Ancient, armed Indian from Kabul

Ian · 23rd May 2005, 06:11 AM

A couple of years ago I visited the Royal Palace at Mysore and its adjacent museum. Within the museum's display of arms were a half dozen Burmese dha from the first half of the 19th C. They were gifts to the Maharajah of Mysore from a Burmese delegation. This was not surprising perhaps because the British had already gone through the First Burmese War and opened up trade to some degree with Burma.

The dha that was the original subject of this discussion in the picture of an "Afghan" is not a typical Burmese design, but rather a long handled version more closely associated with Thailand, probably a cavalry sword.

Here is a picture of a similar styled darb from my collection. The hilt and scabbard are covered with silver.

In the early 19th C. Thailand was also reticent to open its borders to trade with Europe. There were some Thai delegations sent to W. Europe around this time, especially to France as the French were planning to enter Indo-China as an attempt to balance the British influence in the region.

Much harder to explain a Thai sword on an "Afghan" than a Burmese one.

Ian.

23rd May 2005, 06:11 AM	#30
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,361	Dha in Royal Museum, Mysore A couple of years ago I visited the Royal Palace at Mysore and its adjacent museum. Within the museum's display of arms were a half dozen Burmese dha from the first half of the 19th C. They were gifts to the Maharajah of Mysore from a Burmese delegation. This was not surprising perhaps because the British had already gone through the First Burmese War and opened up trade to some degree with Burma. The dha that was the original subject of this discussion in the picture of an "Afghan" is not a typical Burmese design, but rather a long handled version more closely associated with Thailand, probably a cavalry sword. Here is a picture of a similar styled darb from my collection. The hilt and scabbard are covered with silver. In the early 19th C. Thailand was also reticent to open its borders to trade with Europe. There were some Thai delegations sent to W. Europe around this time, especially to France as the French were planning to enter Indo-China as an attempt to balance the British influence in the region. Much harder to explain a Thai sword on an "Afghan" than a Burmese one. Ian.