Lew Waldman's Ethnographic Arms & Armour Collection Archive


254 - Northern Indian Katar (Jamadhar) with Wootz Blade, 19th Century

The jamadhar ('death tooth'), better known as a katar, is a style of dagger limited to the Indian Subcontinent. This example is typical in having a straight double edged blade abruptly arising from a recurved cross piece dipping in the center into the pronounced midrib of the blade and into a lightly incised trefoil. Hand and wrist guards have been attached parallel to the blade on either side of this base and a grip is formed by a centrally fused pair of cross bars. The 9¼ inch (23.5 cm) blade of this example has a well defined and moderately high central mid rib on each face. Wootz Damascus grain is only faintly evident on the flats of a blade also showing evidence of recent regrinding of the edge bevels and the moderately thickened tip. Overall length is 15½ inches (39.3 cm) with a weight of 9.1 ounces (259 grams). The dagger is accompanied by a very old wooden sheath covered by old dried leather with cracking, scuffing and full thickness loss. Within the sheath, which covers the cross piece, overall length is 16½ inches (42 cm) with a weight of 10.6 ounces (302 grams). Lew dated this katar to the 19th century.


Northern Indian Katar with Wootz Blade, 19th Century

Northern Indian Katar with Wootz Blade, 19th Century

Northern Indian Katar with Wootz Blade, 19th Century

Northern Indian Katar with Wootz Blade, 19th Century

Northern Indian Katar with Wootz Blade, 19th Century



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