a new member in my khanda family

dralin23 · 17th August 2008, 07:43 PM

hi there all over the world...!
i will show you some pictures from my brand new "familymember".
i think it is an khanda sword from the moghul time ( 18.th. ct.??)
the bladepatern is not as usual than there are not the common spatula tip.
before the cleaning i can see many small fightingkniks at the edge.
these sword is 84cm in the total lenght. the blade is 73cm long, 5cm wide at the widest point at nearby the tip and 4cm before the hilt. the hilt is, i thnik silver covered and with flowers decorated. in the center from each flower is an small gold dot.the blade was made from an very good wootz and clear visible damascus steel. at the blade is an whole what was filled with an yellow collored metall. i don´t know if it is bras ore gold. i will proof it in the next time. if some one from the members can give me some nearer information to these sword i was very fankfull.( sorry for my poor english i hope evrey man can understand what i will say

the first picture show it in the uncleaned condition.

dralin23 · 17th August 2008, 07:59 PM

more pictures..

Jim McDougall · 17th August 2008, 09:55 PM

Very nice Dralin! and thank you for all the great photos which really give us some good illustrations of the motif on the hilt and patterns in the blade.
While this khanda is likely of the latter 18th century into the mid 19th, it is actually a Rajput example, and the blade is of course a slashing blade as favored by the sword combat of these warriors.

With these photos, the interesting zoomorphic creature at the top of the knuckleguard can be clearly seen, and I would like to know more on what these might be intended to represent...the makara possibly? Also, the floral motif is well illustrated and we have had some interesting discussions on what type flower might be represented; what symbolism might be intended?

Tatyana Dianova · 17th August 2008, 10:07 PM

Hi Stefan,
Congratulations on the very nice Khanda and very good restoration job! Your family of Khandas (by the way, how many do you have already? 10? 20?

) has some very interesting and unusual members.
This Khanda is not simply a beautiful piece, on which both the hilt and the blade are very good preserved; it has also some interesting features. You've mentioned already the blade and the tip shape (here I cannot help much), but what strikes me is its hilt, which is almost identical to the hilt on the tulwar I have:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5022
It seems that my tulwar was made somewhere around first half of 19th century. I think because of the similar hilt your Khanda was made in the same period of time.
Another question: how common is this type of a hilt on Khandas? I've seen such hilts on tulwars but never on Khanda

Do you have a Khanda in your family with this type of hilt? Can you post a picture?

clockwork · 17th August 2008, 11:22 PM

That is a very impresive sword thanks for the pics

Jim McDougall · 18th August 2008, 01:52 AM

Tatyana, the Rajputs used both tulwars and khandas, though the tulwar hilt was not typically mounted on the bolstered straight blade of the khanda. The khanda typically carried the 'Hindu baskethilt' and was well known not only by the Mahrattas, with whom these swords originated, but by Rajputs and Sikhs in the northern regions.
Extremely nice tulwar of yours in the link BTW!!!
Best regards,
Jim

dralin23 · 18th August 2008, 11:12 AM

thank you jim, tatjana
only short first answer. hat the web site from akaal arms you can find also an other khanda sword with an tulwar hilt . here are the link.http://www.akaalarms.com/largeEdged/...khandB.html.in the description he said these sword is from the late 18.ct. the hilt should be older. i don´t know. what is your opinion??
regards, stefan

17th August 2008, 07:43 PM	#1
dralin23 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 194	a new member in my khanda family hi there all over the world...! i will show you some pictures from my brand new "familymember". i think it is an khanda sword from the moghul time ( 18.th. ct.??) the bladepatern is not as usual than there are not the common spatula tip. before the cleaning i can see many small fightingkniks at the edge. these sword is 84cm in the total lenght. the blade is 73cm long, 5cm wide at the widest point at nearby the tip and 4cm before the hilt. the hilt is, i thnik silver covered and with flowers decorated. in the center from each flower is an small gold dot.the blade was made from an very good wootz and clear visible damascus steel. at the blade is an whole what was filled with an yellow collored metall. i don´t know if it is bras ore gold. i will proof it in the next time. if some one from the members can give me some nearer information to these sword i was very fankfull.( sorry for my poor english i hope evrey man can understand what i will say the first picture show it in the uncleaned condition. Attached Images

17th August 2008, 07:59 PM	#2
dralin23 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 194	some more pict.... more pictures.. Attached Images

17th August 2008, 09:55 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Very nice Dralin! and thank you for all the great photos which really give us some good illustrations of the motif on the hilt and patterns in the blade. While this khanda is likely of the latter 18th century into the mid 19th, it is actually a Rajput example, and the blade is of course a slashing blade as favored by the sword combat of these warriors. With these photos, the interesting zoomorphic creature at the top of the knuckleguard can be clearly seen, and I would like to know more on what these might be intended to represent...the makara possibly? Also, the floral motif is well illustrated and we have had some interesting discussions on what type flower might be represented; what symbolism might be intended?

17th August 2008, 10:07 PM	#4
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 695	Hi Stefan, Congratulations on the very nice Khanda and very good restoration job! Your family of Khandas (by the way, how many do you have already? 10? 20? ) has some very interesting and unusual members. This Khanda is not simply a beautiful piece, on which both the hilt and the blade are very good preserved; it has also some interesting features. You've mentioned already the blade and the tip shape (here I cannot help much), but what strikes me is its hilt, which is almost identical to the hilt on the tulwar I have: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5022 It seems that my tulwar was made somewhere around first half of 19th century. I think because of the similar hilt your Khanda was made in the same period of time. Another question: how common is this type of a hilt on Khandas? I've seen such hilts on tulwars but never on Khanda Do you have a Khanda in your family with this type of hilt? Can you post a picture?

17th August 2008, 11:22 PM	#5
clockwork Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 93	That is a very impresive sword thanks for the pics

18th August 2008, 01:52 AM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Tatyana, the Rajputs used both tulwars and khandas, though the tulwar hilt was not typically mounted on the bolstered straight blade of the khanda. The khanda typically carried the 'Hindu baskethilt' and was well known not only by the Mahrattas, with whom these swords originated, but by Rajputs and Sikhs in the northern regions. Extremely nice tulwar of yours in the link BTW!!! Best regards, Jim

18th August 2008, 11:12 AM	#7
dralin23 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 194	thank you jim, tatjana only short first answer. hat the web site from akaal arms you can find also an other khanda sword with an tulwar hilt . here are the link.http://www.akaalarms.com/largeEdged/...khandB.html.in the description he said these sword is from the late 18.ct. the hilt should be older. i don´t know. what is your opinion?? regards, stefan