Sowar (Urdu: سوار, also sawar or siwar meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from Persian sawār, from the Sasanid Persian Aswār, from the Achaemenid Persian Asabāra)[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.
| Sowar | |
|---|---|
| سوار | |
| Country | Delhi Sultanate Deccan Sultanates Mughal Empire Maratha Empire British Raj India Pakistan |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Equipment | Composite bow, Talwar, Spear, and Musket |
History
editAn image from the Carnatic Wars features a Sowar armed with a musket.[citation needed]
Sowar has been used as the name of a line of wrist-watches by the Swiss West End Watch Co.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ostler, Nicholas (2010). The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel. Penguin UK. pp. 1–352. ISBN 978-0141922218.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sowar". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
