General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao was born on 16th Jul 1923.He was commissioned at the Regiment of Artillery on the 9th Aug 1942.He was appointed as a commander of 3 Mahar on 14th July 1956.He successfully commanded a brigade in the Ladakh Sector during the 1965 war.

From 1969 to 1970 General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna was the commander a Mountain Division in Jammu. During the war against Pakistan in 1971 his division conquered the Sylhet area from the grasp of the Pakistan army and liberated northeast Bangladesh. He was decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for his commendable performance in the Mountain Division in the year of 1971.In 1974 General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna was appointed as the leader of a corps in Jammu and subsequently assumed the office of Deputy Chief of Army Staff in 1978.In 1979 he was posted as the General Officer Commanding - in - Chief at the Western Command. General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna rose to the rank of Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army in 1981.

General KV Krishna Rao served as a Colonel of the Mahar Regiment from June 1968 to June 1983.He retired from his service in July 1983. From June 1984 to 1990 General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna was appointed the Governor of Nagaland, Manipur Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir.Now he is honorary colonel of the Mahar Regiment.