Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

rand · 9th October 2007, 02:54 AM

Hello Tom,

Here is a bit of history relating to the name of your dagger. The popular collectors term is katar, but this terminology is based on a miistake by Eggerton in his own book on Indian Arms and Armor where ealier in the book he used the correct name. but the term katar became very popular because Eggertons books was the mainrefernece for Indian arms and armor for decades. Now with more information published it has been established that beyond a doubtm Jamadhar, Jamdhar or Jamdhara is the correct term at th time of use.

To quote from Pants
"Indian Arms and Armor Vol II) page 163, "The etymology of the word jamadhar, as given by J. Shakespear, is jam, (from the Sanskrit yama i.e., death or God of Death) and dhar (from dhaar or sharp edge or dadh i.e., tooth).

On the blade of one of the jajadhars the name of the weapon together with its explanation is explicitly given. The inscription in Sanskrit reads " this Kadarika jamadhar i.e., the tooth of the God of Death"(fig. 507)."

Another term that may be used for you dagger if the blade thickens at the point to form an iron piercing tip is jamadhar-zirah-bhonk.

rand

9th October 2007, 02:54 AM	#2
rand Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 538	History of Jamadhar Hello Tom, Here is a bit of history relating to the name of your dagger. The popular collectors term is katar, but this terminology is based on a miistake by Eggerton in his own book on Indian Arms and Armor where ealier in the book he used the correct name. but the term katar became very popular because Eggertons books was the mainrefernece for Indian arms and armor for decades. Now with more information published it has been established that beyond a doubtm Jamadhar, Jamdhar or Jamdhara is the correct term at th time of use. To quote from Pants "Indian Arms and Armor Vol II) page 163, "The etymology of the word jamadhar, as given by J. Shakespear, is jam, (from the Sanskrit yama i.e., death or God of Death) and dhar (from dhaar or sharp edge or dadh i.e., tooth). On the blade of one of the jajadhars the name of the weapon together with its explanation is explicitly given. The inscription in Sanskrit reads " this Kadarika jamadhar i.e., the tooth of the God of Death"(fig. 507)." Another term that may be used for you dagger if the blade thickens at the point to form an iron piercing tip is jamadhar-zirah-bhonk. rand Last edited by rand; 9th October 2007 at 07:07 AM.