Help Identify this Sword - (Talwar, Shamshir ?)

[G S T]

Hey All,

Firstly, i thank all of you for your comments & info. It was my first post and i am delighted to see such an informative response to my query.

Katana / David & Atlantia - Thanks for your response. Initially i thought the same that this was a remodeled or restored Tulwar, But whats contradictory is the fact that the blade is 32 Inches long and the Hilt is over 5 Inches long, The full length of the Blade being 37 Inches. If we assume this was a Talwar and was later modified, it would have been close to 40 inches, Including the 'Rat Tail' Talwar Tip.
I have not seen many Talwars over 36 Inches (3 Feet) long.

Secondly, The Blade is not the usual tempered Steel or Leaf Spring bar, Its made of a Mild Indian Steel called Sukhela. Thou its not rare, but it isn't common either. It has a fantastic temper and it can flex amazingly yet retain its shape. The elasticity of this blade is phenomenal. I wouldn't wish to modify such a Blade just to make the sword more appealing to a buyer..But however, thats just my opinion.

Again, as you rightly said, nothing can be said for certain. We all know how Sword smiths Love to 'marry' unusual Combinations of Blades & Hilts.
I have a East Indian Dao with a Talwar hilt.

Rick & Kronckew - Many of my Friends and i had the same impression that it was an Afghan sword. But the unique characteristics of the Hilt just confuse us.

Stan. S & A. Alnakkas - The Blade does Not have a Ricasso. Thats another striking feature about this Blade. 90% of the Indian Swords (pre or Contemporary) have a Large Solid Ricasso. Many a times, manufacturer's name/insignia is stamped over it.I have attached 3 more pics which show a bit more of the Blade & hilt. As you can see in the pics, the ricasso is absent and the blade is sharp all the way till the hilt.

Iain - Thanks for the Link. Thats a beauty there on eBay, it sure does look a bit like mine.

Jim - The Hilt is actually made of the horn of a Swamp deer known as BARASINGHA.
'Bara' is Hindi means 12 and 'Singha' refers to horns. Its refers to the Several Horn / Horn tips which this animal has.
As far as i know, the Barasingha belongs to the reindeer family.

The Term Talwar in hindi means a Sword, any sword. In fact, when i first became interested in swords, i was surprised to know that the Talwar is a type of sword and Not a word for referring to all swords in general
In India, Any sword is referred to as a Talwar. Therefore, may it be a Shamshir, Khilij, Khanda or Tegha, In general all are referred to as Talwars.

So everyone, whats the verdict then, Indian hilt which is probably modified with a Firang (foreign) blade ?

Thank you all
G S T