Identification of keris hilt

Alam Shah · 15th February 2005, 04:19 PM

All comments, good or bad are welcomed.

rahman · 16th February 2005, 12:54 AM

Dear Alam Shah

My 2 bits worth from a beginner:

1. The metal in the hilt is different from the blade, so it was not forged as a single piece. See if there are any weld marks where the hilt and the blade meets.

2. What does the inscription say? Quranic or talismanic?

3. The gentle undulations of the luk suggest a Palembang origin?

Alam Shah · 16th February 2005, 07:06 AM

Thanks rahman for your response,
1.) I'll take a closer picture near the hilt. As far as i can see, there are no weld marks.
2.) It's some kind of talismanic characters. I'll let you know what it's meant for later.
3.) Palembang?...

. Interesting.

Alam Shah · 16th February 2005, 03:31 PM

Dear rahman,

The talismanic inscription on one side... (reference from Kitab Aji Mantra Guna), which translated to be "untuk menangkap maling". Accordingly, if a thief stole something from a place which is guarded by this talisman, the person would not be able to find his way out.

The inscription on the other side (reference from Kitab Al-Aufaq), it is to protect the wearer from sihir/sirep ,(a type of spell to lull or put one to sleep) and to prevent the wearer from falling asleep while on guard.
(Insya allah bisawab).

rahman · 16th February 2005, 03:36 PM

Dear Alam Shah

Pls take a look at this: ( edited , sorry Rahman links to active auctions are not allowed. )

See any resemblance to your hilt? I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it.

Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? Can we see a close-up of the inscription?

This is quite obviously a talisman (tangkal/penangkal). Phew! I thought you have a keris used by dukun/bomoh -- that would be mighty stuff.

Alam Shah · 16th February 2005, 04:02 PM

> See any resemblance to your hilt?
Similar, but not the same.
> I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it.
I believe so.

> Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi?
What is Kawi...

> Can we see a close-up of the inscription?
Yup, will put up once I take the shots.

Jan · 16th February 2005, 05:22 PM

Hello, and sorry for coming in late on this one.

The picture shown by Pak Rasdan in the second posting of this thread looks VERY similar to a single metal keris handle that I purchased in Yogya about 4 years ago. I would be happy if Pak Rasdan or Raja Muda wcould remember the title of the book it is in, just to see if it says anything interesting about this particular handle.

My first attempt at taking digital pictures of my handle didn´t work out yet, I will try again later and just give you a quick comment on my version:

It is rather newly made, probably using modern tools.
It is hard to tell from Pak Rasdan´s picture above, but in this version, the old man has very furry eyebrows and a long beard down his chest. Especially face and beard are far more detailed in comparison with other keris sajen that I have seen.
The beard is partly seperated from the chest by three holes drilled through its base. In my case, these were apparently drilled through from left to right - the holes are much more precise on the left side, while the right still shows tiny bits of metal in the rim were the drill came out. I noticed this before buying it, so I never really thought it to be an old handle.
The inside of the hole for the peksi also looks professionally made using modern tools - just too precise and too smooth at the bottom of the hole.
Also, it is not as deep as other peksi holes I have seen, so maybe it would need more fixation than the traditional method - welding ???

Judging from this I would assume that both the hilt of Alam Shah`s keris and my version of it are actually modern-made single hilts that can be either normally attached or maybe even welded to a keris blade to "style it" into a keris sajen.

I will see if I get around to taking some pictures later.

15th February 2005, 04:19 PM	#1
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	Close up... All comments, good or bad are welcomed. Attached Images

16th February 2005, 07:06 AM	#3
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	Thanks rahman for your response, 1.) I'll take a closer picture near the hilt. As far as i can see, there are no weld marks. 2.) It's some kind of talismanic characters. I'll let you know what it's meant for later. 3.) Palembang?.... Interesting. Last edited by Alam Shah; 16th February 2005 at 01:54 PM.

16th February 2005, 03:31 PM	#4
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	Esoteric use... Dear rahman, The talismanic inscription on one side... (reference from Kitab Aji Mantra Guna), which translated to be "untuk menangkap maling". Accordingly, if a thief stole something from a place which is guarded by this talisman, the person would not be able to find his way out. The inscription on the other side (reference from Kitab Al-Aufaq), it is to protect the wearer from sihir/sirep ,(a type of spell to lull or put one to sleep) and to prevent the wearer from falling asleep while on guard. (Insya allah bisawab).

16th February 2005, 03:36 PM	#5
rahman Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 84	Dear Alam Shah Pls take a look at this: ( edited , sorry Rahman links to active auctions are not allowed. ) See any resemblance to your hilt? I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it. Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? Can we see a close-up of the inscription? This is quite obviously a talisman (tangkal/penangkal). Phew! I thought you have a keris used by dukun/bomoh -- that would be mighty stuff. Last edited by Rick; 16th February 2005 at 04:55 PM.

16th February 2005, 12:54 AM	#2
rahman Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 84	Dear Alam Shah My 2 bits worth from a beginner: 1. The metal in the hilt is different from the blade, so it was not forged as a single piece. See if there are any weld marks where the hilt and the blade meets. 2. What does the inscription say? Quranic or talismanic? 3. The gentle undulations of the luk suggest a Palembang origin?

16th February 2005, 04:02 PM	#6
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	> See any resemblance to your hilt? Similar, but not the same. > I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it. I believe so. > Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? What is Kawi... > Can we see a close-up of the inscription? Yup, will put up once I take the shots.

16th February 2005, 05:22 PM	#7
Jan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 8	Hello, and sorry for coming in late on this one. The picture shown by Pak Rasdan in the second posting of this thread looks VERY similar to a single metal keris handle that I purchased in Yogya about 4 years ago. I would be happy if Pak Rasdan or Raja Muda wcould remember the title of the book it is in, just to see if it says anything interesting about this particular handle. My first attempt at taking digital pictures of my handle didn´t work out yet, I will try again later and just give you a quick comment on my version: It is rather newly made, probably using modern tools. It is hard to tell from Pak Rasdan´s picture above, but in this version, the old man has very furry eyebrows and a long beard down his chest. Especially face and beard are far more detailed in comparison with other keris sajen that I have seen. The beard is partly seperated from the chest by three holes drilled through its base. In my case, these were apparently drilled through from left to right - the holes are much more precise on the left side, while the right still shows tiny bits of metal in the rim were the drill came out. I noticed this before buying it, so I never really thought it to be an old handle. The inside of the hole for the peksi also looks professionally made using modern tools - just too precise and too smooth at the bottom of the hole. Also, it is not as deep as other peksi holes I have seen, so maybe it would need more fixation than the traditional method - welding ??? Judging from this I would assume that both the hilt of Alam Shah`s keris and my version of it are actually modern-made single hilts that can be either normally attached or maybe even welded to a keris blade to "style it" into a keris sajen. I will see if I get around to taking some pictures later.