[Jens Nordlunde]

Ok I will reply on these mails as best I can.

Andrew, the reason while I have not sent them yet is, that the carton box I have is far too small and not strong enough - sorry. And all the boxes I have been looking at, seem to be even smaller :-).

I will not recommen any books, as some of them are quite expensive, and this could discurage some form buying books at all, but there are a few authors, which I think you should try to look up on the net. Robert Elgood, Thomas H. Hendley, Rajendralala Mitra, Bashir Mohamed, Susan Stronge, Stuard Cary Welsh and Mark Zebrowski. Enjoy the search. Btw the Marlborough House and the Sandringham books have not so long ago been reprinted by Ken Trotman, so you dont have to buy the editions from end of 1800. Sorry Andrew as I think you would have prefered this to be mentioned on another thread.

Not all of the katars have the peacocks, but a lot of them have. On both of the katars in the picture you can see four peacocks, two on the blade and two at the lower part of the hand guard. I know they are often 'hidden', so it is not always easy to see them, if you dont know they are. The peacocks always have their heads towards each other, and their tails meet in the middle of the blade, to form the Kundalini Flame/The Tree of life/a cypress (for more information of the first two read some Yoga books).

Collecting Indian weapons is a world of its own. All the different forms, changing a bit from place to place, the different fashions of decoration, and the forms long gone.

I havge written an article about the age of the katar, and took it back to the Orissa in the 10th century - so it is a very old weapon type, and when you look at the age it has not changed much.

Jens



For the peacocks and the four cusped arch design see Elgood 2004.