Sowar
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Sowar | |
---|---|
Sowar | |
Country | Delhi Sultanate Deccan Sultanates Mughal Empire British Raj India Pakistan |
Branch | Cavalry |
Equipment | Composite bow, Talwar, Spear, and Musket |
Sowar (Urdu: سوار, also siwar meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from Persian sawār)[1] was originally a rank during the Mughal Empire. Later during the British Raj it was the name in Anglo-Indian usage for a horse-soldier belonging to the cavalry troops of the native armies of British India and the feudal states. It is also used more specifically of a mounted orderly, escort or guard. It was also the rank held by ordinary cavalry troopers, equivalent to sepoy in the infantry — this rank has been inherited by the modern armies of India and Pakistan.
History
An image from the Carnatic Wars features a Sowar armed with a Musket.
Sowar has been used as the name of a line of wrist-watches by the Swiss West End Watch Co.
See also
References
- ^ Ostler, Nicholas (2010). The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel. Penguin UK. pp. 1–352. ISBN 978-0141922218.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sowar". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Categories:
- Articles with short description
- Short description is different from Wikidata
- Articles containing Urdu-language text
- Articles containing Persian-language text
- Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
- Urdu-language words and phrases
- Military of the Mughal Empire
- Military ranks of British India
- Pakistan Army ranks
- Military ranks of the Indian Army