Very interesting sword of yours Jim. The hilt is late of course, made at a time when they were being made as curiosities. That however does not mean that this would not have been used by a soldier/retainer in the employ of numerous kings and landlords in the Deccan probably. There is a Pata with such a Tiger face retrieved from Seringapatam but it has no 'tipu/tipuesque' features and would have come to his armoury from somewhere else.
So theres the update, now the questions remain.......has anyone ever seen a pata with this kind of projecting blades from the gauntlet?
- I have seen many, many Patas but never one with projecting blades.
Were patas actually used as weapons on the Maratha vessels?
--I see no reason why they shouldnt have been.
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