian Army and when used within an article or a book which has a clear historical context is often referred to as the Indian Army .
Simplified: The British Indian Army , officially called simply the Indian Army ( IA ) , was the army in British India during British rule ( 1858 -- 1947 ) .