A Mughal sowar, hurries to the relief of Surat, after the devastation caused by the Battle of Surat.
Sowar (सवार),(ਸਵਾਰ)(also suwar in Hindi and Persian) meaning "the one who rides" in Persian, was originally a rank during the Mughal period. 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, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
The Sowar name has been used as the moniker for a line of wrist-watches by the Swiss West End Watch Co.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. Encyclopædia Britannica Cambridge University Press
The original article can be found at Sowar and the edit history here.