Tegha

[Jens Nordlunde]

Ian once found and bought a manuscript written by Rawson, and was kind enough to put it on the net for others to read. Some of the pages seem to be missing, as some of the page references can’t be found, but here is what he writes about the tegha.

The term Tegha is, strictly speaking, the common Arabic word for the blade of a sword, but here, following Egerton, it is to designate a sword resembling the Tulwar, the blade of which has an exceptionally deep backward curve. There are two forms of Tegha; one is Islamic for discussion of which see p. 29 (missing), and the other Hindo, for which see p. 72 (missing).
Later he writes.
Nimcha or Tegha or Goliah. Small light sword slightly curved, made of hard waved steel (pigeons eye); plain handle, Hindostan 1780. Boorhampore. Taken at Seringapatan.

It is a bit confusing that he writes ‘Small light sword slightly curved’. But the one Egerton mentions #399 has a blade width of about 4.5 cm – it is shown in fig. 24.

The Tegha on the picture is from Leth, André: Islamic Arms and Armour from private Danish Collections. Davids Samling. Copenhagen 1982. No 174, page 208 and 209. Weight 3.2 kg without scabbard, length scabbard incl. 101 cm, and width of blade at the base 8.3 cm.

[spiral]

Bill, I have had a couple of giant Indian kukri in the past with virtualy identical figures.

The steel wasnt tempered on either of them though.

Is the tegha tempered?

Spiral

[Jens Nordlunde]

In ‘A Catalogue of Arms and Armour in the State Museum, Hyderabad, A.P., 1975’, they write that they have five Teghas, and they show a (bad) picture of three of them. I find it strange that they only have five, as the museum is in the area, where Egerton writes they were used, so I would have expected a lot more – but five it is.

#123, hilt 18 cm, blade 67 cm, 18th century. #124, hilt 18 cm, blade 84 cm, 18th century. #125, hilt 16 cm, blade 70 cm, 19th century. #126, hilt 23 cm, blade 85 cm, 19th century. #127, hilt 19 cm, blade 81 cm, 19th century.

What Bill is showing can very well be a Tegha, but there seem to be a lot of other sword types which are called Tegha as well.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by spiral

Bill, I have had a couple of giant Indian kukri in the past with virtualy identical figures.

The steel wasnt tempered on either of them though.

Is the tegha tempered?

Spiral

Hi Jonathan,

Mine does seem to have a hardened edge. It resists a file. You might also note it has a heavy point, sort of like an armor piercing weapon. While I do not think that was the intent, it shows that care was taken when it was made. I don't think it was made for tourists.

Bill



Hi Jens,

It certainly does appear that tegha was a name for other swords as well. Perhaps we should be looking more specifically for the tegha in Dr.Gaytri Nath Pant's "Indian Arms and Armor," (1980) Volume II, Page 84, he states:

"It is an Indian sabre with a broad curved balde and the hilt like that of a Talwar. It is used by the Muslim, Marathas and Rajputs. Those have hunting scenes engraved on the blades are are called tegha shikargaha."

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Bill,

From the Rawson manuscript I have 15 pages describing different swords, a front page saying ‘The Indian Sword, A catalogue Raissone of the Indian collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, by P.S.Rawson, part two, Catalogue, and then I have the following pages 94-289, but I don’t have the pages 1-93. Do you have them?



Bill you wrote. ‘It appears to me that there were plain and functional versions shown by Jens above. It also seems that there were heavily adorned sacrificial swords that were just as valid.’ Yes you are right, but if you look at post #13, the sword to the right, if that is a Tegha, what does a Tulwar then look like? We know swords and daggers were called differently in different places, so maybe the name Tegha was used in a broader sense to the south than to the north.

Would you say the sword on the picture is a Tegha? I think one could, but it is definitely a Tulwar.

[Jens Nordlunde]

We may as well try; another author on the subject.Dr. Sued Zafar Haider, Islamic Arms and Armour of Muslim India. On page 176 the author writes. Tegha. I was a sword with a broad and very deep curved blade, deeper than shamshir and mounted with an Indo-Muslim hilt. It could be differentiated from the tulwar by its broad and deeply curved blade.


Whatever it is called Bill, it is still a very nice sword you have.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

Hi Jonathan,

Mine does seem to have a hardened edge. It resists a file. You might also note it has a heavy point, sort of like an armor piercing weapon. While I do not think that was the intent, it shows that care was taken when it was made. I don't think it was made for tourists.

Bill

.[/I]"

Cool. A properly hardend edge sounds good.


Spiral

[Rick]

You wind up with this.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by Rick

You wind up with this.

Rick,

I know what you have here, and yet the blade shape reminds me of another sword from far-away China.

Oxtail saber (niuweidao). Qing Dynasty. Commonly known today as " the Chinese Broadsword."

Many of these niuweidao were for the relatively unskilled bloke as a "chopper."

My pictures show an above average sword. Most were cheaply made and mass produced.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Ian once found and bought a manuscript written by Rawson, and was kind enough to put it on the net for others to read. Some of the pages seem to be missing, as some of the page references can’t be found, but here is what he writes about the tegha.

The term Tegha is, strictly speaking, the common Arabic word for the blade of a sword, but here, following Egerton, it is to designate a sword resembling the Tulwar, the blade of which has an exceptionally deep backward curve. There are two forms of Tegha; one is Islamic for discussion of which see p. 29 (missing), and the other Hindo, for which see p. 72 (missing).
Later he writes.
Nimcha or Tegha or Goliah. Small light sword slightly curved, made of hard waved steel (pigeons eye); plain handle, Hindostan 1780. Boorhampore. Taken at Seringapatan.

It is a bit confusing that he writes ‘Small light sword slightly curved’. But the one Egerton mentions #399 has a blade width of about 4.5 cm – it is shown in fig. 24.

The Tegha on the picture is from Leth, André: Islamic Arms and Armour from private Danish Collections. Davids Samling. Copenhagen 1982. No 174, page 208 and 209. Weight 3.2 kg without scabbard, length scabbard incl. 101 cm, and width of blade at the base 8.3 cm.

Hi Jens and all,

First of all let me say how much I am enjoying this thread! I am going through old reference books in my library that I haven't looked at for far too long. (Also realizing I really need to do some organizing), and I am finding some fascinating, though unrelated information. Especially in Pant's books. He has one on indian elephant armour .... but let's get back to the tegha.

Ian sent me a hard copy of the work Jens mentions, but I can't find it right now. Perhaps Ian has the "missing pages?" This would be very helpful.

Ian?

It appears to me that there were plain and functional versions shown by Jens above. It also seems that there were heaviliy adorned sacrifical swords that were just as valid.

Rajput nobles were particulalry fond of very ornate weapons.

Here is a tegha from E. Jaiwant Paul's "Arms and Armour, Traditional Weapons of India," where he states

"Sacrificial sword, Rajput, late 17th century A.D., National MUseum, The broad blade is engraved with figures of gods and goddesses, . . . . The sword was used to sacrifice buffaloes during the festival of Dussehra."