Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - The use of European RAPIER blades in Maratha Pata and Khanda swords

Jim McDougall · 30th May 2019, 03:00 PM

In a concurrent discussion on the 'jamadhar-kitari (katarah) daggers of Hindu Kush, the topic of fragmented European rapier blades used on katars led to a sidebar on rapier blade use in the pata and khanda of the Marathas.
From an apparently incorrect notion I had in place from a now forgotten source, I had the idea that the Marathas disdained the thrust, regarding slashing cuts as de riguer in their swordsmanship.

This led me to believe that post contact use of European rapier blades mounted in Maratha swords such as pata and khanda were more of a status oriented novelty for court type wear. This idea was influenced by the supposed European influence of hilt development from the traditional khanda to the so called 'Hindu basket hilt' from the hilts of European swords.

Since Maratha sword fighting technique was of course not aligned with European fencing, I thought that the use of a thin rapier blade would be unlikely by them. However, I have found examples of both these type swords mounted with rapier blades and clearly intended for thrusting in the manner of a 'tuck' (as described in Pant, 1980) or estoc.

On p.62, Pant describes the pata with a long, flexible 'regularly tapering' straight steel blade, almost always double edged and frequently of European make ...generally Italian or Spanish FLAT RAPIER BLADES.

Here there is some confusion, as often European swords with the heavier arming blades but having hilts as seen on rapier forms are termed 'rapiers' in narratives. In some cases there are blades with ANDREA FERARA inscribed of course spuriously, but these are typically Solingen produced heavier blades of the arming type.

Also in Pant (p.14) he describes the pata , "...sometimes we find NARROW bladed straight rapier with a gauntlet hilt. In this weapon British influence is visible". On p.70 he notes that after the British occupation of India rapiers became popular, and that the rapier blades were fitted to firangi and other Indian swords. In another note he states that 'INDO-BRITISH rapiers of 18th-19th c. have 'long heavy blades'.

So we have here a bit of a conundrum:
Did the Marathas indeed use pata and khanda with NARROW rapier blades in actual battle situations?

Or were the descriptions of Indo British 'rapiers' with arming blades simply termed 'rapier' in the colloquial manner previously noted.

As I mentioned, I have seen examples of the narrow blades mounted on both pata and khanda hilts, but clearly in seemingly considerably less common number.

What are thoughts here on this?

30th May 2019, 03:00 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	The use of European RAPIER blades in Maratha Pata and Khanda swords In a concurrent discussion on the 'jamadhar-kitari (katarah) daggers of Hindu Kush, the topic of fragmented European rapier blades used on katars led to a sidebar on rapier blade use in the pata and khanda of the Marathas. From an apparently incorrect notion I had in place from a now forgotten source, I had the idea that the Marathas disdained the thrust, regarding slashing cuts as de riguer in their swordsmanship. This led me to believe that post contact use of European rapier blades mounted in Maratha swords such as pata and khanda were more of a status oriented novelty for court type wear. This idea was influenced by the supposed European influence of hilt development from the traditional khanda to the so called 'Hindu basket hilt' from the hilts of European swords. Since Maratha sword fighting technique was of course not aligned with European fencing, I thought that the use of a thin rapier blade would be unlikely by them. However, I have found examples of both these type swords mounted with rapier blades and clearly intended for thrusting in the manner of a 'tuck' (as described in Pant, 1980) or estoc. On p.62, Pant describes the pata with a long, flexible 'regularly tapering' straight steel blade, almost always double edged and frequently of European make ...generally Italian or Spanish FLAT RAPIER BLADES. Here there is some confusion, as often European swords with the heavier arming blades but having hilts as seen on rapier forms are termed 'rapiers' in narratives. In some cases there are blades with ANDREA FERARA inscribed of course spuriously, but these are typically Solingen produced heavier blades of the arming type. Also in Pant (p.14) he describes the pata , "...sometimes we find NARROW bladed straight rapier with a gauntlet hilt. In this weapon British influence is visible". On p.70 he notes that after the British occupation of India rapiers became popular, and that the rapier blades were fitted to firangi and other Indian swords. In another note he states that 'INDO-BRITISH rapiers of 18th-19th c. have 'long heavy blades'. So we have here a bit of a conundrum: Did the Marathas indeed use pata and khanda with NARROW rapier blades in actual battle situations? Or were the descriptions of Indo British 'rapiers' with arming blades simply termed 'rapier' in the colloquial manner previously noted. As I mentioned, I have seen examples of the narrow blades mounted on both pata and khanda hilts, but clearly in seemingly considerably less common number. What are thoughts here on this?