Katar dagger, Rajput (?) late 18th c (?)

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Mercenary

Probably much earlier:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...06&postcount=6

Agreed, the Rajputs moved eastward as far as Orissa regions, and as far north as Nepal of course over centuries. It would be hard to imagine the diffusion of the transverse grip punch dagger did not diffuse widely regardless of point and time of origin. If the Rajputs already had this weapon in their armories by the late 16th c. it seems likely they were exposed to the form far earlier from these sources where it was already extant. As always, its hard to relate reliably in what period this could have taken place, but the plausibility is there.

It seems that Jens was trying to find the actual weapon presented in Holstein, but cannot recall whether he had located it or not. He did have access to the Holstein collection which was stored away in the Swiss museum. In my opinion this mysterious weapon had to have been for slashing and not thrusting, which was the manner of use for the Vijayanagara katars and the pata.

The weapon shown appears in "The Antiquities of Orissa" Mitra Rajendralala, Govt. of India, Reprint Indian States, 1875, Calcutta, 1961, item #205
Stated drawn from Gauri Temple frieze, construction 10th-11th c.