On the Use of Indian Terms for Identification of Weapon Types

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you for your answer.
I believe that the katar origins from the south. Stuard Welsh and others believed so too. But for me it is a believe, till I am convinced it origined from somewhere else.
Researching Indian weapons or weapon names is a passion, where the outcome of the research is not always sure. You can work for a long time, and reach a point where you believe in something, but this does not mean that what you believe in is correct, so you have to go on searching, till you can prove what you believe in.
Jens

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Thank you for your answer.
I believe that the katar origins from the south. Stuard Welsh and others believed so too. But for me it is a believe, till I am convinced it origined from somewhere else.
Researching Indian weapons or weapon names is a passion, where the outcome of the research is not always sure. You can work for a long time, and reach a point where you believe in something, but this does not mean that what you believe in is correct, so you have to go on searching, till you can prove what you believe in.
Jens

Very, very well said Jens.

[Timo Nieminen]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Researching Indian weapons or weapon names is a passion, where the outcome of the research is not always sure.

In English, we tend to borrow terms used in other languages and apply them to a specific category of weapon. This is very common, and it teaches us to expect that specific categories of weapons have specific, and fixed, names.

But the words we borrow are often much more generic in their original languages. For example, "gladius" in English means "Roman short sword", and in Latin just means "sword", generically. For example, in Curtius Rufus' "History of Alexander", "Copidas vocabant gladios leviter curvatos, falcibus similes" which we can translate as "They call their lightly-curved sickle-like gladius a "kopis"". While the Romans were happy to call a kopis a "gladius", this doesn't work in English.

If we were trying to find about the evolution of the Roman gladius via literature, we might be misled by sources like this.

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/curtius/curtius8.shtml

[mrcjgscott]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

You can work for a long time, and reach a point where you believe in something, but this does not mean that what you believe in is correct, so you have to go on searching, till you can prove what you believe in.
Jens

Very true Jens!

Just when I convince myself something is certain, is usually the moment I realise how much further I need to go to prove my conviction.

It is so important to keep an open mind, and continue the search.

[Jens Nordlunde]

In Robert Elgood's book Arma and Armour at the Jaypur Court. The Royal Collection, Robert gives several examples, like on page 216.

Mace. Shashpar (sash in Persian means six - a six-flanged mace). Rajput courts would have seen this as a destinctly Mughal weapon.
If a bladed weapon was added at the top of the mace, would today be called a gurz with a zaghnol mounted at the top. Other Rajput names for a mace are musala or parigha.

My guess is that the Muslims had several words for the same weapon, depending on if they were under Persian, Turkish or maybe Mongol influence.
The Hindus would also have different names for the same weapon, but that would likely have something to do with where in the country they lived, and which language they spoke.
Jens

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

The Hindus would also have different names for the same weapon, but that would likely have something to do with where in the country they lived, and which language they spoke.
Jens

Exactly! And when someone of European tourists of second half of 19th century heard some of local names and now we have to see it in albums and repeat it as mantra it is not serious.
But even more ridiculous when the tourist asked someone "What is it" and Indian seller answered "It is for cutting, crushing, killing..." so now we have a lot of confusion from "katar", "katari", "katara", "bank", "bichwa", "kirch" and so. I am not talking about that sometimes Indian weapon was called like the material from which it was made ))

[ariel]

To accomplish a serious study of the names of Indian weapons one needs to know a multitude of local languages and carefully go through mountains of primary sources. To make things even worse , one needs to verify the meaning of the name of each weapon through careful interrogation of its actual users, and there are none left.

I am very pessimistic about the outcome of this endeavor......

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by ariel

I am very pessimistic about the outcome of this endeavor......

But you can read that the others know. This is a normal process of learning.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Interesting idea about the meaning of the word 'phul'. I think it is worth researching it a bit to see if there anywhere else is evidence that support the idea.

Ariel is right, it will not be easy.
However a way in which it can be done, is to find the names used in Rajasthan at a certain time, both the Persian names but also the local Hindu names. This way the area is geographically bound.
Also one could start with a limited number of weapons.

Jens