Swords with Indo-Muslim (Tulwar-type)handles were the most popular and abundant in India, and spare handles were aplenty because of higher incidence of blade failures. Thus, it is not counterintuitive to suggest that handles could have found their way into adjacent areas. Perhaps, their use might have been more prevalent among the "higher classes", because the rank and file, as usual with all commodities, were likely to get stuck with the local models.
Any evidence of a higher than usual quality of the Dha blade?
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