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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Parang sounds likely, in fact I completely agree with Tim, TVV, Spiral, Rsword and Vandoo with this attribution as well as Ariel.
I am inclined to doubt the 'kastane' attribution or suggested provenance, so I think our established definition of these Sinhalese swords will remain sound.
The zoomorphic hilt with the makara is most interesting, and does resemble those seen on the kastane, however the guard has no resemblance to the profusely ornate and developed form on these distinct swords. It seems that the animal image on the kastane hilt is in many cases interpreted as being a lion head, with that representation associated with the ancestral legends of the early kingdom of Sinhala (Sinha =lion), though many of the heads do look more like makara.
The hilt form noted in Stone as parang nabor have animal head pommels and varying forms of knuckleguard type hilts. While these hilts are noted as Malayan, it seems to me that the silverwork in the hilt may be Indonesian, as well as the pamor in the blade.
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I think its from Sumatra ( no proof).
The guard is not the style they used in Borneo on the parang nabur but on Sumatra they do.
I found a Ivory handled sword ( mandailing) on the site of the Leiden museum what has something in common with the hilt on the sword on ebay.
See the upward curling nose, the plce of the eye and the similar grooves at the beginning of the hilt.
Also there are some minagkabau swords who has this type of thin decorated handles.This could be a mix between them?
Arjan.