Mughal Katar

Jens Nordlunde · 11th March 2005, 02:30 PM

Hi,

It is hard to tell how old it is, but my guess is 19th century, the inner blade is probably one hundred years or more older. Most types were made over a period of several hundred years, with only small variations, so a precise dating is very problematic. Even when a weapon has a year inlaid, this can not always be trusted, it can have been inlaid later, at the time the weapon was made – or it can even be a year fifty or a hundred years older than the weapon.
Notice also that some decorations can have been added later, so you may have two ‘types’ of decorations.
On the link you will find a katar with silver decoration a bit like yours. This is called a Garsoe katar and the characteristics for this type of katar is the way the side guards are formed – they are not straight http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001461.html these kind of katars come from Sind. You will find Sind in the western part of India, where the harbour town Karachi is.
Try to find old maps of India on Google; this will help you to locate the different places.

The katar shown is typically for south India.

Aurangzeb · 11th March 2005, 11:36 PM

Hello all!

Thanks For all your help with my katar.Hopefully soon I will be posting my kindjal.

Aurangzeb · 11th March 2005, 11:43 PM

He Jens!

By any chance do you know if Sind was A kingdom?
If so was it islamic or hindu?Also did they mint coins?

Jens Nordlunde · 12th March 2005, 12:45 PM

Hi Aurangzeb,

You ask if Sind was a kingdom, the answer is yes and no, but you can read more about it on this link
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/S/Sind.asp just as the link also gives you information on the religion. Yes they did mint coins in Sind, try a Google search for ‘Coins from Sind’.

Try to search for ‘Wootz’ on this forum, and you will find a lot of interesting mails.

The best way to learn about the weapons is to see as many as possible, hold them in your hand and get the ‘feel’, notice the decoration and remember it. Ask the dealer about the age and history, but beware that some dealers don’t know much, but are very willing at give it a guess, without telling you that he is guessing. Buy books on the history of the land, catalogues and books on the weapons, and join the discussions on forums like this. But the best piece of advice I can give you is, always to be a bit sceptical, as it is not everything written or told which is the truce – good luck with your collection.

Jens

Aurangzeb · 12th March 2005, 01:00 PM

Hi Jens!

Thanks again for all your help!

11th March 2005, 02:30 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi, It is hard to tell how old it is, but my guess is 19th century, the inner blade is probably one hundred years or more older. Most types were made over a period of several hundred years, with only small variations, so a precise dating is very problematic. Even when a weapon has a year inlaid, this can not always be trusted, it can have been inlaid later, at the time the weapon was made – or it can even be a year fifty or a hundred years older than the weapon. Notice also that some decorations can have been added later, so you may have two ‘types’ of decorations. On the link you will find a katar with silver decoration a bit like yours. This is called a Garsoe katar and the characteristics for this type of katar is the way the side guards are formed – they are not straight http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001461.html these kind of katars come from Sind. You will find Sind in the western part of India, where the harbour town Karachi is. Try to find old maps of India on Google; this will help you to locate the different places. The katar shown is typically for south India. Attached Images

11th March 2005, 11:36 PM	#2
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	Thanks to all! Hello all! Thanks For all your help with my katar.Hopefully soon I will be posting my kindjal.

11th March 2005, 11:43 PM	#3
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	Question on sind He Jens! By any chance do you know if Sind was A kingdom? If so was it islamic or hindu?Also did they mint coins?

12th March 2005, 12:45 PM	#4
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Hi Aurangzeb, You ask if Sind was a kingdom, the answer is yes and no, but you can read more about it on this link http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/S/Sind.asp just as the link also gives you information on the religion. Yes they did mint coins in Sind, try a Google search for ‘Coins from Sind’. Try to search for ‘Wootz’ on this forum, and you will find a lot of interesting mails. The best way to learn about the weapons is to see as many as possible, hold them in your hand and get the ‘feel’, notice the decoration and remember it. Ask the dealer about the age and history, but beware that some dealers don’t know much, but are very willing at give it a guess, without telling you that he is guessing. Buy books on the history of the land, catalogues and books on the weapons, and join the discussions on forums like this. But the best piece of advice I can give you is, always to be a bit sceptical, as it is not everything written or told which is the truce – good luck with your collection. Jens Last edited by Jens Nordlunde; 12th March 2005 at 01:05 PM.

12th March 2005, 01:00 PM	#5
Aurangzeb Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 306	thank Hi Jens! Thanks again for all your help!