Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 29th April 2012, 04:36 PM   #1
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Smile Chowmahalla Palace Arms Collection

Hi everyone,
I had the chance to visit the Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India today and I thought I'd share some of the pics. The palace is essentially a summer pavilion, very nicely built. It has a small collection of furniture and personal objects on display, nothing exciting. I walked quickly through it, passed a little door, through a narrow corridor, into two very large rooms with an orgy of Indo-Persian weaponry. Enjoy!!

Emanuel
Attached Images
         

Last edited by Emanuel; 29th April 2012 at 05:12 PM.
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:41 PM   #2
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

And the good stuff...
Attached Images
            
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:42 PM   #3
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

2
Attached Images
            
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:44 PM   #4
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

3
Attached Images
            
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:47 PM   #5
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

4
Attached Images
            
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:51 PM   #6
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

5
Attached Images
            
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:54 PM   #7
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

Last one
Attached Images
         
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 04:58 PM   #8
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

What is quite fascinating is the sheer range of styles. Hyderabad's Nizam collected from all over the sub-continent. The high number of straight tulwars is also interesting.

With the exception of the chain mail and the "cobra" blade none of this stuff was labelled. The exhibition method is also weird. Everything in glass boxes up on the high walls. it was very difficult to get good shots and impossible to do close-ups without a tripod and with all the light reflections.

So it's all eye-candy, what you see is what I saw.

Next up is the Salar Jung Museum here in the city, which is said to boast one of the largest arms collections in the world.

Stay tuned...

Emanuel
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 05:40 PM   #9
Ibrahiim al Balooshi
Member
 
Ibrahiim al Balooshi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE
Posts: 4,408
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Emanuel
What is quite fascinating is the sheer range of styles. Hyderabad's Nizam collected from all over the sub-continent. The high number of straight tulwars is also interesting.

With the exception of the chain mail and the "cobra" blade none of this stuff was labelled. The exhibition method is also weird. Everything in glass boxes up on the high walls. it was very difficult to get good shots and impossible to do close-ups without a tripod and with all the light reflections.

So it's all eye-candy, what you see is what I saw.

Next up is the Salar Jung Museum here in the city, which is said to boast one of the largest arms collections in the world.

Stay tuned...

Emanuel
Salaams Emanuel ~ Stunning ... Brilliant ! Well done in cataloguing that for the forum library... The only museum in the world where you need a telescopic lens or a 30 foot ladder to see the exhibits! It is quite amazing that a lot of these museums have unlabelled work and none have heard of interactive displays... At least there were a few with descriptions ... but looking at the depth of stuff up the walls it is an incredible collection.
Regards,
Ibrahim al Balooshi.
Ibrahiim al Balooshi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 07:59 PM   #10
Stan S.
Member
 
Stan S.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brooklyn, NY USA
Posts: 227
Thumbs up

O! M! G! I think I just died and went to heaven! Best post evar!!!

Such a shame that in all of my visits to India I never made it to Hydrebad
Stan S. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29th April 2012, 08:03 PM   #11
Atlantia
Member
 
Atlantia's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Sharp end
Posts: 2,928
Default

Wow!
Thanks for sharing Emanuel.
Atlantia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 01:07 AM   #12
Ferguson
Member
 
Ferguson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Kernersville, NC, USA
Posts: 793
Default

Simply stunning. Thank you!
Steve
Ferguson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 02:11 AM   #13
Berkley
Member
 
Berkley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, Texas USA
Posts: 257
Thumbs up

Thank you very much for taking so many excellent photos under difficult circumstances, and for sharing them with us.
Berkley is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 02:40 AM   #14
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,135
Default

Great stuff thanks!
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 03:00 AM   #15
Robert
EAAF Staff
 
Robert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Centerville, Kansas
Posts: 2,196
Default

I too must say thank you for taking and sharing these wonderful photos.


Robert
Robert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 04:03 AM   #16
Gavin Nugent
Member
 
Gavin Nugent's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
Default

HOLY SMOKES!!!!

Awesome presentation, thank you!

Off to the classics I hope!

With thanks

Gav
Gavin Nugent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 04:18 AM   #17
bhushan_lawate
Member
 
bhushan_lawate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: India
Posts: 77
Default

Hey,


One interesting fact of this museum is the high number of watered blades too...!!!!

The thing I hate about these museum's is most of the swords/daggers displayed are with their scabbard on ...you cannot enjoy seeing them at your fullest...!!!!!!

@ Emanuel: Don't have toooo high hopes about the Salar Jung for they have a good collection of arms but only a few are displayed...!!!!

The best thing to watch out for there is the sheer number of daggers in different colors of Jade hilts and archer rings...!!!!

But you cant take snaps there...!!!!

Also visit the State archaeology museum near the Public gardens...some good arms out there toooo...

Lets catch up sometime while you are still in Hyderabad...there are some arms displayed from relic finds in Golconda and Qutub Shahi tombs too.

Regards,
Bhushan
bhushan_lawate is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 05:00 AM   #18
DhaDha
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 161
Default

Wow. Thanks for sharing!
DhaDha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 06:15 AM   #19
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

Glad you like the show

Yes many of these blades were indeed very beautiful wootz. It was too hard to photograph the patterns though. To its credit the display room did have an information poster about "watered steel". I also thought it a good thing that they presented the sword typologies/nomenclature.

One interesting thing concerning the karud/pesh-kabz with quartz handle - notice there is no tang, the blade simply attached at the top of the handle. Obviously not meant for use, despite the T-spine blade. I remember seeing similar daggers with ivory hilts and stub tangs.

I thought the huge khukri blade with khanda hilt very interesting, and the monstrous zulfikar blades are pretty cool. A very nice collection overall.

Bhushan, sure thing! I'll be in touch.

E
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 08:28 AM   #20
spiral
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,712
Default

Wow! What an amazing collection, Thank you Emmanuel for taking the time to do this.

Spiral
spiral is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30th April 2012, 08:26 PM   #21
Nathaniel
Member
 
Nathaniel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 865
Default

Awesome! It's like Disney Land for Adults!!!
Nathaniel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st May 2012, 03:36 PM   #22
AJ1356
Member
 
AJ1356's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Nashville
Posts: 314
Default

Beautiful items thanks for taking the pictures and sharing them.
AJ1356 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st May 2012, 03:42 PM   #23
A.alnakkas
Member
 
A.alnakkas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Kuwait
Posts: 1,336
Default

Very nice! thanks Emanuel!

One of the swords with cartouches has a date... 932 Hijri! nice.
A.alnakkas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st May 2012, 04:26 PM   #24
dbhmgb
Member
 
dbhmgb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 112
Thumbs up

WOW! Fascinating post - you are most fortunate to have enjoyed this in person!

Dan
dbhmgb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st May 2012, 04:50 PM   #25
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,419
Default

Thank you very much for sharing!
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 1st May 2012, 07:35 PM   #26
Henk
Member
 
Henk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 1,209
Default

You must have had a very exciting day over there , Emanuel. Must have been the best day of your holiday so far. Thanks for sharing this.
Henk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 2nd May 2012, 05:53 AM   #27
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

Glad you guys like them

Abdullatif that's why I took the picture of the swords with cartouches, I was hoping someone would catch the dates 1525 though strikes me as too early for such a piece.

Actually I was at the Palace for only about an hour before closing so I was frantically trying to take the pictures before getting kicked out. I'm here in Hyderabad with work so Sundays are really the only time for exploration.

More to come next week!
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th May 2012, 11:05 PM   #28
mrcjgscott
Member
 
mrcjgscott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 189
Default

Hello Emanuel,

Many thanks indeed for taking the time to post such a beautiful selection. Hopefully one day I can see them in person!

Chris
mrcjgscott is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18th May 2012, 10:04 AM   #29
Emanuel
Member
 
Emanuel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,242
Default

Well folks, I had hoped to show you more from the Salar Jung Museum but sadly they did not allow entry with cameras.

The museum is undergoing total renovation so things were a mess, but the arms actually on display were quite nice.

A fair number of swords of all kinds, unfortunately all of them in scabbard. The collection has a huge number of jade-hilted daggers of all kinds. Jade + gems + gold/silver + enamel, lots of it. A good number of rock crystal handles as well. Invariably these daggers do not have tangs. The blades might be amazing, but such knives were purely ornamental.

Another interesting thing is this "monstrous" zhulfiqar-type tulwar with serrated edges. When it first came up on the forum, it was opined that, based on the hilt, it might be an 18th century type, but that the blade might be later 19th century. In the pictures above (post #7) you can see two identical pieces from the Chowmahalla Palace collection. I saw two more, nearly identical at the Salar Jung museum, with the same beefy tips and serrations, with matched khanda basket hilt and blade. So we have four examples in Hyderabad, where they enjoyed some popularity with both the Nizams and their prime ministers (salar jungs).

Has anyone seen them elsewhere in India? Could these be a native Deccani type, or were these collected as curiosities by the Hyderabadi rulers? Upon re-reading the old "Monstrous..." thread I see that Jim's nickel is very well placed, as usual . B.I. considered the handle of southern style but couldn't reconcile the Islamic zhulfiqar symbology with the Deccan. Hyderabad seems to fit the bill.

Emanuel
Attached Images
 

Last edited by Emanuel; 18th May 2012 at 10:14 AM.
Emanuel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18th May 2012, 10:06 AM   #30
TimW
Member
 
TimW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 54
Default

Now i know where all the good stuff is hidden...
TimW is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:40 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.