Indian Dagger (possibly Mughal) for Comment
 

I picked up this dagger years ago on a visit to India. The straight, double-edged blade appears similar to images I have found online of Mughal era “Khanjar” style daggers, however, none of these daggers have hilts similar to this one. The hilt and scabbard are damascened iron with silver and gold inlays and the blade shows an original Damascus pattern.

The only picture I have been able to find of an Indian dagger with a similar hilt is in a portrait of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah (Nawab of the Carnatic Sultanate in South India from 1749 until his death in 1795) housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum which was painted by Tilly Kettle in the 1780s.

Is this possibly a Mughal era Khanjar style dagger from India or is it from some other region and era?

Hate to be the person who brings bad news, but someone has to do it. The dagger is Indian. The dating is off by a couple of hundred years, as this is a modern creation.

Not bad news, I’m just trying to identify it. Approximately when do you think it was made, and is this hilt style common for modern Indian daggers?

Better pictures of the blade.

It was made within a few years of when you bought it. Which is perfectly fine - a lot of us have started our collecting with similar items.

Before I retired a few years ago I had a job that allowed me to travel all over the world. I tried to pick up a knife or sword wherever I went, and in some cases received them as gifts from business associates.

I consider the items souvenirs, not collector's items, and am just trying to learn a little about them now that I have the time. This forum is proving to be a great place to do that.

Thank you for sharing your expertise!