Talwar is a traditional ancient weapon of India. Talwar - fighting saber - central india - 19th century

Among collectors of ancient weapons, India is famous not only for the widest variety of curved and straight swords, but also for such unique weapons like a talwar. Tulvars, or talvars, are the most common type of ancient saber, common in the Indo-Iranian region. Such in most literary sources, it is rightfully considered a typical Indian weapon. AT ancient books the talwar was spoken of as one of the ten divine instruments that appeared in the thirteenth century.

It had a lenticular or flat blade in cross section. As a rule, it was moderately or slightly curved, distinguished by an average width and one and a half sharpening. Talwars necessarily had a ricosso - the so-called cutting edge of the blade, which began five to seven centimeters from the handle. Behind the crosshairs, the craftsmen left a small unsharpened “platform”. Later models of talwars were characterized by the presence of elmani - an extension at the tip of the blade.

The blades of such weapons were made with or without fullers. In some old talwars, the fuller was through, which made it possible to place a row of pearls or freely rolling metal balls in it. When the first Europeans began to appear in the region, local craftsmen began to actively manufacture European-style combat blades, in which the handle was replaced with a talvar.

The hilt, which had a variety of shapes and sizes, was undoubtedly considered a particularly interesting part of such weapons. Often in the talwar there was an s-shaped or d-shaped bow, and the wooden scabbard was covered with leather or velvet. Ancient talwars, which belonged to noble and wealthy people, had a metal tip and a mouth. Such sabers had different blades in terms of bending, workmanship and size. As a rule, the talwar blade was not very wide, but there were weapons with several sharp fullers and a wide blade.

The traditional handle of the talwar was straight with a characteristic thickening in the middle. It was customary to wear talwars in a sheath or on a sling thrown over the shoulder. They were often richly decorated with geometric or floral ornaments applied to the hilt. In addition, the blade, using gilding or carving, was decorated with images of animals and gods. Talwars, made for noble people and local rulers, were richly inlaid precious stones and decorated with delightful enamel compositions.

Blade weapons of the Indo-Iranian region. Sabers

But not only with straight and curved swords, some of which we have already examined in the previous article, Hindustan is famous.

Beginning with the Muslim invasions, swords are increasingly being replaced by light sabers. Western researchers determine the type of saber (and some swords) by the shape of the hilt.

This view does not appear to be entirely correct. It is necessary to consider the object as a whole - the handle and the blade. In some cases, a double name is possible. But more on that later. And now let's start our acquaintance with the sabers of the Indo-Iranian region.

Talwar, or "tulwar" (tulwar), is the most common saber in the Indo-Iranian region, which can be considered typically Indian. According to ancient Indian literature, the talwar was considered one of the ten instruments of the gods. The blade is flat or lenticular in cross section, often one and a half sharpened, slightly or moderately curved, of medium width, always with a ricasso - that is, its cutting edge the blade starts 5-7 cm from the handle, and a small unsharpened “platform” remains behind the crosshair. In later talwars, the blade has a pronounced expansion at the tip - elman. The blade can be both with valleys and without them. Sometimes the dol was made through, and a number of metal balls or even pearls were placed there, which rolled freely. With the advent of Europeans in the region, combat blades from Europe began to be actively used, in which the handle was simply replaced with a talvar. Ephesus talwara deserves special attention. The cheren is barrel-shaped, with a thickening in the center, the pommel is disc-shaped, slightly inclined, with a domed protrusion in the middle, the crosspiece is straight, short, with widened ends. Often there is an s-shaped bow. But there is also a d-shaped one. The scabbard was made of wood and covered with velvet or leather. On the scabbards of "rich" talwars, the mouth and tip were made of metal. The length of the talwar is 90-120 cm.

A talwar with a very wide blade is called a tega, or tegha (tega). It is not often met, and it is considered to be an executioner's tool, although Egerton writes that it was military weapon. In general, talwars were very common among warriors of different incomes. It could be a simple weapon of a warrior, or a richly decorated blade of a raja.

No less common was a saber of Iranian origin - shamshir, or "shamsher" (shamshir), - "lion's claw". The blade of this saber is narrow, but thick, usually longer than that of the talwar, has a large curvature, which allows you to deliver the most effective blows when cutting. In cross section, it is lenticular or flat. Ricasso and elmani - no. The handle is simple, with a slight bend under the little finger, directed towards the blade, allowing you to better hold the saber. It consists of two bone or, more rarely, horn overlays-cheeks riveted to the shank. From below, the cheeks are additionally fixed with a steel cap, and from above, with a steel simple straight crosshair with small elegant splints (metal lining that reinforces the blade in the guard area), which give strength to the weapon in the most loaded place. In richly decorated shamshirs, the crosshair, cap and metal parts of the scabbard could be made of precious metals, decorated with niello, enamel, notch or stones. The scabbard of the shamshir is curved in such a way that it allows the blade to be removed without the slit that is found on the scabbards of Turkish curved sabers. The scabbard was made of wood and covered with leather, which was often embossed or embroidered with silk thread. The tip of the scabbard could be metal, but more often it was made of leather or was completely absent. But two clips were obligatory, for which the shamshir was hung on the belt.

In general, it should be noted that the Indians sought to acquire richly decorated Persian-made shamshirs with damask steel blades, which were considered a status thing. Often the head of an animal was depicted on the hilt (for example, a cap was made in the form of it). At the same time, many now believe that according to Muslim customs, the image of people and animals was forbidden anywhere, and this could only be done in a stylized way, for export to another country and for very expensive specimens. Allegedly, violation of this rule was considered religious sacrilege and threatened with loss of one's head. And shamshira with the image of animals on the handle are made exclusively for India. In fact, all this is not entirely true. Muslims are divided into two branches: Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis are indeed forbidden to depict people and animals, therefore, for example, on Turkish weapons we will see only floral ornaments, sayings from the Koran and signatures of masters and owners of weapons. But the Shiites, which include the Persians, left us a lot of magnificent miniatures on silk and paper, as well as images of people and animals on armor and weapons. So, for example, the “torn scenes” carefully worked out on the blades, when an eagle kills a swan or a leopard an antelope, and images of people on the handles are quite typical of Iranian weapons. And on Persian shields, in general, you can see domestic, hunting, and battle scenes. These same miniatures reveal a curious fact to us. It turns out that shamshir and talwar were widely used for hunting. The rider pursued the game (and it could be both ungulates and predators) and chopped it with a saber.

But back to the use of shamshir. It is definitely a rider's weapon. Its curved shape is dictated by functionality, the desire to expand the capabilities of the blade when striking from above when attacking enemy foot soldiers. Some authors believe that shamshir is ideally suited for warfare on horseback and in the ranks shoulder to shoulder. Although the latter is debatable. But what is important to note is that the best shamshirs, the blades of which are forged from damask steel, are only suitable for combat with an enemy not protected by chain mail or armor. It is impossible to cut chain mail with damask shamshir, and even more so plate armor. Damascus shamshir is very sharp, but also very fragile. It is powerless against armor. But cutting down enemy soldiers unprotected by armor is another matter, especially if they are running. By the way, when they talk about the properties of damask shamshir, I remember famous story about how Richard the Lionheart and Sultan Saladin argued about whose blade is better - an English sword or an Eastern saber? Richard, according to legend, cut down with heavy knight's sword iron bar, leaving no notches on the blade. Saladin drew a damask saber, turned the blade up and tossed up the handkerchief. The handkerchief, touching the blade, was cut into two halves. What kind of saber was in the hands of Saladin - history is silent. But it is quite probable that it was also shamshir.

Returning to the problems of the name of the sabers, which I mentioned earlier, it must be said that the shamshir blade was often placed on a talvar handle. Many English-speaking authors call such a saber a talwar. In my opinion, it is more correct to say shamshir with a talwar handle or talwar with a shamshir blade. This defines the subject more precisely.

Separately, I would like to consider a blade typical of Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon. This island is inhabited mainly by the Sinhalese. Sinhalese are Indo-Aryans, usually of medium height, "small-boned", with Caucasoid features and dark skin. The saber (sword), as in many other cultures, was an important symbol of royal power for the Sinhalese. In the texts describing the reign of Vijayabahu IV (second half of the 13th century), it is mentioned that the swords constitute the wealth of the king, however, along with other treasures. The Europeans who colonized the island in the 16th century (first the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and at the end of the 18th century the British) noted an increased attention to weapons, especially at the royal court. They wrote that noble people wear a short sword on their side behind their belt. And only the king, when he makes an exit, has a sword with him, which is held by a sash over his shoulder. The hilt and scabbard of the royal sword are made of gold.

Castane (kastane) - this is the very Sinhalese sword, or rather, a half-saber. It is really short - 50-70 cm. The blade is slightly curved and sharpened on one side, like a regular saber. Moreover, usually castane blades are European, Dutch-made. Closer to the hilt, the blade may have a brass or gold notch in the form of geometric shapes, most often triangles. The hilt is made of dark horn or wood, which can be overlaid with chased sheets of silver or gold if these are sabers of aristocrats. The head of the hilt is always designed in the form of a dragon's head (or a dragon-like monster). The eyes of this dragon can be made of brass (on horn handles) or precious stones, most often rubies (on gold and silver handles). The guard is complex in shape and is made of iron inlaid with brass or plated with precious metals. One of the iron "whiskers", longer, covers the fingers and ends with a small dragon head, the other two, also with dragon heads, are short, bend towards the blade and, apparently, perform a decorative function. Quite powerful langets, which go on the blade between the short mustaches of the guard, additionally strengthen the blade in the handle. The origin of this handle shape is not entirely clear. But, most likely, according to Western experts on weapons, it is associated with the shape of the hilts of Portuguese swords of the 15th century or Arab sabers of the nimcha type. Both versions are credible. It was the Portuguese who were the first Europeans to land in Sri Lanka, and from about the tenth century the Sinhalese had trade relations with the Arabs. The appearance of dragon-like heads as an element of decor undoubtedly occurred under Hindu influence. Moreover, the "dragons" on the castan are very similar to the South Indian mythical monsters, images of which can be found on weapons and bas-reliefs of temples. The teak scabbard on outstanding examples, as well as the hilt, are covered with chased plates of silver and gold. Probably, on simpler castanes, the sheaths were without metal covers. This can also explain the fact that almost no scabbards for them have been preserved.

Completing short review bladed weapons Indo-Iranian region, I would like to return to the title of the series of articles read by the reader - “ Bringing death". Once upon a time, all these blades were indeed forged in order to shed the blood of the enemies of their owners. Today, they are amazing witnesses of the past, peacefully kept in museums and private collections, continuing after centuries not only to delight the eye with the elegance of their lines and finishes, but also helping us to better understand the history of the East.

Talwar (Hindi: तलवार; Urdu: تلوار, Pashto, Punjabi: ਤਲਵਾਰ) is a type of saber with a small or moderate blade bend, common in the Indian subcontinent, modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. The terms talwaar and tulwar were used as a definition of weapons.

Story

Talwar appeared along with other curved swords: Arabic saif, Persian shamshir, Turkish klich (kilich) and Afghan saber. All of the listed types of weapons were descendants of ancient curved swords made in the territory of Turkic Asia. As a rule, the talwar blade did not have such curvature as that of the shamshir. The saber was distinguished from the standard kilich by the small width of the blade. Talwar was widely used by the Great Mughals, who were of Turkic-Mongolian origin.

Characteristics

There were a great many varieties of talwar, they were distinguished by the type of blade. There were also very non-standard ones: from double-edged blades (zulfikar) to very massive options (sometimes they are called tegha - executioner's swords). However, all blades were united by a curved shape, and the vast majority of talwars were similar to a typical saber.

In many instances of the talwar, the largest radius of curvature was located in the distal half of the blade, exceeding the radius near the handle. Also a fairly common design feature of the saber was the expansion of the blade at the tip (without expansion on reverse side butt, characteristic of the canine).

The profile of the blade of the saber of the British light cavalry of 1796 is similar to the talwar, and among experts there is an opinion that it was the talwar that was the progenitor of the British saber.

Despite the influence of Middle Eastern swords on the design of the saber, the standard talwar was characterized by a wide blade, which distinguished it from the shamshir. Later copies of the weapon were equipped with European-made blades mounted in Indian handles. The hilt of a standard talwar was called the “disc-shaped hilt”, due to the presence of a disc-shaped flange on the pommel. Often there was a small protrusion in the center of the pommel, through which a cord was threaded to secure the sword to the wrist. The saber hilt included a simple guard, which often had a shackle to protect the hand. As a rule, it was made of iron, while specimens of brass and silver were found. The blade was fastened with adhesive resin. Expensive weapons were depicted with silver or gilt decorations in a form called "koftigari".

Application

The talwar was used by both cavalry and infantry. For chopping blows, by analogy with a saber, the handle of the weapon was tightly compressed in the hand, while the pommel rested on the wrist. The features of the talwar protected the hand and improved control over the weapon, allowing for effective slashing and cutting blows. Because the saber blade, unlike the shamshir, did not have a large curvature, the weapon was also used for stabbing. The blades of some specimens of the talwar expanded at the point, which allowed skilled warriors to cut off limbs or even decapitate the enemy. In case he was at a close distance, the spike located on the pommel made it possible to inflict a stabbing blow. The grip of the talwar could be carried out with the index finger grasping the guard of the saber.

cultural significance

The weapon is still used today in the Shia rite of self-flagellation in memory of Hussein ibn Ali. Today, the term "talwar" has the literal meaning of "sword"/"dagger" in most languages ​​of the Indian subcontinent.

Most are well aware of the edged weapons of Japan, Europe and Turkey. But, for example, the weapons of India, for many remains an unexplored mystery.

Which is somewhat strange, since India has a large population, a large territory, not to mention an outstanding culture and history.

Among Indian weapons, katar, khanda, talwar stand out, and it is just about the last copy that I want to write a few words. It will be about the "Indian saber".

The appearance of the talwar is typical for sabers - the blade is of medium width, somewhat curved, sharpening can be one and a half, but this is not necessary. There are variants of talwar both with and without yelman. A dol may be on a talwar blade, but most often it is not there. In some cases, the dol can be generally through, sometimes movable balls of various materials are inserted into it.

The main difference between the talwar and other sabers is, first of all, its disc-shaped pommel. Also, this saber necessarily has a “ricasso” (heel), even if it is small in size. The length of the blade can be from 60 to 100 cm, width - from 3 to 5 cm in the ricasso area.

The handle of the talwar is straight, with a thickening in the middle, and is designed exclusively for one hand. The disc-shaped pommel prevents the weapon from being lost and gives this saber a unique look. It is often richly decorated, as are the hilt and guard. The latter can have both a straight shape and an S-shaped or D-shaped.

Ornaments decorating the talwar usually contain geometric figures, images of animals and birds. On the weapons of the rich, you can see the inlay with precious stones or enamel.

Talwar has been known since the 13th century and was a very popular weapon in northern India. Especially among the Rajputs, members of the Kshatriya caste, who used this weapon right up to the 19th century.

Authenticity Guaranteed: Seller's Warranty

Type of weapon: Saber

Talwar, talwar, tulwar (talwar) - cold bladed weapons, indian saber. This weapon appeared around the 13th century or a little later and was used until the 19th century. Talwar was most common during the Mughal era in Northern India, and was also a popular weapon among the Rajputs (the people of the Punjabi group living in India and Pakistan).
- AT military history India "Talwar" is the most general term for the definition of the word "sword". According to ancient Indian literature, the Talwar is one of the ten weapons of the gods. According to the legends, the gods, personifying Good, used these tools in the fight against demons, personifying Evil.
- Blade forged patterned steel, pronounced curvature. A clear beautiful pattern can be traced along the entire length of the blade.
- There are traces of forging on the butt, typical for the manufacture of Indian blades.
- Ephesus talwara deserves special attention. It consists of a handle made together with a crosshair and a pommel.
- The handle is steel, expanded in the middle part.
- The handle goes into a crosshair and ends with a disc-shaped pommel with a ledge.
- Cross handle with straight ends, ending on the sides with decorative, three-part extensions and flat guides in the center of the blade.
- A protective s-shaped bow extends from the end of the cross.
- Wooden scabbard, covered with leather (old, not restored).
- It is an antique item, a weapon of historical and cultural value.
*GENUINE ORIENTAL MILITARY WEAPONS MADE BY REAL MASTERS OF THE PAST*
*FOR COLLECTORS AND CONSISTS OF EFFECTIVE ORIENTAL WEAPONS*
- talwar length 86 cm.
- blade length 74 cm.
- blade width 33 mm.
- butt width 8 mm.

*DEAR AUCTION PARTICIPANTS, A HUGE REQUEST TO YOU, DO NOT MAKE RASHING BIDS, BE CAREFUL AND FOLLOW ALL THE CONDITIONS STATED BELOW*

*Questions related to the lot you are interested in, ask before the end of the auction.*
*The buyer who wins the lot, FIRST gets in touch WITHIN 2 DAYS.*
*CONFIDENTLY ASK the winners of the auctions to write in the subject of their messages the name and number of the lot.*
* PAYMENT for the lot: SB card 5469 **** **** 8913 WITHIN 4 DAYS.*
*ATTENTION!!! The recipient of payments is always EFREMOV SERGEY VYACHESLAVOVICH *
*Lot is sent by: KIT transport company or DPD courier service.*
*Lot forwarding is carried out at the expense of the recipient.*
*For work transport companies, DO NOT BE RESPONSIBLE.*
*The quality of packaging and the speed of dispatch I GUARANTEE.*
*By feedback, I confirm receipt of payment and dispatch of the lot, I provide the departure number.*
* I make shipments only within the Russian Federation *