There are a number of swords that originated in India and have seen their usage throughout the history of warfare.

Overview

In the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, one of the earliest available

Bronze age sword Bronze Age swords appeared from around the 17th century BC, in the Black Sea and Aegean regions, as a further development of the dagger. They were replaced by iron swords during the early part of the 1st millennium BC. Typical Bronze Age sword ...

s of copper was discovered by the period of

Indus Valley civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form from 2600 BCE ...

. Swords have been recovered in archaeological findings throughout the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

- Jamuna

Doab ''Doab'' () is a term used in South Asia Quote: "Originally and chiefly in South Asia: (the name of) a strip or narrow tract of land between two rivers; spec. (with) the area between the rivers Ganges and Jumna in northern India." for the tract ...

region of Indian subcontinent, consisting of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

but more commonly

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

.Allchin, pp. 111–14 Swords have been also discovered in

Fatehgarh Fatehgarh is a cantonment town in Farrukhabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located on the south bank of the Ganges River, it is the administrative headquarters of Farrukhabad District. Fatehgarh derives its name from an o ...

, where there are several varieties of hilt. These swords have been variously dated to times between 1700 and 1400 BC. Other swords from this period in India have been discovered from Kallur, Raichur. In general, Indians have significantly used one-handed swords in order to carry the shield along with them. Nevertheless, there has been use of two-handed swords in India, such as by

Naga people Nagas are various Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups native to northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar. The groups have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority of population in the Indian state of Nagaland ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

. The Indian swords have been also used by Arabians and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

ans since medieval times. Swords have culturally influenced the iconography and culture of India. Sikhs consider swords to be holy and the Sikh emblem (

Khanda (Sikh symbol) The Khanda () is the symbol of the Sikhism which attained its current form around the 1930s during the Ghadar Movement. Description The modern Sikh symbol is never written on or in any copy of the Guru Granth Sahib. The main symbol tradition ...

) depicts a doubled-edged sword surrounded by a circle and two curved swords.How and why Do Hindus Celebrate Divali?
Jean Mead, 2008, p. 29

List of Indian swords

Aruval The aruval (ISO: ) is a type of billhook machete from southern India, particularly common in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also known as the koḍuvāḷ, the kodavali, the machchu longu or the koita. It is a type of long sickle with a kni ...

* Asi * Ayudha katti * Bichuwa *

Dao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

* Firagi *

Gupti A ''gupti'' is a traditional swordstick dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 ...

Hengdang The Hengdang ( Assamese: হেংদাং) is a single edged sword with a long handle used by the Ahoms in India. The handle and the scabbard were designed in gold, silver or wood according to the position of the person. It is similar in many w ...

Katar The katar is a type of push dagger from the Indian subcontinent. The weapon is characterized by its H-shaped horizontal hand grip which results in the blade sitting above the user's knuckles. Unique to the Indian subcontinent, it is the most fam ...

* Kayamkulam vaal *

Khadga The Khadga dynasty () was a Buddhist dynasty which ruled the areas of Vanga and Samatata in ancient Bengal from 625 CE to 716 CE. Chronologically, the dynasty emerged as a powerful kingdom of Bengal between the fall of Gauda Kingdom and the ris ...

Khanda Khanda may refer to: Places * Khanda, Sonipat, a large historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India * Khanda, Jind, a village in Jind district of Haryana, India * Khanda Kheri, a village in Hansi Tehsil of Hisar district of Haryana, ...

Kirpan The kirpan (; pronunciation: Help:IPA/Punjabi, ɪɾpaːn is a blade that Khalsa Sikhs are required to wear as part of their religious uniform, as prescribed by the Rehat, Sikh Code of Conduct. Traditionally, the kirpan was a full-sized '' ...

Kukri The kukri () or khukuri (, ) is a type of knife or short sword with a distinct recurve in its blade that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It serves multiple purposes as a melee weapon and also as a regular cutting/chopping tool throughout ...

* Malappuram Kathi * Moplah sword *

Pata Pata or PATA may refer to: Places * Pata, Sulu, a Philippine municipality * Pata, Galanta District, a village in Slovakia * Pata, Central African Republic, a village * Pata village (Samoa), a village in Samoa * Pontrilas Army Training Area, a Br ...

Pesh-kabz The pesh-kabz or peshkabz (, ) is a type of Indo-Persian knife designed to penetrate mail armour and other types of armour.Lexicon of Medieval Knives and Daggers', retrieved 5 July 2011Shackleford, Steve, (ed.), ''Blade's Guide To Knives And Th ...

* Pichangatti *

Sirohi sword The Sirohi sword, or Sirohi talwar, is a traditional Indian weapon originating from the town of Sirohi in Rajasthan. Known for its elegant design, curved blade, and fine steel craftsmanship, it was used by Rajput warriors and other martial grou ...

Talwar The talwar (), also spelled talwaar and tulwar, is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian subcontinent. Etymology and classification The word ''talwar'' originated from the Sanskrit Language, Sanskrit word ''taravāri'' () which means ...

Urumi An urumi is an Indian sword with a flexible, whip-like blade, secretly worn around the waist. Originating in modern-day Kerala, a state in southwestern India, it is thought to have existed from as early as the Sangam period. It is treated as ...

References

{{reflist Weapons of India

Overview

List of Indian swords

See also

References