Jamdhar Katar

Jim McDougall · 27th August 2022, 04:54 PM

This is indeed as described by Egerton (1885, #344,345.p.102) a 'jamdhar katari' and stated from Nepal.
These are part of a complex classification problem with Indian daggers, as the term katari which did apply to daggers in India of regular form such as these ended up being transposed to the transverse gripped dagger we now know as 'katar'. Actually these were correctly termed 'jamadhar' but the Egerton issue with term stuck.

As for this form dagger, which is clearly a quite modern example but made in the exact traditional form and as such is still a proper ethnographic example used by its people.

Those people are the Kalash, an Indo-Aryan people who are now situated in several valleys in Chitral in now Pakistan (just north of NW Frontier Province).
These people, though somewhat nominally Muslim are considered animists and still follow age old traditions and their Faith. (see references under 'Kalash').

Interestingly these people were known as Kafirs, and their proper land was in what is now Nuristan, but in the 19th c known as Kafiristan. This place is probably best known as the region popularized in the Kipling story "the Man Who Would be King". (1888).

A friend of mine some years ago was always traveling into Nepal, and he seemed to have quite a number of these and noted they were all over the place there. In research on the Kalash (Kafirs) I was communicating with a guy who while in the US, was of the Kalash people and told me a great deal on their circumstances in Chitral etc.

Interesting weapon, of traditional form probably from Chitral and though modern, probably still traditionally worn by these tribal people. These people always reminded me of the Khevsurs in remote mountain regions of Georgia in the Caucusus, who practice an animist Faith in the same manner, and were still using swords and edged weapons in 1930s+

27th August 2022, 04:54 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,194	This is indeed as described by Egerton (1885, #344,345.p.102) a 'jamdhar katari' and stated from Nepal. These are part of a complex classification problem with Indian daggers, as the term katari which did apply to daggers in India of regular form such as these ended up being transposed to the transverse gripped dagger we now know as 'katar'. Actually these were correctly termed 'jamadhar' but the Egerton issue with term stuck. As for this form dagger, which is clearly a quite modern example but made in the exact traditional form and as such is still a proper ethnographic example used by its people. Those people are the Kalash, an Indo-Aryan people who are now situated in several valleys in Chitral in now Pakistan (just north of NW Frontier Province). These people, though somewhat nominally Muslim are considered animists and still follow age old traditions and their Faith. (see references under 'Kalash'). Interestingly these people were known as Kafirs, and their proper land was in what is now Nuristan, but in the 19th c known as Kafiristan. This place is probably best known as the region popularized in the Kipling story "the Man Who Would be King". (1888). A friend of mine some years ago was always traveling into Nepal, and he seemed to have quite a number of these and noted they were all over the place there. In research on the Kalash (Kafirs) I was communicating with a guy who while in the US, was of the Kalash people and told me a great deal on their circumstances in Chitral etc. Interesting weapon, of traditional form probably from Chitral and though modern, probably still traditionally worn by these tribal people. These people always reminded me of the Khevsurs in remote mountain regions of Georgia in the Caucusus, who practice an animist Faith in the same manner, and were still using swords and edged weapons in 1930s+