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[[File:A Deccani courtier who may or may not be the king himself, c.1600.jpg|thumb|A Deccani courtier, c.1600.]] | [[File:A Deccani courtier who may or may not be the king himself, c.1600.jpg|thumb|A Deccani courtier, c.1600.]] | ||
[[File:Madras cavalry.jpg|thumb|A sowar of the [[6th Madras Light Cavalry]], serving the [[British East India Company]], c. 1845.]] | [[File:Madras cavalry.jpg|thumb|A sowar of the [[6th Madras Light Cavalry]], serving the [[British East India Company]], c. 1845.]] | ||
'''Sowar''' ({{lang-hi|सवार}}, {{lang-pnb|ਸਵਾਰ}}, {{lang-ur|سوار}}, also ''siwar'' meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from [[Persian language|Persian]] {{lang|fa-Latn|sawār}})<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ostler|first1=Nicholas|title=The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel|date=2010|publisher=Penguin UK|pages=1–352|isbn=978-0141922218}}</ref> was originally a rank during the [[Mughal Empire]] and [[Maratha 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''' ({{lang-bn|সওয়ার}}, {{lang-hi|सवार}}, {{lang-pnb|ਸਵਾਰ}}, {{lang-ur|سوار}}, also ''siwar'' meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from [[Persian language|Persian]] {{lang|fa-Latn|sawār}})<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ostler|first1=Nicholas|title=The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel|date=2010|publisher=Penguin UK|pages=1–352|isbn=978-0141922218}}</ref> was originally a rank during the [[Mughal Empire]] and [[Maratha 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== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 11:34, 20 September 2021
| Sowar | |
|---|---|
| Sowar | |
| Country | Delhi Sultanate Deccan Sultanates Mughal Empire India Pakistan |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Equipment | Composite bow, Scimitar, Spear, and Musket |
Sowar (Bengali: সওয়ার, Hindi: सवार, Punjabi: ਸਵਾਰ, Urdu: سوار, also siwar meaning "the one who rides" or "rider", from Persian sawār)[1] was originally a rank during the Mughal Empire and Maratha 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
- Shah Mustafa, nicknamed Sher-e-Sowar
- Suvari
References
- ↑ 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.