Bargir and shiledar
Topic: The Marathas · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"
Meaning
Bargirs and shiledars were the two kinds of cavalrymen (soldiers who fought on horseback) in the Maratha army. The state paid for a bargir's horse and equipment. A shiledar paid for his own horse and equipment. Cavalry was one of the three wings of the Maratha forces, along with infantry (foot soldiers) and the navy. It gave the Marathas the speed they needed for guerrilla warfare, which means small groups using surprise and knowledge of the land to defeat bigger armies.
Example
In the 17th and 18th centuries a Maratha army in the field had both kinds of horsemen. Bargirs rode state horses and carried state arms. Shiledars brought horses and arms they had bought themselves.
Don't confuse with
- Bargi raids: this is the name for the 1740s Maratha attacks on Bengal. It is not a type of soldier, though the name comes from "bargir".
- A common exam trap swaps the two. Bargir = equipped by the state; shiledar = equipped by himself.