Indian bagh nakh (tiger claws)

[ariel]

Originally Posted by Rick

But the ergonomics of this thing are all wrong for most any use that I can imagine.
I would love to see an illustration of exactly how this is deployed as a weapon.

We are in agreement. That's exactly what I said about it: not very handy, hence very rare.

Even in India known for her abundance of bizarre forms, weapons that were mechanically unsound did not survive for long.
Bank with an over-curved blade is an example. Indians had a lot of imagination, but they were not dummies and a common sense always prevailed.

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by ariel

We are in agreement. That's exactly what I said about it: not very handy, hence very rare.

Even in India known for her abundance of bizarre forms, weapons that were mechanically unsound did not survive for long.

Bank with an over-curved blade is an example. Indians had a lot of imagination, but they were not dummies and a common sense always prevailed.

When you look at the bank sickle, the blade is very similar in shape with the claw of the bagh nakh. I have seen several bank being described as Maratha in origin. Considering how important the bagh nakh is in the history of the Maratha I wonder if there is some sort of symbolism there.

How common was the bank, who used it and how long was it around for?

Indian (central, Maharashtra) bank dagger/sickle, 19th century, steel, bronze, gold, jade, pearls, wood, velvet, overall length, 21.0 cm. The Feldman Collection.

[estcrh]

Here is an interesting example, it is from the Pitt Rivers Museum. Some effort went into making this bagh nakh look like jewelry instead of a weapon by covering the rings with copper/brass and adding gems to the top of each ring. The Museum also included an essay with some good information.