193:
17:
44:. A recruit or "Khudaspa" was supposed to provide his own mount and weapons as well as stabling attendant, forage, tent and clothing. It was opposed to having them provided for them by any local or central group or command. They were recruited from local dominant landowning clans, who were cultivators and who traditionally owned weapons and provided military service to local feudal chiefs. The irregular cavalry regiments were almost entirely composed of Muslims, because "the Hindoos are not, generally speaking, as disposed as the Mahomedans to the duties of a trooper."
111:
119:
146:) of asamis. In 1858, an irregular sowar drew some 20 Rs. a month whilst a regular trooper was paid between 9 and 11 Rs. depending on length of service. Up to World War I a sowar's pay rose to 34 Rs. plus 5-8 Rs. dearness allowance of which he had to pay his initial expenses of about 450 Rs. for mount, arms, equipment and uniform.
513:
204:
and then bought horse and equipment for 100 Rs. less. A longstanding problem with the silladar system was that a few native officers resp. VCOs and men regularly failed to pay their required financial securities for large amounts advanced to them. This would affect the regiment's founder resp.
64:
and
Hearsay had become leaders of irregular cavalry that preserved the traditions of Mughal cavalry, which had a political purpose because it absorbed pockets of cavalrymen who might otherwise become disaffected plunderers. This irregular cavalry was raised under the silladar system, which was
209:) in 1857 produced an expenditure of 475.508 Rs. Big debts could even lead to disbandment, as happened to the 10th Bengal Irregular Cavalry in 1857. The opportunity to disavow debts by changing allegiance was a constant temptation in traditional Indian armies.
164:(VCO, from 1885) in irregular corps, like the silladar cavalry, enjoyed a greater leeway and consequently a higher status due to the lack of british officers established there. Usually, only the Commandant, the
99:
The term 'Horse' indicated in most instances a non regular corps. From 1823 to 1840 irregular cavalry were officially designated 'Local Horse' and included the founder's name in brackets as in
180:
commander. From 1885, a silladar regiment consisted of four (previously three) squadrons, with a
British commander and a British 2i/c each. Each squadron had two troops of nine NCOs, 70
626:, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 92, No. 372 (Winter 2014), published by: Society for Army Historical Research, pp. 305-325 (21 pages), p. 310-311
639:, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 92, No. 372 (Winter 2014), published by: Society for Army Historical Research, pp. 305-325 (21 pages), p. 323
548:, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 92, No. 372 (Winter 2014), published by: Society for Army Historical Research, pp. 305-325 (21 pages), p. 309
535:, Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, Vol. 86, No. 345 (Spring 2008), pp. 90-94 (5 pages), published By: Society for Army Historical Research, p. 90
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The commandants received money advances to equip their regiments, and the silladars repaid these advances from their monthly pay. However, a silladar's position (an
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57:
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then. In return, the 'bargir-sowar' paid the benoker sillidar a significant share of his pay continuously. Some silladars even held a group (a
103:. Each man was nominally a sillidar and provided his own horse and arms. From 1851, the privately owned matchlocks were replaced by government
400:
253:
Peers, Douglas M.; "Those Noble
Exemplars of the True Military Tradition: Constructions of the Indian Army in the Mid-Victorian Press", in
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commandant, when he was to reimburse the money which had been advanced by the authorities. For example, the raising of
Beatson's Horse (
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adopted from the Mughal silladar system, by recruiting khudaspas into the cavalry regiments. They were primarily recruited among
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225:
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The East India
Military Calendar: Containing the Services of General and Field Officers of the Indian Army · Volume 1
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81:
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The end of Muslim rule saw a large number of unemployed Muslim horsemen, who were employed in the army of the
28:, also known as the Risalah, was a term describing a mounted force of irregular cavalry regiments at times in
176:(equivalent to an infantry company) was commanded by a native resp. Indian Officer, who could even rise to
69:
470:
134:). The benoker sillidar bought mount, arms and further equipment to lease them to a paid substitute (a
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66:
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This traditional system caused some trouble, due to its financial impact. Some men drew e.g. 400
53:
41:
329:
248:
493:
450:
423:
396:
335:
165:
446:
The
Military in British India: The Development of British Land Forces in South Asia 1600–1947
33:
419:
Empire and
Information: Intelligence Gathering and Social Communication in India, 1780-1870
375:
New
Dimensions of Indian Historiography : Historical Facts and Hindutva Interpretation
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593:
177:
648:
89:
249:
For a modern context: The Indian
Armoured Corps as successor of the Sillidar Cavalry
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206:
154:
118:
610:
The
Victorians at War, 1815-1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History
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96:, who made up three-fourths of the cavalry branch of the British army.
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130:) was transferrable and was often held by a non-serving investor (a
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The silladar system was extended to the regular cavalry of the
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Percussion carbine, 12th (Bengal) Irregular Cavalry, 1845 (c)
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and one trumpeter, led by a Rissaldar and a Jemadar as 2i/c.
563:"Origin of Cavalry in Indian Army and the Silladar System"
304:"Origin of Cavalry in Indian Army and the Silladar System"
392:
Stranglers and Bandits: A Historical Anthology of Thuggee
244:
Origin of Cavalry in Indian Army and the Silladar System
612:. Santa Barbara. Denver. Oxford: ABC.Clio. p. 179.
331:
I Serve ("Ich Dien"): Saga of the Eighteenth Cavalry
291:. the University of California. 1934. p. 344.
233:1861 3rd Regiment of Bombay Silladar Light Cavalry
637:Highly irregular cavalry: Beatson's Horse 1858-60
624:Highly irregular cavalry: Beatson's Horse 1858-60
546:Highly irregular cavalry: Beatson's Horse 1858-60
489:Unbattled Fears: Reckoning the National Security
257:, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 109–142.
107:and ammunition to ensure greater uniformity.
8:
416:Christopher Alan Bayly, C. A. Bayly (1996).
230:1861 9th Regiment of Scinde Silladar Cavalry
32:history. Silladar means “bearer of arms” in
518:. University of Calcutta. 1956. p. 38.
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334:. University of California. p. 2.
278:
655:British Indian Army cavalry regiments
7:
101:1st (Skinner's) Rgt. of Local Horse
36:and was given to native cavalrymen (
20:Cavalry in Delhi during British rule
188:Deficiencies of the silladar system
492:. Lancer Publishers. p. 125.
48:East India Company and British Raj
14:
378:. K.K. Publications. p. 297.
561:Walia, Sumit (21 August 2020).
302:Walia, Sumit (21 August 2020).
162:Viceroy's commissioned officers
608:Raugh, jr., Harold E. (2004).
422:. Cambridge University Press.
328:Gurcharn Singh Sandhu (1991).
288:The Cavalry Journal: Volume 24
1:
168:(2i/c), the Adjutant and the
567:www.indiandefencereview.com
472:Defence Journal:Volumes 4-5
395:. Oxford University Press.
308:www.indiandefencereview.com
56:. British officers such as
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114:The 4th Irregular Cavalry
443:T. A. Heathcote (2013).
355:John Philippart (1823).
449:. Casemate Publishers.
372:Dr. Ijaz Ahmed (2022).
74:Ranghar(Rajput Muslims)
389:Kim A. Wagner (2009).
220:Scinde Irregular Horse
197:
160:Native officers resp.
138:) who was to serve as
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21:
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533:1851. Hodson's Horse
515:Calcutta Review 1956
486:Sumit Walia (2021).
255:Modern Asian Studies
635:Richard Stevenson,
622:Richard Stevenson,
544:Richard Stevenson,
475:. 2001. p. 66.
172:were british, so a
67:Hindustani Musalman
42:irregular regiments
592:2008-05-08 at the
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94:Hindustani Pathans
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402:978-0-19-569815-2
166:Second-in-command
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238:Further reading
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207:Bengal Army
274:References
157:in 1861.
70:biradaris
649:Category
590:Archived
268:Shiledar
262:See also
178:squadron
105:carbines
78:Lalkhani
170:Surgeon
90:Mughals
86:Sayyids
82:Sheikhs
62:Gardner
58:Skinner
34:Persian
572:1 July
496:
453:
426:
399:
338:
313:1 July
182:sowars
151:Bengal
136:bargir
92:, and
38:sowars
30:Indian
224:1857
218:1839
174:troop
144:pagai
140:sowar
128:asami
40:) of
574:2022
494:ISBN
451:ISBN
424:ISBN
397:ISBN
336:ISBN
315:2022
153:and
24:The
202:Rs.
54:EIC
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