Silladars

Silladars are historical soldiers associated with the silladar system used in parts of the British Indian Army and frontier regiments in the 18th through early 20th centuries. The term refers to units raised and commanded by local leaders known as silladars. In this system, the soldiers within a unit were expected to provide their own arms, ammunition, and equipment, while the government supplied wages and allowances to the unit as a whole. The silladar and his unit often operated with a degree of autonomy in provisioning, discipline, and recruitment, within the framework of a broader military campaign or frontier assignment.

The silladar system was particularly utilized on the North-West Frontier and in tribal areas where centralized recruitment and logistics were difficult. It allowed rapid formation of irregular regiments by local leaders who could recruit and equip their own men, thereby reducing immediate government expenditure and enabling swift deployment in rugged terrain. Equipment and standards could vary between soldiers due to reliance on privately provided arms, though this flexibility also yielded practical advantages in diverse environments.

Over time, reforms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries moved toward standardized, government-provided arms and more centralized training and command. The silladar system declined as professionalization and modernization of the army progressed, and by the time of World War I it was largely obsolete within the regular Indian Army.

Today, the silladar concept is of interest to historians studying colonial military organization and frontier warfare, illustrating how irregular, locally raised forces were integrated into imperial military structures.