Born on 16th Jul 1923, General KV Krishna Rao was commissioned into the Mahar Regiment on 9th Aug 1942. He took over command of 3 Mahar on 14th July 1956. He commanded a brigade in Ladakh Sector during the 1965 war.

During 1969 -70, the General commanded a Mountain Division in Jammu . After the 1971 war with Pakistan , he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for his most laudable command of the Mountain Division. In 1974, he took over a Corps in Jammu and was later appointed Deputy Chief of Army Staff in 1978. Subsequently he served as General Officer Commanding - in - Chief Western Command in 1979. General Rao attained the ultimate in his military career when he became Chief of Army Staff in 1981.

General KV Krishna Rao was the Colonel of the Mahar Regiment from June 1968 to June 1983. After his retirement in July 1983, General Rao served as Governor of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura from June 1984 to 1989 and subsequently as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir till January 1990. Presently, he is the Honorary Colonel of the Mahar Regiment.