Now thats unusual David! I cannot say I've ever seen a khanda hilt in a dagger type configuration like this. It would indeed be tempting to think of this interesting example having been fashioned as the companion to the rapier bladed firangi previously discussed and used as a 'main gauche'.
While it seems it has been found that the Mahrattas were of course in certain degree influenced or at least impressed by Portuguese fashion and swordsmanship, I am not sure that they ever really adopted fencing technique to that level. It would be interesting to discover more on that. It would not be infeasible to imagine a Mahratta merchant or official imitating such European fashion.
A sword hilt fashioned into a knife seems to have been a one off occurence in numbers of cases. I have seen smallswords fashioned into knives this way as well as regulation military swords, usually left hilted as originally and the blade simply honed into knife shape. I think one of the most unusual instances I can think of were the M1913 Patton swords with huge steel hilts being made into combat knifes in WWII. Obviously, these examples have nothing to do with the knife we are discussing, but simply noted to illustrate instances using the concept.
Most interesting piece, and excellent example to review. It is not uncommon to refashion broken or damaged weapons considering thier value, and the concept obviously not isolated to certain periods or cultures.
The blade on this piece is intriguing as it has the distinct shape and central ridge reminding me of earlier Maasai seme' blades. I have often wondered if there could be any connection between those and earlier khanda blades. The trade between coastal western India and east Africa is of course well known, but there was notable presence of Indian workers in these regions of Africa during 19th century colonial presence. I recall once speaking with a lady who was clearly of Indian ancestry and being surprised when she told me she was from Kenya. She noted her family had been there for generations and that many Indian workers went there during those times.
Thank you for posting this David!
All the best,
Jim
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