Significance of Beaded Edges/Borders on South Indian Weapons?

Nihl · 4th March 2019, 03:51 AM

Hi all,

One big feature that I've noticed is present on a lot of south Indian arms and armor is a "beaded edge" that usually trails along the rim of the object. While my library is far from complete, all of the "classics" that I've read fail to actually describe the importance or the reason why this aesthetic element is included. Having recently caught up on my Elgood, unless I missed something, I can say for sure that even he doesn't explain the existence of this feature, aside from doing what every other author has done in stating that it designates an item as being south Indian.

When I turned to do a bit of internet research, what I was able to find was a connection with the beaded edge and south Indian architecture, however this link seems to be flimsy at best as - for the life of me - I am unable to find any examples of south Indian buildings with beaded edges on them. Plenty of examples of round-ish symbols or leaves lined up in a row, or feet from figures standing shoulder-to-shoulder, but no standalone beaded rims. I am aware that architecture is one of the bigger influences on hilt motifs, however, again, for the life of me I cannot find any examples of an architectural link between the two.

My only personal theory for this would that it might be somehow related to the importance of a string of pearls under a chhatri (umbrella/parasol) - something that could be represented as a vertical line of beads/circles - but as far as I'm aware the inclusion of a chhatri was mostly done on north Indian weapons, and wasn't incorporated into south Indian designs as much.

Again, I still have quite a bit of reading to do, so if some author somewhere has already explained the motif, I'd be very grateful in knowing who did so & in what publication. Otherwise, I can't find any explanation as to it's importance or why it is included so prominently in many south Indian arms. The pictures included are all examples of beaded edges on Indian weapons.

Jens Nordlunde · 4th March 2019, 03:16 PM

Hi Nihl,
I cant, unfortunately, tell you much about the beads, other than they were used a lot in South India, and seems later to have been used in other places as well. If you have A Passion for Indian Arms you should check the pages below.
The pata detail you show is indeed South Indian (p. 347-349) 16th to early 17th century. Do yu see the peacocks or hamsa's on top of the gauntlet?

The katar below (p. 173-174) Tanjore 16th to early 17th century.
The tulwar (p. 213-215) Rajasthan late 18th to early 19th century, with an etched mark on the blade from the Kishangarh armoury.

Robert Elgood: Rajput Arms & Armour, The Rathores & Their Armoury at Jodhpur Fort. Vol. II, p. 344-345. A tulwar hilt with beards on the disc, the quillons and on the langets. Hilt late 19th century.

Other bearded weapons can be seen in different books, but I have yet to see an explanation why they were bearded.

mross · 4th March 2019, 04:52 PM

Let me first plead ignorance on knowledge of this area. However I do not think smiths of yesteryear are much different than smiths of today. I think it's the cool factor and the smiths way of showing their skill.

Mercenary · 4th March 2019, 05:13 PM

Nihl, this is an ancient non-vedic tradition most likely Tamil in origin when cows, warhorses, elefants and people were decorated with flower or bell garlands. These were not only ornaments for the fests, weddings and so. The tradition was rooted in religious and mystical views and closely related to military traditions and weapons accordingly.

Million thanks for such theme.

Jens Nordlunde · 4th March 2019, 05:36 PM

Marcenary, this is a very week explanation, and it does not help much.
There are a lot of katars and other weapons from South India without these beads. Had it really been such a deep religious thing with them, I am sure we would have seen this kind of decoration far more often.

Mross, you may have a point, but I think there is more to it than that. It could be a fashion, which later moved more to the north. It seems as if Bundi, Kotah and Sind used it as well in later centuries, but as far as I know it did not move more north than to the states just north of Deccan.

Mercenary · 4th March 2019, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Marcenary, this is a very week explanation, and it does not help much.
There are a lot of katars and other weapons from South India without these beads. Had it really been such a deep religious thing with them, I am sure we would have seen this kind of decoration far more often.

Of course. As well as not all cows in India are decorated with flower garlands.

Jens Nordlunde · 7th March 2019, 03:26 PM

Maybe the beaded edges were auspicious at a certain time and place, and went out of fashion, but was copied at some other place and time as decoration - only.

Jim McDougall · 7th March 2019, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Maybe the beaded edges were auspicious at a certain time and place, and went out of fashion, but was copied at some other place and time as decoration - only.

That is an excellent suggestion Jens! and actually quite likely in some cases. I think that in examining instances of this type decoration there is no broad axiom which can be used, and each must be considered by its own merits.
I had hoped to find more detail on beading or filigree in Pant (1980), but the references to filigree were just descriptive without detail.

It was interesting however that some of the earlier Nair 'temple swords' had filigree in the decorative detail. These swords of Siviganga in Tamil Nadu were apparently made to recall earlier fighting swords but became votive and religiously used ceremonial swords by the 17th century.
As these swords were produced specifically for such traditional use perhaps the filgree elements did have auspicious tone in these cases.

Nihl · 8th March 2019, 02:26 AM

Hi all, sorry I can't post as often, I just have some things going on in my personal life currently. Hope you all can understand.

Addressing an earlier bit brought up by Jim, I was mostly concerned with it being related to architecture because, as I detailed in my OP, that was the only explanation I heard about online. I think that was a wild goose chase though.

Good job looking at the international filigree! I very much agree that we would have to find a firm date for when most beaded hilts came up though, in order to better determine when exactly it came in to fashion and whether it might be due to European influence. Personally I find the connection with rapiers to be rather hard to believe. Sure they're pretty looking, but I think if Indians truly wanted to copy rapier, they would do more than just copy the beaded aesthetic that occasionally appeared on them. Just my opinion though.

Once again though I find myself agreeing with Jim about it possibly evolving more naturally, passed down from earlier designs. Does anyone have any examples of this early Indian filigree? I can't say I've ever actually heard about there being any kind of fine decoration on these swords, outside of their pure sculptural value as objects.

ariel · 8th March 2019, 05:36 AM

Actually, Indians did copy European rapiers: recall Firangi and D- guards. They also valued European blades and guards, and combined them with their native sword parts. Arnachellum made a fortune making slightly mutated British hunting knives. And I am not even touching Chinese-inspired decorations and jade handles, Persian khahjars, Georgian kindjal blades, Ottoman yataghan blades, Turkish Palas, etc.

Oriental armorers followed fashions with abandon, and borrowed foreign ideas left and right, similar to their European colleagues adopting Oriental ideas. Eventually, militaries all over the world adopted virtually identical bladed weapons.

Jim McDougall · 8th March 2019, 04:01 PM

Nihl, no need to apologize, trust me I think most of us are with you, and the resounding drama of every day life takes precedence!
I like very much that you posed a most intriguing query here, and you also included your established research and line of thinking toward it. This set a valuable benchmark for discussion, which has for the most part developed very well.

As has been well addressed by Robert Elgood, the presence of architectural designs is well established in many Indian weapons and their decoration, as they have become religiously oriented in themselves. In this the designs and decoration often reflect temples, iconography and the naturally religious themes.

With this being the case, I think your effort to determine possible symbolism in this distinct style of decoration is well placed. The observations on similar use in other contexts and in other cultural spheres were I think simply to reflect the scope of this type decoration in considering outside influences.

As has been noted, the European influence is certainly feasible, and indeed highly effected Indian culture in many aspects of material culture. It is well known that European art, much of it in grimoires and herbals, became firmly emplaced in much Mughal art and design. With weapons, while trade blades became a commercial entity post contact, the influence of hilt designs, foremost that of the 'basket hilt' added to the khanda was profoundly notable.

With these khanda, termed 'Hindu basket hilt' (and further 'firangi' with foreign blade) some even had rapier blades, despite the fact that fencing and such European sword play had nothing to do with Indian techniques.

The influences of art, philosophy, religion etc. transcend any sort of boundaries, and with the ever present conditions of trade, colonialism and cultural expansion, are virtually inevitable.

Tradition and commemoration are typically what carries forth the use of earlier designs, style and such features from earlier periods within a particular culture. This is one of the great difficulties in assessing ethnographic arms in that the same forms have remained in use for centuries and often must be examined for highly nuanced and subtle clues in their character. That is what is so compelling here with this very valid query, and it is great to see the ideas and approaches at work.

4th March 2019, 03:51 AM	#1
Nihl Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 90	Significance of Beaded Edges/Borders on South Indian Weapons? Hi all, One big feature that I've noticed is present on a lot of south Indian arms and armor is a "beaded edge" that usually trails along the rim of the object. While my library is far from complete, all of the "classics" that I've read fail to actually describe the importance or the reason why this aesthetic element is included. Having recently caught up on my Elgood, unless I missed something, I can say for sure that even he doesn't explain the existence of this feature, aside from doing what every other author has done in stating that it designates an item as being south Indian. When I turned to do a bit of internet research, what I was able to find was a connection with the beaded edge and south Indian architecture, however this link seems to be flimsy at best as - for the life of me - I am unable to find any examples of south Indian buildings with beaded edges on them. Plenty of examples of round-ish symbols or leaves lined up in a row, or feet from figures standing shoulder-to-shoulder, but no standalone beaded rims. I am aware that architecture is one of the bigger influences on hilt motifs, however, again, for the life of me I cannot find any examples of an architectural link between the two. My only personal theory for this would that it might be somehow related to the importance of a string of pearls under a chhatri (umbrella/parasol) - something that could be represented as a vertical line of beads/circles - but as far as I'm aware the inclusion of a chhatri was mostly done on north Indian weapons, and wasn't incorporated into south Indian designs as much. Again, I still have quite a bit of reading to do, so if some author somewhere has already explained the motif, I'd be very grateful in knowing who did so & in what publication. Otherwise, I can't find any explanation as to it's importance or why it is included so prominently in many south Indian arms. The pictures included are all examples of beaded edges on Indian weapons. Attached Images

4th March 2019, 03:16 PM	#2
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Nihl, I cant, unfortunately, tell you much about the beads, other than they were used a lot in South India, and seems later to have been used in other places as well. If you have A Passion for Indian Arms you should check the pages below. The pata detail you show is indeed South Indian (p. 347-349) 16th to early 17th century. Do yu see the peacocks or hamsa's on top of the gauntlet? The katar below (p. 173-174) Tanjore 16th to early 17th century. The tulwar (p. 213-215) Rajasthan late 18th to early 19th century, with an etched mark on the blade from the Kishangarh armoury. Robert Elgood: Rajput Arms & Armour, The Rathores & Their Armoury at Jodhpur Fort. Vol. II, p. 344-345. A tulwar hilt with beards on the disc, the quillons and on the langets. Hilt late 19th century. Other bearded weapons can be seen in different books, but I have yet to see an explanation why they were bearded. Attached Images Last edited by Jens Nordlunde; 4th March 2019 at 05:25 PM.

4th March 2019, 04:52 PM	#3
mross Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 478	Let me first plead ignorance on knowledge of this area. However I do not think smiths of yesteryear are much different than smiths of today. I think it's the cool factor and the smiths way of showing their skill.

4th March 2019, 05:13 PM	#4
Mercenary Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Moscow, Russia Posts: 421	Nihl, this is an ancient non-vedic tradition most likely Tamil in origin when cows, warhorses, elefants and people were decorated with flower or bell garlands. These were not only ornaments for the fests, weddings and so. The tradition was rooted in religious and mystical views and closely related to military traditions and weapons accordingly. Million thanks for such theme.

4th March 2019, 05:36 PM	#5
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Marcenary, this is a very week explanation, and it does not help much. There are a lot of katars and other weapons from South India without these beads. Had it really been such a deep religious thing with them, I am sure we would have seen this kind of decoration far more often. Mross, you may have a point, but I think there is more to it than that. It could be a fashion, which later moved more to the north. It seems as if Bundi, Kotah and Sind used it as well in later centuries, but as far as I know it did not move more north than to the states just north of Deccan.

7th March 2019, 03:26 PM	#7
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Maybe the beaded edges were auspicious at a certain time and place, and went out of fashion, but was copied at some other place and time as decoration - only.

8th March 2019, 02:26 AM	#9
Nihl Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 90	Hi all, sorry I can't post as often, I just have some things going on in my personal life currently. Hope you all can understand. Addressing an earlier bit brought up by Jim, I was mostly concerned with it being related to architecture because, as I detailed in my OP, that was the only explanation I heard about online. I think that was a wild goose chase though. Good job looking at the international filigree! I very much agree that we would have to find a firm date for when most beaded hilts came up though, in order to better determine when exactly it came in to fashion and whether it might be due to European influence. Personally I find the connection with rapiers to be rather hard to believe. Sure they're pretty looking, but I think if Indians truly wanted to copy rapier, they would do more than just copy the beaded aesthetic that occasionally appeared on them. Just my opinion though. Once again though I find myself agreeing with Jim about it possibly evolving more naturally, passed down from earlier designs. Does anyone have any examples of this early Indian filigree? I can't say I've ever actually heard about there being any kind of fine decoration on these swords, outside of their pure sculptural value as objects.

8th March 2019, 05:36 AM	#10
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Actually, Indians did copy European rapiers: recall Firangi and D- guards. They also valued European blades and guards, and combined them with their native sword parts. Arnachellum made a fortune making slightly mutated British hunting knives. And I am not even touching Chinese-inspired decorations and jade handles, Persian khahjars, Georgian kindjal blades, Ottoman yataghan blades, Turkish Palas, etc. Oriental armorers followed fashions with abandon, and borrowed foreign ideas left and right, similar to their European colleagues adopting Oriental ideas. Eventually, militaries all over the world adopted virtually identical bladed weapons.

8th March 2019, 04:01 PM	#11
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,946	Nihl, no need to apologize, trust me I think most of us are with you, and the resounding drama of every day life takes precedence! I like very much that you posed a most intriguing query here, and you also included your established research and line of thinking toward it. This set a valuable benchmark for discussion, which has for the most part developed very well. As has been well addressed by Robert Elgood, the presence of architectural designs is well established in many Indian weapons and their decoration, as they have become religiously oriented in themselves. In this the designs and decoration often reflect temples, iconography and the naturally religious themes. With this being the case, I think your effort to determine possible symbolism in this distinct style of decoration is well placed. The observations on similar use in other contexts and in other cultural spheres were I think simply to reflect the scope of this type decoration in considering outside influences. As has been noted, the European influence is certainly feasible, and indeed highly effected Indian culture in many aspects of material culture. It is well known that European art, much of it in grimoires and herbals, became firmly emplaced in much Mughal art and design. With weapons, while trade blades became a commercial entity post contact, the influence of hilt designs, foremost that of the 'basket hilt' added to the khanda was profoundly notable. With these khanda, termed 'Hindu basket hilt' (and further 'firangi' with foreign blade) some even had rapier blades, despite the fact that fencing and such European sword play had nothing to do with Indian techniques. The influences of art, philosophy, religion etc. transcend any sort of boundaries, and with the ever present conditions of trade, colonialism and cultural expansion, are virtually inevitable. Tradition and commemoration are typically what carries forth the use of earlier designs, style and such features from earlier periods within a particular culture. This is one of the great difficulties in assessing ethnographic arms in that the same forms have remained in use for centuries and often must be examined for highly nuanced and subtle clues in their character. That is what is so compelling here with this very valid query, and it is great to see the ideas and approaches at work.