Shiledar was a term used for a soldier's position in India's
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...
(1630–1818), particularly during the reign of
Shivaji
Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...
. The word ''shiledar'' means "a soldier who possesses his own sword and
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
for taking active part in combat/war".
During Shivaji's rule, the Maratha army possessed many shiledars who mainly came from the "96 clans, 5 clans and 7 clans of the
Maratha clan system
The Maratha clan system (also referred to as Shahannava Kuli Marathas, 96 Kuli Marathas or 96K), refers to the network of 96 clans of families and essentially their surnames, within the Maratha caste of India. The Marathas primarily reside in th ...
. Due to their prominence they used to play active parts in the war held between Marathas and their enemies.
These shiledar, according to their deeds were identified as Subhedar, Panch Hajari, Havaldar, vatandar etc.
"Shiledar" became a surname in and after the fallen of maratha empire. After that, "Shiledar" become a royal family in Maharashtra.
Shiledars commonly belongs to many of clans in maratha caste."Shiledar Royal family" is the descendants of Shinde, Phalke and Bhoite families.
Shiledar royal family settled in Derde-korhale (Kopargaon, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra) after which the descendents distributed in many of places like Nashik, Pune, Kokan etc. But their Royal palace (which had 7 floors) is in Derde-Korhale town.
See also
*
Silladar Cavalry
The Silladar Cavalry, also known as the Risalah, was a term describing a mounted force of irregular cavalry regiments in some moment in Indian history. Silladar means “bearer of arms” in Persian and was given to native cavalrymen (sowars) of i ...
References
*2005 Navneet General Knowledge. Editor - Madhusudan M. Pendase. Navneet Publications India LTD, Mumbai. {{in lang, mr
*Kṛishṇarāu Arjuna Keḷūskar, Nilakantha Sadāsiva Takakhāv. ''The Life of Shivaji Maharaj: Founder of the Maratha Empire''. Manoranjan Press, 1921
Maratha Empire
Military history of India