A firangi from the Bikaner armoury

[Jens Nordlunde]

Can anyone help me, translating the text on this blade?

[Lew]

Jens

The letters are Sanskrit my friend looked at it and said it translates to hand held weapon or shastra or sastra such as a sword or mace. Astra means weapon but is usually used to refer to missile types such as arrows. There is a reference to weapons of power in the Mahabharata. There could be some religious significance to the inscription but I can't be sure

Lew

[Jens Nordlunde]

Thank you Lew.
I mlike inscriptions on blades, but I like even more, to know what the inscription says:).
Jens

[katana]

Hi Jens :) ,
can't help with the inscription ....but could you post some pictures of the entire sword.

Regards David

[Jens Nordlunde]

Here it is.

[Rick]

Same armory I believe .

[spiral]

Interesting to see the inscriptions were done on different occasions, with different tools, inscribed or chiseled partialy & then dot punch on another occasion as well.

Fascinating pieces showing much history.

Spiral

[Sikh_soldier]

Hi Jens, can't help with you with something you don't know but here's something you probably do know..........That has to be the best Firangi's I have ever seen.......
Regards
Bali

[Rick]

Interesting to see the inscriptions were done on different occasions, with different tools, inscribed or chiseled partialy & then dot punch on another occasion as well.

Fascinating pieces showing much history.

Spiral

Different peoples and different times Spiral ? :shrug:

[Jens Nordlunde]

Yes Rick, the dot marks are from the Bikaner armoury, but I don't know what the other letters mean.

Bali, thank you for trying.

Yes Spiral this is interesting, and as the one inscription is an armoury mark, the other one could, maybe, be a personal marking. Another possibility could be, that the letters were on the blades, and the blades were looted after a battle, and brought to the Bikaner armoury, where they were marked again. I doubt that we will ever know as long as we don't know whet the text says.

[Edward F]

Very interesting subject to me,The quality of construction and design of these weapons I believe original Bikaner armoury weapons.

Jens
the first letter I don't know
The inscription I believe translates to a name( Sapad Rusan)
Inscribed after construction (most likely the weapons owner)

The dotted armoury mark is upside down to the name
translation 2544

[Jens Nordlunde]

Rick,
I have bee looking closer at your attached picture in post no 6, and it looks to me as if there is something hidden in/or under the last dot number - is it so?
Please show the whole sword.
I am not quite sure, but to me it seems as if the two inscriptions does not have anything to do with each other. I rather think they are made by different persons and at differen places.

Edward,
Thank you for the translation. It is always very interesting to know what it says.

Jens

[Rick]

From Artzi's archives :
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=1048
If there is anything it is no more than a small lazy L mark from what I can see in my hand; I would guess that it might be part of the first letter .

I notice your Firangi has some similar grind marks as mine does on part of its edge .

This sword would be a Sukhela ?

[estcrh]

From Artzi's archives :
http://www.oriental-arms.com/photos.php?id=1048
If there is anything it is no more than a small lazy L mark from what I can see in my hand; I would guess that it might be part of the first letter .

I notice your Firangi has some similar grind marks as mine does on part of its edge .

This sword would be a Sukhela ?Almost straight and slender blade forged from good Crystalline Indian wootz (Damascus) steel. The blade is 31 inches long with 10 inches false edge and three narrow fullers, marked with an armory catalog number in punch design (common to swords from Rajasthan). Whole steel handle, of the shape common in Tulwar swords. Total length 35 ½ inches.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Rick,
Yes it did have some grinding markings on the edge, but I removed them.
Here is before and after.