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Originally Posted by VANDOO
IF THE DESIGN FOR THE KASTANCE HILT AND QUILLIONS EVOLVED FROM THESE BUDHIST RITUAL OBJECTS THEN IT IS NOT JUST DECORATIVE IN NATURE. IT MAY BRING THE SAME SPIRITUAL PROTECTION AGAINS EVIL SPIRITS AND SUCH SO IT COULD BE A FUSION OF SPIRITUAL WEAPON AND ACTUAL SWORD. THIS WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IN COURT AS A INEFFECTIVE PHYSICAL WEAPON COULD BE ALLOWED BECAUSE MUCH SUPERIOR WEAPONS WERE PRESENT WITH THE GAURDS TO PROTECT THE RULERS. THE SYMBOLS ON THE HANDLE WOULD THEN PROTECT THE WEARER FROM EVIL SPIRITS AND SUCH ( THERE ARE ALWAYS PLENTY OF EVIL SPIRITS IN PLACES OF POWER  ).
JUST MY THOUGHTS AND CONJECTURE BUT PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND SEARCHING IN THAT DIRECTION.  |
Salaams VANDOO, Agreed. My point is that this weapon originated as a defender of the faith (Buddhism) and naturally with sword in hand surrounded about the Makara hilt by Makara and other supporting Buddhist Icons the weilding soldier is thus enhanced with all things religious and holy. It remains to be disclosed in my next missive where the missing piece of the jigsaw (or one of them) that of the terminology and the quandry of what's in a name...? Which I shall concoct in a few hours ~ I have to say however that running into the entire Hindu and Buddhist equation is no simple matter and from a cold start it has been all uphill.
Thanks for the idea for research along those lines... and for me one other idea was to research the Martial Arts angle for which it would be vital to be in Sri Lanka. I noted earlier that the Sri Lankan martial art Angopora is thousands of years old and it looks like they used Kastana. Interestingly it would need to be called something else prior to the European appearance since the word appears to be largely Portuguese.. more on that in a few hours.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.
