Hello Gonzalo,
If I may say so, I would like to both thank you as well as congratulate you on your brilliant posting of this indeed intriguing weapon. It seems that there have been a number of inquiries on a broad spectrum of historic edged weapons coming from several museums in Mexico, and it impresses me that such a serious approach to the study of these weapons is being observed. This is especially pleasing as in these times it seems that in too many museums, weapons are simply thrown into storage or worse, displayed with terribly inaccurate descriptions.
What is even better is that you have not only presented this weapon, the 'haladie', with known material concerning it, and fully referenced, and best of all you have asked the key question, from where might this weapon have evolved.
In response, I would say that the multiple bladed weapons were indeed quite prevalent among weapons produced by Indian armourers, and we have discussed here katars with as many as five blades, though more common are the triple bladed examples (for more see "Hindu Arms and Ritual" by Robert Elgood, as well of course as Stone, 'katar').
The 'haladie' is likely of course associated with the 'madu' which is essentially comprised of two buffalo horns fastened together opposed as seen with haladie blades. While the madu of horns was primarily something used by religious mendicants and holy men termed 'fakirs' because they were not allowed weapons in the true sense, and these makeshift weapons were comprised of natural items (horns) .
The Rajputs may well have applied the double blade concept, as it was well established that these were deadly in crowded conditions, thus would serve well in dismounted melee, and they fashioned thier own version using the deadly blades of the 'bichwa'.
The thuluth script on your haladie, if I understand correctly , was often incomprehensible literally and comprised symbolized calligraphy that was intended to typically illiterate tribesmen during the Mahdist period in Sudan (please correct if my understanding of the thuluth is wrong
. In any case, the script was acid etched in armouries in either Khartoum or Omburman.
India did indeed export many weapons to Arabia and Africa, through the Arab trade on the Malabar Coast. I am not aware of any examples of haladie made in India, however it is clear that the weapon itself in concept certainly is likely to have come from there. The weapons of Sudan reflect other weapons in thier armouries as well, and there are yataghans, the axes and others that arrived via other Ottoman trade sources.
What has always surpised me is that despite the vast diffusion to Sudan and other regions in Eastern Africa of many weapons, that as far as I know, the tulwar is never represented among them.
Thank you so much for posting this haladie, and the opportunity to discuss it.
All very best regards,
Jim