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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-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-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]]. 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 06:38, 14 January 2023

Sowar
Sowar
CountryDelhi Sultanate
Deccan Sultanates
Mughal Empire
Maratha Empire
British Raj
India
Pakistan
BranchCavalry
EquipmentComposite bow, Scimitar, Spear, and Musket
A Deccani courtier, c.1600.
A sowar of the 6th Madras Light Cavalry, serving the British East India Company, c. 1845.

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

  1. ^ Ostler, Nicholas (2010). The Last Lingua Franca: English Until the Return of Babel. Penguin UK. pp. 1–352. ISBN 978-0141922218.