| Hyderabad State Forces | |
|---|---|
| Sarf-e-khas | |
 Crest of Hyderabad State Forces | |
 Flag of Hyderabad State | |
| Founded | 1724 |
| Disbanded | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Barkas, Hyderabad |
| Leadership | |
| Major general | Syed Ahmed El Edroos (1948) |
The Hyderabad State Forces were the armed forces of the princely state of Hyderabad. People from both India and abroad were recruited into the Forces. Among these groups were Arab nationals like Chaush and African nationals like Siddis who now stay in Barkas and A. C. Guards areas of Hyderabad respectively.[1] The Hyderabad cavalry was chiefly composed of Muslim castes such as Mughals, Pathans, Syeds, Sheikhs and Balochs. They were principally recruited from the Deccan, but Delhi, Lucknow, Shahjahanpur, Sindh and Balochistan also supplied recruits to bolster ranks. These non-indigenous soldiers were known as the "Rohollas". The Hindus made a very small portion of the cavalry.[2] The Nizam of Hyderabad also had about 1200 Sikh guards.[3] Other battalions within the army were referred to with the suffix "-walas". Some troops were also supplied by the Europeans for the security of the Nizam.[4]
- ^ Yimene, Ababu Minda (2004). An African Indian Community in Hyderabad: Siddi Identity, Its Maintenance and Change. Cuvillier Verlag. ISBN 9783865372062.
- ^ Haraprasad Chattopadhyaya (1957). The Sepoy Mutiny, 1857: A Social Study and Analysis.
- ^ "Maharaja Ranjit Singh's". Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Rao, P. Raghunatha. ఆధునిక ఆంధ్ర దేశ చరిత్ర (The History of Modern Andhra Pradesh).