Talwar - combat saber - central India - 19th century. Bringing death

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 the expansion on the reverse side of the butt, characteristic of the tusk).

Saber blade profile british light The 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 a girth index finger saber guards.

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.

Talwar - Saber against demons

Talwar became a symbol of valor of the warrior caste of India

Weapon Indian gods impresses with its exoticism and destructive power. Here is the mysterious, lightning-like vajra, with which Indra threw down his enemies.

And chakra, Vishnu's throwing disc, which only masters could use. It is all the more surprising to see in this series a simple and concise saber - talwar.

It is customary to say that the beauty of a weapon lies in its effectiveness and the absence of unnecessary elements. This is fully applicable to the talwar, the traditional saber of Indian warriors. Moderately curved blade, comfortable handle, perfect balance. Only the unusual looking hilt attracts attention. These weapons have been used for centuries by both foot and horsemen. And not only in India, but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and even Nepal.

The secret of the hilt

Talwar appeared around the 13th century and belongs to big family Eastern weapons, which came from the ancient curved swords with which the Turkic tribes conquered Asia. The closest "relatives" of the Indian talwar are the Arabic saif, Persian shamshir and Turkish kilich. It is distinguished by a relatively small and smooth bend, as well as a small width of the blade.

However, as often happens, the word "talwar" in India is often used to refer to any blade weapon. Therefore, there are talwars of very unconventional forms. Some of them even refer to the so-called zul-fiqars - curved swords, the blade of which is bifurcated at the end. According to legend, the prophet Muhammad owned such a sword.

However, there is a feature by which talwar can be unmistakably recognized and distinguished. This is the shape of the hilt. The straight handle with a noticeable thickening in the middle was crowned with a large disk, on which the fighter's hand seemed to rest. Such a system, on the one hand, limited the freedom of movement of the hand, preventing the sword from swinging freely and performing complex feints. But on the other hand, it increased control over the blade and strengthened the blow.

The hilts of the talwars were often equipped with a shackle to protect the fingers.

But she never was obligatory element and could acquire the most different forms. The traditional material for making the hilt was iron, sometimes brass and silver.

Another feature is the position of the hilt relative to the blade. In North Indian talwars, the hilt was simply placed in line with the blade, which made it easier to stab. In the south, the handle was tilted. This small angle increased the chopping blow and allowed the saber to be drawn a little further during cutting and cutting movements.

insidious strike

The variety of forms also touched the blade. Almost all of them have a length within 100 centimeters, but they can vary greatly in width. As a rule, the talwar blade adorns one or more dols.

The most original decoration, which only the most expensive pieces made for representatives of the highest nobility have, was the so-called mochi-dawati. This is a through groove that ran along the blade. Several freely rolling metal balls were placed in it. And sometimes they were not balls, but pearls! Contrary to numerous legends, such an ornament was purely decorative in nature and rather reduced the combat qualities of the saber than gave it some special lethality. Talwars with mochi-dawati were more often worn with full dress than taken into battle.

There are no strict rules for sharpening a talwar. Most often, the blade was only on one side of the blade, but one and a half sharpening was also common. Often there is an extension in the last third of the blade - elman - to enhance the chopping blow.

The shape of the talwar allowed it to be used by both horsemen and foot soldiers. Receptions at the same time could be very diverse. With the same efficiency, it was possible to chop, cut and prick with the same efficiency, which favorably distinguished it from most competing weapons. It is known that skilled fighters could strike such blows with relatively light talwars. terrible force that cut off the limb or even the head of the enemy.

A completely unique technique, which only the best masters owned, was a blow at an extremely close distance, delivered by a long spike located on the very disk crowning the hilt. However, not all talwars had such a spike. Very often there was just a small ledge with a through hole, into which a lanyard was threaded, worn on the wrist.

FOR EUROPEANS

In 1796, the British light cavalry was put into service. new sample sabers. The initiator of its development was Captain John Le Marchant, who noticed that before that, standard army sabers were too long and heavy. The new blade was much lighter, had a stronger curve and a pronounced point. In his notes, Captain Marchand noted that he considers the sabers of the Turks, Mamluks, Hungarians and Moroccans to be the best cavalry melee weapons. However, according to many weapons experts, he took the Indian talwar as a model for the new army saber. It is known that this similarity was noted by the Indians themselves. Some Indian gunsmiths even converted the English sabers that got to them into real talwars, replacing the European hilt with a traditional one with a flat pommel. It was with sabers of the 1796 model that the English cavalry went through all the battles of the Napoleonic Wars.

The best of the best

Most of all, the talwar was glorified by the Indian Rajputs. This is not only a people, but at the same time a caste of Kshatriya warriors. Since the 9th century, they have played a huge role both in the internal and in foreign policy. The Rajputs, who put honor and military prowess above all, more than once claimed to unite the disparate Indian states under their rule. However, they managed to gain a foothold only in the northwest. This territory was called - Raj-putana. It currently houses the largest Indian state Rajasthan, with Jaipur as its capital.

The Rajputs, who sacredly kept the faith of their ancestors, became a serious problem for the Islamic conquerors who invaded India in the 11th century. The Rajputs fought endless and sometimes very successful wars against the Delhi Sultanate. Their military skill and complete contempt for danger inspired respect and fear in the enemies. In a hopeless situation, the Rajputs never surrendered, but fought to the last drop of blood. Or they committed collective suicide along with their wives and children.

Most likely, it was at this time that the talwar began to be depicted as one of the attributes of the Hindu gods. After all, it was the talwar who was a true friend and companion of the main defenders of Hinduism for centuries.

However, the valor of the Rajputs still could not prevent the conquest of India by the troops of Babur, who founded the Mughal empire here. The Rajputs were forced to recognize the authority of the Muslim rulers, but retained the right to autonomy. And they continued to resolutely resist any attempts at Islamization, raising uprising after uprising.

The unwavering steadfastness of the Rajputs is legendary. And their legendary weapon became a symbol of martial spirit and art. Muslims also valued talwars extremely highly, moreover, it was this saber that began to be used in rituals by representatives of one of the main branches of the UROK My world

Among collectors 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. IN 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.

A particularly interesting part of such weapons, of course, was considered a hilt, which had various forms and sizes. 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.

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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).
- IN 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 legend, 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.

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