In the army of the English East India Company, the soldiers who fought on horseback (cavalrymen) were called:

In the army of the English East India Company, the cavalrymen (soldiers who fought on horseback) were called "sawars" (sowars).

Meaning of the term:

• "Sawar" (sowar) comes from Persian and means "rider" or "horseman".
• The term was used in Indian armies long before the British; under the Mughals, a mansabdar's rank included a "sawar" rank, which showed the number of horsemen he had to maintain.

NCERT on the Company's army:

• NCERT notes that the Company's army was made up mainly of Indian soldiers.
• Peasants and other people were recruited and trained as professional soldiers, called "sepoys" (from the Persian "sipahi", soldier).
• NCERT also explains that the Company's army had two main parts: the cavalry ("sawar", men on horses) and the infantry (foot soldiers armed with muskets, the "sepoys").

Changes in the army:

• NCERT notes that as warfare technology changed from the 1820s, the cavalry requirements of the Company's army declined.
• The British empire was fighting in Burma, Afghanistan and Egypt, where soldiers were armed with muskets and matchlocks.
• So the infantry regiments became more important.

Later developments:

• In the 19th century, the Company developed a uniform military culture, with European-style training, discipline and drill.
• Sepoys were often unhappy with the rules about dress, caste practices and serving overseas, and these grievances were one of the causes of the Revolt of 1857.
• Indian cavalry regiments later became famous, such as Skinner's Horse and Hodson's Horse.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sepoys were foot soldiers (infantry).
• ✗Paiks were traditional foot soldiers or militiamen of Odisha and eastern India.
• ✗"Musketeers" is a general term for soldiers armed with muskets.