Your quest for knowledge is admirable jim
but some people can collect for beauty and mere enjoyment.
i do research some items when i have time. If a true expert chimes in becasue of a picture that would be great.
all i have on this is a link to a recent auction of a nearly identical piece without scabbard from bonhams.
http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22748/lot/94/
where it is described as kutch 19th century...not much information there either--sorry.