On the Use of Indian Terms for Identification of Weapon Types

[Emanuel]

Hello,

Mercenary, leaving your "primary school little game" aside...

A variety of Sanskrit dictionaries define kattara as simply dagger:
http://spokensanskrit.de/index.php?s...e&direction=AU.

Kattara is not just the blade. In the 16th-17th Northern Indian context it appears to have been a court dagger worn in the sash with a narrow, piercing blade. This is also clear from the Ain-i-Akbari, which lists katara as a "long and narrow dagger".

I have not yet read your article, but here are additional sources to study.

The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri (Memoirs of Jahangir) includes a number of references to the phul-kattara being gifted year after year at the New Year's feast. Sometimes it is noted as just a phul-katara, other times it is specifically qualified as a phul-katara studded with jewels.

The full text is accessible here in a variety of formats: https://archive.org/details/tuzukijahangirio00jahauoft and the text is searchable.

Some passages essentially repeating the same structure, with some variations:

This idea was a very good one, and on this account, on the 6th of Day, at the hour fixed upon, I despatched him in happiness and triumph. I presented him with a qaba (outer coat) of gold brocade with jewelled flowers and pearls round the flowers, a brocaded turban with strings of pearls, a gold woven sash with chains of pearls, one of my private elephants called Fath Gaj, with trappings, a special horse, a jewelled sword, and a jewelled khapiva, with a phill katdra.

Nur-Jahan Begam prepared a feast of victory for my son Shah Jahan, and conferred on him dresses of honour of great price, with a nadiri with embroidered flowers, adorned with rare pearls, a sarplch (turban ornament) decorated with rare gems, a turban with a fringe of pearls, a waistbelt studded with pearls, a sword with jewelled pardala (belt), a phul Jcatdra (dagger), a sada (?) of pearls, with two horses, one of which had a jewelled saddle, and a special elephant with two females.

The next day I sent a phul-katara (dagger) studded with valuable jewels to Burhanpur to Khan Jahan.

he waited on me, and presented as an offering 1,000 muhrs, 1,000 rupees, 4 rubies, 20 pearls, 1 emerald, and a jewelled phul katara, the total value being 50,000 rupees.

Additional translations of the text are available here:
http://persian.packhum.org/persian/m...0%26work%3D001

On Yādgār ‘Alī there were bestowed a horse with a jewelled saddle, a jewelled sword, a vest without sleeves with gold embroidery, an aigrette with feathers and a jīgha (turban ornament), and 30,000 rupees in cash, altogether 40,000 rupees, and on Khān ‘Ālam a jewelled khapwa or phūl kaṭāra (a sort of dagger) with a pendant of royal pearls.

My fortunate son, Shāh-Jahān, sent with him the brother of Afẓal K., his Diwan. As Qubu-l-mulk had shown attachment and desire to please, and repeatedly importuned me for a portrait, I presented him, at his request, with my likeness, a jewelled khapwa, and a phūl kaṭāra. 24,000 darb, a jewelled dagger, a horse, and a dress of honour were also given to the aforesaid Mīr Sharīf.

Elgood documented what was shown to him in Jaipur as phul katara. They are dagger with narrow piercing blades, with floral hilts. Some examples of these might have been jeweled, and some might have crucible steel blades.

I am well aware of the addition of a variety of plant material to the crucible loads to impart carbon to the iron. That does not mean flower dagger = wootz.

All the best,
Emanuel

[Mercenary]

))
THE JAHANGIRNAMA
Memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India
Translated, edited, and annotated by Wheeler M. Thackston
FREER GALLERY OF ART ® ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY
S}nithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
in association witFi
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York ® Oxford

jewel-studded khapwa with a phul-katara, p.148

jewel-studded khapwa with a phul-katara, p.154

a jeweled dagger with a phul-katara, p.180

a jeweled khapwa with a phul-katara, p. 293

a jeweled khapwa with a phul-katara, p.303

a royal dagger with a phul-katara, p.394

a jeweled khapwa with a phul-katara, p.429

Try more. Good luck!

[Mercenary]

Dear colleagues, just smile ))))

[Mercenary]

But I'm not kidding. Why in Ain-i-Akbari there are nothing information about the dagger "phul-katara", while it was an ordinary item for gift? And a very prestigious gift for the first persons? Although Abu-l Fazl says even about "karmahi" - very rare but real weapon?

[ariel]

First of all, not every weapon known to us by its ( presumed) name was mentioned in that book.
Second, this book listed weapons, not their modes of decoration.
No sense listing a dagger with a flower-like handle, since there must have been examples of the same dagger without it, or with handles of a variety of different styles.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by ariel

First of all, not every weapon known to us by its ( presumed) name was mentioned in that book.
Second, this book listed weapons, not their modes of decoration.
No sense listing a dagger with a flower-like handle, since there must have been examples of the same dagger without it, or with handles of a variety of different styles.

Very sensibly noted.

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by ariel

First of all, not every weapon known to us by its ( presumed) name was mentioned in that book.
Second, this book listed weapons, not their modes of decoration.
No sense listing a dagger with a flower-like handle, since there must have been examples of the same dagger without it, or with handles of a variety of different styles.

So it is no separate kind of dagger. This is progress.
What do you think were there any different types of hilt decoration at Jahangir court?

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by Emanuel

They are dagger ... with floral hilts. Some examples of these might have been jeweled,

I think that such daggers are very beautiful. Can I see some of them?
And be so kind what are you mean by "floral hilts"?

[ariel]

Floral hilt is a hilt with a flower ( or flowers) as its main decoration.

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by ariel

Floral hilt is a hilt with a flower ( or flowers) as its main decoration.

O! I see! I have realised why at Jahangir court all the daggers were with phul-katara:
(pictures from Robert Hales's book)

[Mercenary]

More:

[ariel]

No need to exaggerate: I said " main decoration"
The upper panel would suffice.

[Mercenary]

Originally Posted by ariel

No need to exaggerate: I said " main decoration"
The upper panel would suffice.

Ok. So you think there are "phul-kattara" on the pictures with the upper panel?