My first tulwar

TVV · 28th September 2005, 08:19 PM

As with so many other weapon types, tulwars were not among my favorites until I finally acquired one. I actually bought this one a few months ago only because it was extremely cheap (three BigMac menus) with the intent to ship to Bulgaria where it would be quite rare, and to exchange it there for something else. Now that I finally got myself to cleaning it, I was somewhat surprised to discover that I like it quite a lot and decided to keep it and post it here for comments.
It is quite plain, except for some geometric decoration on the hilt. What I like about the piece is the blade: a serious, triple fullered 30” blade, definitely meant for business, single-edged for the most part and double edged for about a quarter of the length down from the tip. No markings visible. Unfortunately, it has been abused a lot, as I received it covered with thick layers of rust with occasional spots where the blade was polished, most probably with a sandpaper and a power tool

. It also appears to have been sharpened with disastrous results near the handle and if there once was a ricasso, it is now completely gone. According to the seller, it was discovered in a barn in Pennsylvania, out of all places, which of course could have been a made up statement in an attempt to connect the poor tulwar to the Civil War somehow.
My guess would be a mid 19th century Sikh origin due to the sun motif on pommel, and I wanted to check if I am correct in this assumption, since I know very little about Indian weapons. Also, is the blade European, or could it be locally produced imitating Western blades of triple fullered construction? Thank you for your comments,
Teodor

28th September 2005, 08:19 PM	#1
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,660	My first tulwar As with so many other weapon types, tulwars were not among my favorites until I finally acquired one. I actually bought this one a few months ago only because it was extremely cheap (three BigMac menus) with the intent to ship to Bulgaria where it would be quite rare, and to exchange it there for something else. Now that I finally got myself to cleaning it, I was somewhat surprised to discover that I like it quite a lot and decided to keep it and post it here for comments. It is quite plain, except for some geometric decoration on the hilt. What I like about the piece is the blade: a serious, triple fullered 30” blade, definitely meant for business, single-edged for the most part and double edged for about a quarter of the length down from the tip. No markings visible. Unfortunately, it has been abused a lot, as I received it covered with thick layers of rust with occasional spots where the blade was polished, most probably with a sandpaper and a power tool . It also appears to have been sharpened with disastrous results near the handle and if there once was a ricasso, it is now completely gone. According to the seller, it was discovered in a barn in Pennsylvania, out of all places, which of course could have been a made up statement in an attempt to connect the poor tulwar to the Civil War somehow. My guess would be a mid 19th century Sikh origin due to the sun motif on pommel, and I wanted to check if I am correct in this assumption, since I know very little about Indian weapons. Also, is the blade European, or could it be locally produced imitating Western blades of triple fullered construction? Thank you for your comments, Teodor Attached Images