Salaams All...I wrote an article based on a book that set down the different weights and measures in the Souk in Oman...It is bewildering !! I am not sure if an Indian sword was a standard length or if it had a variety of lengths to chose from .. each sword would be peculiar to its owner would it not?...I note that Nimcha meaning half sword could be long or short..but offer that only in passing. I don't know.
Would a sword not be fitted to the height of the wearer so that it hung at the waist in the proper manner... Did the officer requiring a sword not get fitted at the Military Officers Uniform outfitters for this reason?.... Again I dont know...
Please see
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=Muttrah+souk at post 7 for the variation in weights and measures and add to that for India the Barley Corn situation...
"And once you have mastered that lot, you must start on the difference between Muscat maund, which equals 24 kiyas, each kiyas representing the weight of 6 MTD., and an Omani maund which equals 24 kiyas, each kiyas representing the weight of 6 Omani baizas, remembering that 5 Omani baizas are the same weight as 1 MTD. and that in arabic a maund is a mun; 200 Muscat maunds = 1 bahhar, which is the same weight both on the coast and in the interior but varies when applied to different produce, a bahhar of salt or firewood being equivalent to 400 Muscati maunds".
During pre-Akbar period, weights and measure system varied from region to region, commodity to commodity, and rural to urban areas. The weights were based on the weight of various seeds (specially the wheat berry and Ratti) and lengths were based of the length of arms and width of fingers. Akbar realized a need for a uniform system. He elected the barley corn. Unfortunately, this did not replace the existing system. Instead, it just added another system.
For an utterly confusing view of how this added up please see
http://www.indiacurry.com/Miscel/ind...htsmeasure.htm
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.