Pindaris

The Pindaris or Free Companions (Marathi: पेंढारी ; Hindi piṇḍārī, पिण्डारी / पिंडारी) were irregular Muslim horsemen and often defeated Mughal soldiers captured by Marathas that plundered and foraged with the Maratha armies in central India during the 18th century. They were dispersed throughout the Maratha states and were countenanced and protected by the Maratha chiefs to whom they acted as agents for supplying all the commissariat required by their armies. They were composed of different Muslim tribes who congregated solely for purposes of plunder. They came into existence during the 18th century when the Mughal Empire was breaking up and Marathas were ruling most of India. The Pindaris were loosely organized under self-chosen leaders, and each group was usually attached to one or other of the Maratha leaders. Their main characteristic was that they received no pay, but rather purchased the privilege of plundering on their own account.

The term Pindar may derive from pinda, an intoxicating drink, or from Pandhar, a village in Nimar, or from pinda, a bundle of fodder carried by the Pindara. Another possible derivation is from pindā-paṛna (to follow close by) or pindā-basne (to stick close to).

Alternate spellings include Pindara, Pindarah, Pendhari.

When the regular forces of the Marathas had been broken up in the campaigns conducted by Sir Arthur Wellesley and Lord Lake in 1802-04, the Pindaris made their headquarters in Malwa, under the tacit protection of Maratha Dynasties like Sindhia and Holkar. They were accustomed to assemble every year at the beginning of November, and sally forth into British occupied territory in search of plunder. In one such raid upon the Masulipatam coast they plundered 339 villages, killing or wounding 682 persons, torturing 3600 and carrying off property worth a quarter of a million pounds. In 1808-09 they plundered Gujarat, and in 1812 Mirzapur. In 1814 they were reckoned at 25,000 to 30,000 horsemen.

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