Sinhala / Sri Lankan Swords?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

As an interlude in proceedings I have unearthed a documented list of items said to have been removed by the Governing powers of the day ruling Sri Lanka. The period covered is extensive thus I searched there in case an early Kastane could be discovered.

On page 15 of this document http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/000...7/038748eb.pdf
I found IM 10/19/10 held at The Britich Museum the hilt portion (incomplete) of a sword Kastane described as ; Pommel of Ivory with Simha head, Grip curved with typical scrollwork, Vaka Deka Motif and floral bands.

15 Century Said to have been presented by King Parakrama Bahu V1. 1415 TO 1467 to a chief of the Weerasinghe family . Very much weathered. Parts missing. Sold for 3 Pounds in March 1910.

There are other swords and weapons but this one is particularly important as it predates the Portuguese. (I dont know if these are still abroad or have been returned to Sri Lanka.)

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Please also note the figure on the scabbard which is also the revered figure seen in Sri Lankan door and window carved relief as the devourer of all evil; The Kirtimukha.

Also seen on door and window carvings.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

For a vast array of Buddhist Vajra please see~ http://drilbudorje.tripod.com/_Dorje.htm where the clear defined thunderclap device can be understood as the same design on the Tibettan Sword pictured above and its technical transfer across the regions to the Sri Lankan Kastane pictured below.

The quilons appear vestigial but they are not since they are not Quilons per se but form a part of the motif held in high esteem by Buddhist and Hindu alike and represent diamonds or thunderbolts and can be illustrated in an open aspect or closed as on the Kastane. [/B] The quilon aspect is purely Iconic as part of the Buddhist / Hindu display and revered by all...and are generally known as Vajra.

It is my view and as part of this hypothesis that the closed form shuts out the possibility of this as a sword form when its true place is only ceremonial; Rank and Badge of Office / Court Sword only and that this usage is generally agreed upon. In addition since the Kastane was not a fighting weapon as outlined in several reports by notable Sri Lankan experts.

Placed for interest is another weapon form : The Mace from Tibet another Icon for religious ceremony and not a battle weapon but with Vajra at each end. This adds weight to the fact that such iconic weaponry parts transferred across regional boundaries following the religious tide in that part of the world.

I therefor place this conclusion;[B]Thus by the simple method of comparison and detail presented herein; it can be seen that the Kastane is very much a home grown design from Buddhist and Hindu sources and not a European import. By the same proof there is no relationship except by accident of design between the Kastane and the Nimcha.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.


See Below for comparison of Vajra and Kastane Architecture / Quilons.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I bet you didn't know this !!!!

"We learn a good deal about Jewish craftsmen from the Geniza, the fact that some of them were employed in the imperial workshops of the Fatimids; or that around 1140 three Jewish silversmiths - including two from North Africa - emigrated to Ceylon to pursue their livelihoods; or that a Tunisian Jew ran a factory in India, in which Jews bearing Arabic names, possibly from Yemen, made brass vessels which are described to us I detail primarily for the sake of beauty..."

[Rick]

As an aside to this thread; I was unaware that there was a sect of Christian Jews. But then I don't get out much.
The picture is from The Last Empire, an Aperture publication (out of print).
Full of period photographs.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Rick

As an aside to this thread; I was unaware that there was a sect of Christian Jews. But then I don't get out much.
The picture is from The Last Empire, an Aperture publication (out of print).
Full of period photographs.

Excelent picture Rick, but ... this is breaking news !!!
Christian Jews ? Wouldn't this be the author's own way to allude to those known as Converted Jews (Cristãos novos) ?
One may only be either a Christian or a Jew ... i guess
Could you in any case improve the picture bottom left, to have a better text reading ?

BTW, do i read "Bene Israel", a Jewish group that leaved mainly in Bombaim, Calcutá, Delhi e Ahmedabad, whose native language sas the Marathi ...

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

AND~ Regarding the Atlass Mountains ..."The Jews appear as a group, specializing in trading and crafts, which is ritually and socially separated from the Moslems, who specialize in agriculture... The Jews are non-combatants, not being allowed to carry arms. Yet in their role as smiths, they are responsible for making and repairing arms."

Thus we come to the realization that the ancient North African guns, knives and swords of exquisite workmanship, weapons whose hand-wrought and tooled metals were engraved with elaborate patterns or inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the very weapons that now command high prices on the antiques market, are not of Arabic provenance at all but were produced by Judaic smiths! And that is not all!

"[Jewish] blacksmiths fan charcoal fires and create useful tools; hammers, axes, hatchets, scythes, plows, and all the other tools required by the people of the region. They also repair weapons. These artisan’s shops are in the entrances of their homes. The Berber who needs any tool will bring the metal and the charcoal to the Jew’s house."

See also http://www.hebrewhistory.info/factpa...017-1_gold.htm

[Rick]

Beni-Israel Teachers, Bombay, 1856, from ' The Indian Amateur's Photographic Album.'
The Beni-Israel are Christian Jews who first settled in India during the early years of the Christian era.

Verbatim from the text.
It's a windy day here and keeping the pages from flipping could be problematic.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

I bet you didn't know this !!!!

"We learn a good deal about Jewish craftsmen from the Geniza, the fact that some of them were employed in the imperial workshops of the Fatimids; or that around 1140 three Jewish silversmiths - including two from North Africa - emigrated to Ceylon to pursue their livelihoods; or that a Tunisian Jew ran a factory in India, in which Jews bearing Arabic names, possibly from Yemen, made brass vessels which are described to us I detail primarily for the sake of beauty..."

So early as around 1140 ? Wouldn't this be a Hijri date ... corresponding to Gregorian 1748 ?
In a line with those Sefardit Jews that were expelled from Spain and have reportedly gonne to North Africa, chosing a later option to make it to Ceylon and India ... as it is also reported ...


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