Weapons of Mughal Emperor Akbar

[Emanuel]

I thought I'd post the descriptions of Akbar's weapons from the Ain-Akbari, for reference. My apologies but there is repetition from Mercenary's original thread On the Use of Indian Terms for Identification of Weapon Types


This is from a digital copy of the translation by H. Blochmann, Calcutta 1873.

PLATE XII. WEAPONS; pp. 110 to 112. The numbers in brackets refer to the numbers on pp. 110 to 112.
1. The sword, shamsher (1).
2. The straight sword, k'hándah (2).
3, 3a. The guptí'açá (3).
4. The broad dagger, jamdhar (4).
5. The bent dagger, khanjar (5).
6. The jamk'hák, or curved dagger (7).
7. The bent knife, báṉk (8).
8. The jhaṉbwah, or hiltless dagger (9).
9. The katárah, a long and narrow dagger (10).
10. The narsinkmoth (narsing mot'h?), a short and narrow dagger (11).
11. The bow, kamán (12).
12, 13. The small bow and arrow, takhsh kamán and tír (13).
14a. Arrow.
14b. The paikánkash, or arrow-drawer (19).
15. The quiver, tarkash (16).
16. The lance, naizah (20).
17. The Hindústání lance, barchhah (21).
18. The sánk, or broad-headed lance (22).
19, 20. The saint'hí (23) and selarah (24).
21. The shushbur, or club. This I believe to be the correct name (instead of shashpar, p. 111, No. 26), from shush, lungs, and bur, tearing.
22. The axe, tabar.
23. The club, gurz (25). On p. 111, No. 29, the word piyází has been translated by ‘club,’ and this seems to be the correct meaning; but the plates in some MSS. call ‘piyází’ a long knife with straight back, ending in a point.
24. The pointed axe, zághnol, i. e. crow-bill (30).
25. The chakar (wheel) and basolah (31).
26. The double axe, tabar-zághnol (32).
27. The tarangálah (33).
28. The knife, kárd (34). PLATE XIII. WEAPONS (CONTINUED).
29. The guptí kárd, or knife concealed in a stick (35).
30. The whip, qamchí kárd (36).
31. The clasp knife, cháqú (37).
32. A bow, unstrung.
33. The bow for clay bullets, kamṭ'ha, or kamán i gurohah (38).
34. The tube, or pea-shooter, tufak i dahán (40).
35. The pushtkhár (41).
36. A lance called girih-kushá, i. e. knot-unraveller (43).
37. The khár i máhi, i. e. fish-spine (44).
38. The sling, gobhan (45).
39. The gajbág'h, or ánkus, for guiding elephants (46); vide p. 129, No. 27. 40. The shield, sipar (47).
41. Another kind of shield, dhál (48).
42. The plain cane shield, pahrí, or pharí (50).
43. The helmet, dubalghah (52).
44. The g'hug'hwah, a mail coat for head and body, in one piece (55).
45. The helmet, with protection for the neck, zirih-kuláh (54).
46. The mailed coat, zirih (57).
47. The mailed coat, with breast-plate, bagtar (58).
48. An armour for chest and body, joshan (59).
49. The breast and back-plates, chahár-áínah (60). PLATE XIV. WEAPONS AND ARMOURS (CONTINUED).
50. The coat with plates and helmet, koṭ'hí (61).
51. An armour of the kind called çádiqí (62).
52. A long coat worn over the armour, angirk'hah (63).
53. An iron mask, chihrah-zirih i áhaní (65).
54. A doublet worn over the armour, chihil-qad (67).
55. The long glove, dastwánah (68).
56. The small one is the mozah i áhaní, or iron stocking (71); and the large one, the rák (69).
57. The kajem, or kejam, a mailed covering for the back of the horse (72).
58, 59. The artak i kajem, the quilt over which the preceding is put (73).
60. The qashqah, or head protection for the horse (74).
61. The kaṉt'hah sobhá (07)
62. The rocket, bán (77).

Numbers on pp. 110-112

1 Swords (slightly bent), ½ Rupees to 15 Muhurs.
2 K'háṉdah (straight swords), 1 to 10 R.
3 Guptí 'Açá (a sword in a walking stick), 2 to 20 R.
4 Jamd'har (a broad dagger), ¼ R. to 2½ M.
5 Khanjar, ½ to 5 R.
6 K'hapwah, ½ R. to 1½ M.
7 Jam K'hák, ½ R. to 1½ M.
8 Báṉk, ½ R. to 1 M.
9 Jhanbwah, ½ R. to 1 M.
10 Katárah, ½ R. to 1 M.
11 Narsink Mot'h, ½ R. to 2 M.
12 Kamán (bows) ¼ R. to 3 M.
13 Takhsh Kamán, 1 to 4 R.
14 Náwak, ½ R. to 1 M.
15 Arrows, per bundle, ½ to 30 R.
16 Quivers, ¼ R. to 2 M.
17 Ḍaḍí, ¼ to 5 R.
18 Tírbardár (Arrow drawers),* ½ to 2½ d.
19 Paikánkash (Do.), ¼ to 3 R.
20 Naizah (a lance), 1¾ R. to 6 M.
21 Barchhah, ¾ R. to 2 M.
22 Sáṉk, ¼ to 1½ R.
23 Saiṉt'hí, ¼ to 1 R.
24 Sélarah, 10 d. to ¾ R.
25 Gurz (a war club,) ¼ to 5 R.
26 Shashpar (do.), ½ R. to 3 M.
27 Késtan (?)* 1 to 3 R.
28 Tabar (a war axe), ¼ R. to 2 M.
29 Piyází (a club), ½ to 5 R.
30 Zághnól (a pointed axe) ½ R. to 1 M.
31 Chakar-Basólah, 1 to 6 R.
32 Tabar zághnól, 1 to 4 R.
33 Tarangálah, ¼ to 2 R.
34 Kárd (a knife) 2 d. to 1 M.
35 Guptí kárd, 3 R. to 1½ M.
36 Qamchí kárd, 1 to 3½ R.
37 Cháqú (a clasp knife) 2 d. to ¼ R.
38 Kamán i Guróhah (bullet bow) 2 d. to 1 R.
39 Kamt'hah, 5 d. to 3 R.
40 Tufak i dahán (a tube; Germ. Blaserohr) 10 d. to ½ R.
41 Pushtkhár,* 2 d. to 2 R.
42 Shaçtáwéz,* 2 d. to 1 R.
43 Girihkushá, 1 d. to ¼ R.
44 Khár i Máhí, 1 to 5 R.
45 Góbhan (a sling) 1½ d. to ¼ R.
46 Gajbág, 1 to 5 R.
47 Sipar (a shield), 1 to 50 R.
48 Dhál, ½ R. to 4 M.
49 K'hérah, 1 R. to 4 M.
50 Pahrí, 1 R. to 1 M.
51 Uḍánah, ½ to 5 R.
52 Dubulghah, ½ R. to 3½ M.
53 K'hóg'hí, 1 to 4 R.
54 Zirih Kuláh, 1 to 5 R.
55 G'húg'huwah, 1 R. to 2 M.
56 Jaibah,* 20 R. 30 M.
57 Zirih, 1¾ R. to 100 M.
58 Bagtar, 4 R. to 12 M.
59 Jóshan, 4 R. to 9 M.
50 Chár A´ínah, 2 R. to 7 M.
61 Koṭ'hí, 5 R to 8 M.
62 Çádiqí, 3 R. to 8 M.
63 Angirk'hah, 1½ R. to 5 M.
64 Bhanjú, 3 R. to 2 M.
65 Chihrahzirih i A´haní, 1½ R. to 1 M.
66 Salhqabá, 5 R. to 8 M.
67 Chihilqad, 5 to 25 R.
68 Dastwánah, 1½ R. to 2 M.
69 Rák,* 1 R. to 10 M.
70 Kaṉt'hah sobhá,* 1 to 10 R.
71 Mózah i A´haní. ½ to 10 R.
72 Kajém, 50 to 300 R.
73 Artak (the quilt) i Kajém, 4 R. to 7 M.
74 Qashqah, 1 R. to 2½ M.
75 Gardaní,* 1 R. to 1 M.
76 Matchlocks, ½ R. to 1 M.
77 Bán (rockets), 2½ to 4 R.

[Emanuel]

Possibly original plates. Made available on Wikimedia Commons (by a Russian speaker ) with following description:

1 row: jamdhar sehlicaneh (3-pointed dagger), jamdhar doulicaneh (2-pointed dagger), jamdhar (broad dagger), baneh (sword), javelin, tschehouta (spear), barchah (lance), flail.

2 row: katarah (katarsh, dagger), jhanbwah (jambiyah, dagger), khapwah (k'hapwah, dagger), dhal (shield), tarkash (quiver), maktah (bow), kaman (bow), scymitar.

3 row: gupti kard (dagger), shushbur (shashpar, mace), narsingmot'h (dagger), bank (dagger), g'hug'hwah (chainmail), udanah, bhelhetah (sword), phari (cane shield), sipar (shield). below: angirk'hah (over armour coat), zirih (coat of mail), kant'hah sobha (neck protection).

4 row: tarangalah (axe), tabar-zaghnol (axe with hammer), zaghnol (warhammer), chaqu (clasp knife), gardani (horse protection), qashqah (champron), bhanju (coat with neck protection).

[Emanuel]

Plate from Egerton

[Emanuel]

Aziz, Abdul, Arms and jewellery of the Indian Mughuls, Lahore, 1947. Originally posted by Jens.

(1) Shamshir,
(2) Khanda,
(3-4) Gupti ‘asa and sheath,
(5) Jamdhar,
(6) Khanjar,
(7) Jamkhak (according to Blockmann; name in plate therefore wrong),
(8) Bank,
(9) Janbwa (name in plate wrong again),
(10) Narsingh-moth (so in Blochmann; in plate the name is pesh-qabz),
(11) Katara,
(12) Kaman (bow),
(13) Takhsh-kaman (small bow) and arrow,
(14) Tarkash (quiver),
(15) Paikan-kash (arrow-drawer).

[Mercenary]

Emanuel, I will be back home and put here clear picture without my joke. And may be some more about Akbar weapons.

I see you have already found the right picture )))

[Emanuel]

Yup!
Didn't see it at first, spilled my coffee earlier when I did

[Jens Nordlunde]

Be back too :-).
Jens

[Mercenary]

I promised:

[Jens Nordlunde]

Did you know that the lasso was also used, although it was not considered as a noble weapon?

[AJ1356]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

Did you know that the lasso was also used, although it was not considered as a noble weapon?

According to Shahnamah, the lasso was used extensively in combat, mainly to capture and drag enemies. It is mentioned as one of the many tools/weapons carried by a warrior.

[Emanuel]

Excellent, thank you Mercenary! Now if anyone could get a shot from the original manuscript or one of its copies/facsimile that would be great

Jens and AJ, very interesting about the lasso, I did not know that.

[Jens Nordlunde]

If you have a look at the plate shown in post 3, I am wondering why some of the blades are so long.
Look at no 26 Jamdhar Doulicaneh and no 32 Jamdhar Skhlicaneh. They have two or three points, but I am wondering if, when you try to stap someone, the stap would stop quite early - or a very big force would be needed, and they would be no good against mail armour.
So why did they make Jandhars like that?
Jens

[Emanuel]

Egerton explained Doulicaneh and Sehlicaneh as follows:

"Doulicaneh" and "sehlicaneh", appear to be hybrid words (Pers. and Hind.)" "du-likhana," two-scratcher; "seh-likhana," three-scratcher. From likhana, to write or scratch - Note by Col.Yule.

I suppose the attached, South-Indian double-bladed (from Oriental-Arms) and triple-bladed (Tanjore, from Metropolitan Museum, bequest of George C. Stone) examples are representative. I don't think I've ever seen any other kind of two/three-pointed types, aside from the more modern scissor type.

Perhaps these were like the double-bladed bichwa. Less practical and effective, but more exotic and fearsome than a single blade

[AJ1356]

I wrote the proper pronunciations for this image, there is another image with Farsi names if you can get me a better copy of it I can do the same.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Emanuel,
Yes you are likely right, when it comes to the two or three bladed Jandhars, as anything else would be cloes to impossible.
Jens

[Mercenary]

AJ1356

Many thanks. It is correct: "bank" is just "curved dagger". Any curved dagger.

[Mercenary]

there is another image with Farsi names if you can get me a better copy of it I can do the same

I have large file ~4Mb. I would send it through email.

[AJ1356]

I tried to see if I could find a meaning for bAnk, but I could not find it in Farsi, it could be an Indian term.