Tulwar or Khanda
 

This old Indian piece has got me thinking, is it a Tulwar or a Khanda? The blade is 29 inches long and 1inch at the tip. The false edge is 7 inches long. The blade has two fullers and an interesting mark (second picture). Another mark can be found as the ricasso (bottom picture). The weapon is heavy and feels very functional, a real fighting tool. Where do these swords come from and who used them? Thanks

I usually think of swords with these straight, flaring blades as khanda, Andy.

Seems like a fairly typical khanda blade in tulwar dress; was such a typical sword in any time/place/tribe?

I agree with Andrew and Tom, this appears to be a tulwar-hilted khanda. The trident-like symbol may be Sikh in origin, while the khanda itself is a religious symbol for the Sikhs. The manner of the blade sharpening, with quite a prominent "bite" into the blade where it starts at the forte, and perhaps the rather squared-off ends to the quillions might also suggest a Sikh (Punjab) origin -- but that could be reading too much. Jim McD. can give you a better idea about the origin of this one.

Hi Andy , could you possibly take a sharp picture of the circular stamp near the langet ?
I would appreciate it very much ! :)

Hello Rick
Here is a picture of the round stamp. I dont think the clarity will help much. Is this a makers stamp? I intend to post a couple of other Indian bits soon, I will try to get better photos.

Hi Andy , any similarity to this stamp ?
I would guess it is a partial MFR's stamp .

In Nepal they are called, Khanda,Kharga & Khadga.

Spiral

I seem to be out of line here, but to me it is a Patissa rather than Khanda.
Khandas traditionally have metal reinforcements on foth edges , covering about 2/3 and 1/3 of the edge respectively. And, of course the usually have what rawson called Indian Basket handle.
Patissa, on the other hand, is just a staright double edge sword widening towards the tip. Seems to fit.
Objections?

I think this sword is single edged, except at the tip? Also, It seems to me that the reinforcing strips are commonly rivetted or soldered on, and could be viewed (I was viewing them so) as part of the dress, though they could certainly also be viewed as part of the blade.....

Aren't Khanda and Pattisa blades typically double edged? As Tom points out, this blade is single edged and this seems a bit atypical to the other blade types. I have an example in my collection with a blade that is also single edged with a Pattisa/Khanda like tip, however, I do not believe that tip configuration was original to the blade on my example. My sword has a different hilt style than the example posted here. Perhaps these are a different blade form and shouldn't be lumped in with Pattisa or Khanda.

I've seen a number of SE khandas, only DE at the tip; I'd actually thought it the norm?

I searched the old forum and found an interesting thread called "can it be a khanda or what?" No pic, but I think it pertains to this type of sword.

In looking at this interesting example, I tend to agree with Tom in that the hilt appears to be more in line with tulwar hilts. While the unusual spooned blade tip does resemble those typically seen on examples of 'pattisa' as Ariel has suggested, this blade also does seem single edged.
Pant (p.65-66) notes that the pattisa blades are double edged, with the pattisa's being quite flexible and the seatings are typically longer than the khanda. It should be noted that the original khandas had very similar hilts to this form and that both khanda and pattisa were originally from S. central India.

I am inclined to think that this example is from the northern regions, most likely Rajasthan. It is noted that khanda/pattisa hybrids are known, which is not at all surprising with the broad diffusion of weapons in the Indian subcontinent. This very diffusion took the khanda to the north where as noted it did become a religious icon to the Sikhs, in the more well known form with the so called 'Hindu basket hilt'. The actual worship of the khanda was also well known by the Rajputs, who prevailed in Rajasthan regions, and the trisula was key in symbolism to Shiva.
Without going further into the complexities and similarities in Rajput and Sikh dogma, I am simply noting the trisula as it appears on the blade of this example. As far as I am aware, and in discussions with Sikhs asking about such symbolism, I have been told there are not distinctive symbols that are found on Sikh blades that would designate them as such.

However, in "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan' by Lt. Col. James Tod, 1829, there is a geometric device representing a lance which is the sign of a prince or chieftain from a principality in Mewar (Rajasthan) which seems to correspond with the trident seen on this example in stylized form (p.164).
This suggests as well that this sword may well be from these regions, in addition to the unreinforced hilt of tulwar form. The cartouche which seems to be a makers stamp is also placed in the quadrant of the blade root where similar stamps are found in many early tulwar blades from these regions, the inscriptions often in Urdu.

It would be difficult to concisely classify this sword into a single category by term, but best described as probably Rajput khanda with traditional form hilt and pattisa type blade. I guess it would be a matter of opinion :) since the hilt is closer to tulwar form than the old khanda, and the blade itself doesnt really conform to the description of the pattisa blades except in the widened tip.

Best regards,
Jim

One of the best Sikh websites i`ve seen (unfortunatelly when I tried the link, it has fallen now ) reffered to this type as ,,Southern Indian Talwar,, and the symbols on it point to Sikh origins as far as the age, thats a whole new story ...
Sorry to disapoint those that were expecting a very exotic name to match with this unusual piece...
And ANDY ! Since you are in London you can take a picture to a Sikh temple and ask nicely to have one of the seniors take a look at it . The sword is SIKH for sure !

That is extremely compelling evidence Radu!! Excellent idea about taking this to a Sikh temple, I look forward to hearing more on the symbols used to mark Sikh swords. Unfortunately the research I did a number of years ago, including speaking with the authors of the book "Warrior Saints" which was published in association with The Sikh Foundation, revealed no evidence of specific markings used historically on Sikh blades.
It is very exciting news that you have positively identified this as a Sikh TALWAR from southern India!!:) and relieved us of the search for the correct exotic term for this.Yay!
Jim

Wow, I will have to pop along to Tooting and ask a few polite queastions. Many thanks for all the effort put in.