Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

B.I · 14th November 2005, 07:16 AM

hi andy,
a nice sword and i like your wall display.
the hilt is southern although an almost exact style could be found in the north (well, the decoration was northern but this can be misleading - there were also subtle differences in construction).
the fact the your hilt has a riveted langet and the spike curls over to one side make me think it is southern. it is of hindu form and 18thC, so we can loosely assume it is maharathan. the maharathan hilts did have certain fetures missing on yours, but as a whole, they were robust and strengthened (the squared parts on the 'quillions'). the basket hilt was also used in the deccan but this was of a different form. also, it isnt moghul so i suppose it narrows it down a little.
this type of basket hilt is quite common in form and unfortunately found all over india. because of the amount of them that still exist, i would assume it was a from a major source of arms industry (hence my assumption it was from a known area/people). i dont really doubt the age to be 18thC, from the style of swords they were put on, but the region can only be speculation. 18thC maharatha is a good start but i would happily listen to other arguements on a rajput origin, if it was convincing.
the blade is another matter.
i dont think they started life together as the blade looks (and is from your description) too heavy and from the image it doesnt seem to fit. swords were put together during its working life, and afterwards by armouries before selling off weapons, by indian dealers, and by western dealers of course.
i'm afraid only you can tell as you have the piece and can inspect it closely.
i dont have a problem with overly heavy weapns, as i have some that you can hardle handle, but these were fitted perfectly.
also, just a thought - the blade seems very straight. khanda tended to flare out slightly. this is just an observation and doesnt mean anything really. the blade has a chisselled design along the edge, and i assume this was done to simulate the reinforcing of the khanda. again, this was found on khandas without reinforcing so it seems ok, although yours seemed to slant off to one side, giving an almost flame-like pattern.
all speculation, and i would be happy to think the blade and hilt match perfectly if you tell me you are happy with the way they are joined and fitted together. or, you can provide images looking up into the join so we can see it better.
with indian weapons, there is so little known, and so much assumed. it is easy to have an opinion based on the weapons you have seen or handled, but i am always over the moon to be shown i am wrong :-)
its all a learning curve and the nature of this forum is to have a wide range of opinions and a hopeful general agreement at the end.
again, i like the sword and would love to see closer images.

14th November 2005, 07:16 AM	#4
B.I Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 485	hi andy, a nice sword and i like your wall display. the hilt is southern although an almost exact style could be found in the north (well, the decoration was northern but this can be misleading - there were also subtle differences in construction). the fact the your hilt has a riveted langet and the spike curls over to one side make me think it is southern. it is of hindu form and 18thC, so we can loosely assume it is maharathan. the maharathan hilts did have certain fetures missing on yours, but as a whole, they were robust and strengthened (the squared parts on the 'quillions'). the basket hilt was also used in the deccan but this was of a different form. also, it isnt moghul so i suppose it narrows it down a little. this type of basket hilt is quite common in form and unfortunately found all over india. because of the amount of them that still exist, i would assume it was a from a major source of arms industry (hence my assumption it was from a known area/people). i dont really doubt the age to be 18thC, from the style of swords they were put on, but the region can only be speculation. 18thC maharatha is a good start but i would happily listen to other arguements on a rajput origin, if it was convincing. the blade is another matter. i dont think they started life together as the blade looks (and is from your description) too heavy and from the image it doesnt seem to fit. swords were put together during its working life, and afterwards by armouries before selling off weapons, by indian dealers, and by western dealers of course. i'm afraid only you can tell as you have the piece and can inspect it closely. i dont have a problem with overly heavy weapns, as i have some that you can hardle handle, but these were fitted perfectly. also, just a thought - the blade seems very straight. khanda tended to flare out slightly. this is just an observation and doesnt mean anything really. the blade has a chisselled design along the edge, and i assume this was done to simulate the reinforcing of the khanda. again, this was found on khandas without reinforcing so it seems ok, although yours seemed to slant off to one side, giving an almost flame-like pattern. all speculation, and i would be happy to think the blade and hilt match perfectly if you tell me you are happy with the way they are joined and fitted together. or, you can provide images looking up into the join so we can see it better. with indian weapons, there is so little known, and so much assumed. it is easy to have an opinion based on the weapons you have seen or handled, but i am always over the moon to be shown i am wrong :-) its all a learning curve and the nature of this forum is to have a wide range of opinions and a hopeful general agreement at the end. again, i like the sword and would love to see closer images.