Ethnographic Arms & Armour - SINGHALESE PIHA KATTHA

THERE HAS NOT BEEN A LOT OF NEW INFORMATION TO ADD SINCE THE OLD POST IN THE ARCHIVES ON JUNE 22/ 2001. BUT I DID FIND SOME INFORMATION IN THE WWW.PIHAKAETTA.COM WEBSITE WHICH THE LAST UPDATE THERE WAS MAY 2005.
THERE IS AN OLD PAPER (SINHALA WEAPONS AND ARMOR) WITH A LOT OF GOOD INFO ON THE FULL RANGE OF WEAPONS USED IN SIRI LANKA IN THE PAST. IT IS LONG SO I WILL CONDENSE AND ADD SOME OF THE PERTINENT INFORMATION HERE. THERE IS ALSO A ARTICLE (ROYAL DAGGER) IT WAS WRITTEN IN 1938 AND IS INFORMATION ON ONE PARTICULAR ROYAL DAGGER WITH FULL PROVENANCE. MY THANKS TO PIHAKATTA.COM FOR THIS INFORMATION. I LOOK FORWARD TO ANY FUTURE INFORMATION.

THERE SEEMS TO BE FOUR GENERAL CATAGORYS OF PHIA DAGGERS.
1. ONES WITH DELICATE NARROW BLADES BETTER FOR STABBING AS WELL AS SLASHING. LOCAL NAME AT THE TIME OF THE PAPER (UI PIHIYA )

2. THOSE WITH THE HEAVY CHOPPER BLADES ,CALLED (PIHIYA KATTHA)
USED FOR SLASHING AND CHOPPING BLOWS. (THIS NAME COMES CLOSEST TO THE TERM USED IN STONES GLOSSERY.)

3. THOSE DAGGERS WITH CURVED BLADES , CALLED (VAK PIHIYA)

4. SMALL DAGGER WITH A FANCY STYLUS FOR WRITEING ,CALLED (UI PIHIYA) THE STYLUS IS CALLED (PAN HINDA) THIS DAGGER WAS NOT USED FOR FIGHTING AND THEY USED THE STYLUS TO WRITE ON LEAVES.

THOSE WITH STONE HANDLES (USUALLY QUARTZ OR GREEN MARBLE) WERE CALLED (GAL MITA PIHIYA)
WOOD, METAL, STONE AND (IVORY, ELEPHANT, HIPPO, WHALE AND PERHAPS WALRUS) AS WELL AS WATER BUFFALOW HORN AND RHINO HORN WERE USED TO MAKE HANDLES.
THE FANCY ONES WITH GOLD , SILVER AND JEWELS WERE MORE FOR STATUS THAN ACTUAL USE. THERE ARE MORE PLAIN ONES THAT WERE USED FOR WORK AND FIGHTING ECT ESPECIALLY BY THE POOR AND LOWER CLASSES. THERE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MORE VARIETY IN THE CHOPPER TYPE (PIHIYA KATTHA) THEY MENTION THREE VARIATIONS .
1. THE NORMAL TYPE WITH THE THICK HEAVY BLADE WITH THE DOWNTURNED TIP.

2. ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE A BILLHOOK WITH A STOUT HANDLE

3. ONES WITH A HANDLE LONGER THAN THE BLADE AND THE BLADE SHAPED LIKE A GURKA KUKRI.

THERE IS INFORMATION AND HISTORY ON MANY OTHER WEAPONS IN THE ARTICLE. FOR EXAMPLE SWORDS, AX, SPEAR, SHIELD, BOW AND ARROWS, THROWING STICKS AND CLUBS, ECT. AS THIS POST DEALS WITH THE DAGGERS ONLY THAT IS THE INFO I HAVE ADDED HERE. IF ANYONE HAS ANY FURTHER INFORMATION OR OBSERVATIONS i WOULD APPRECIATE THEM. IF I FIND ANY MORE INFORMATION I WILL ADD IT HERE WHEN AVAILABLE.