The ruins of the Vijayanagara Kingdom in Southern India near Hampi/Hospet is of unique construction including carved stone columns carved and tuned to musical notes if you tap on them. I love the content you do about India. Thank you.
Yeah the ruins of a great and mighty Empire. It was only brought down by the arrogance of it's overconfident last King and a coalition of several Muslim states. The final battle involved five armies, and use of gigantic cannons so big that in the 19th and 20th Century the British wanted to take some of these Cannon back to England, but they were so heavy they couldnt do it. You can still see one of these Cannons used by the Sultanates against the Vijaynagara empire, the cannon is called Maalik-e-Maidan "Master of the Battlefield" and it's a huge bombard. Accounts tell us that the last King of the Hindus raised a pile of coins like a large mound of gold and offered it to the soldier who could bring back a sultans head. Meanwhile the Sultan ordered piles of copper coins to be stuffed into the cannons and shot like giant shotguns. The devastating effect left thousands dead but the combined armies of the Sultanates won and Hampi burned for a Month.
yah, I always like when people are cross culturally interested. I think it gives you a more robust perspective on things. Elements that can be seen across culture, as well as elements that are more distinct and unique within cultures. Cause everything has similarities and differences, and learning about them helps you to appreciate and understand things more completely.
@@midshipman8654 No kidding. If I was Benign Dictator of my country I would install compulsory military and civil service and everyone who was capable would go to some horribly underdeveloped place to dig wells so when they came home they would stop complaining about how "hard" they have it in their prosperous, clean, well-developed country. I have traveled a bit including 15 months in India and a month in Sri Lanka over three trips. Perspective is everything. Cheers!
@@AyEhm-ii2dp Some old story. They were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared. I bet you have access to the InterWeb. You could go look it up.
I submit the following definition: Full-ass sword blade - A class of blade of such a length that it is no longer even debatable by any reasonable person that it could be a dagger.
Has Matt (or anybody else) done a video on field use, practical cutting etc with the Katar? A bit of an overview on their use in sparring would be interesting too.
There's a channel named Bayt al asad house of lion which has done multiple katat sparring. Many kalaripayattu videos are there as well which showcase katar sparring or fighting but many are performances as well
Not really about cutting , just as a lance isn't. That doesn't mean no-one hasn't considered that and made one, I've seen some that are curved for slashing etc. but generally think punching through chainmail or ribcages. Checkout scissor katars, they are obviously not meant for cuts, but to deliver poison. Also the languettes can be braced inside a buckler (Khanda) and the spike sticking out, sword in the dominant hand. 🔱🌑
2:50 No Matt they do appear in Sri Lanka, either imports or locally made ones, you can see multiple in the National museum in Colombo, they even have an S type blade or curvy blade one. There’s videos of them on UA-cam too.
Hi Matt. The pronunciation is as below from Wikipedia, and it is correct. Vijayanagara Empire (/vɪˌdʒəjəˈnəɡərə/) p.s (edited) It means City of Vijay or Victory. Established as a backlash to oppression under Delhi Sultante daughter kingdoms, it arose as a saviour of Hindu practices under extremist Muslim rulers (not to be confused with all contemporary muslims, many muslims fought on this side). Was an inspiration for Maratha resurgence too.
Another very interesting example of India's indigenous weaponry being of great variety and uniqueness. You mentioned gauntlets. I'm assuming you refer to dastana? If so, would love to see a video covering them as well as different forms of armor found in the subcontinent (char aina/mirror armor, leather and quilted cloth armor, etc)
Just a slight correction but despite popular misconceptions the Mughals did not bring Islam or Persianate culture to India. The Islamic incursion into India really seriously began for the first time with the Ghaznavid campaigns of 973-1027CE, primarily under Mahmud of Ghazni, and became thoroughly established under Ghurid rule from 1175 onwards-so by the time the Mughals showed up (from about 1519CE onwards) Northern and Central India had been dominated by Islamic, Persianate states for centuries. This is also very much reflected in the Mughal conquests-although the Mughals did fight Hindu powers (notably several Rajput coalitions and the Mahrattas, both of whom proved very difficult to defeat) the vast majority of the enemies the Mughals fought were actually rival Muslim powers-the Delhi Sultanate, the Gujarat Sultanate, Ahmednagar, Bijapur, the Sultanate of Golconda and various Rohilla Afghan principalities scattered throughout Bihar, Awadh and Bengal being among the most notable. The impact of the Mughal arrival in India wasn't so much a issue of cultural or religious incursion, but rather that after a long period of relative disunity and stagnation the quick conquests of the Mughals (powered by the twin factors of advanced gunpowder weaponry and a flood of Central Asian cavalry seeking service in the aftermath of the disintegration of Timurid Central Asia and the rise of the Uzbeks) meant Northern India was suddenly consolidated under a centralised, militarised and expansionist power.
Thanks for that, too many simple minds want to simplify the nuances into a massive clash of religions or colonialism when the issue is far more nuanced.
Just by the grip style they look like they would easily twist in the hand when hitting, its like they need a wrist or forearm strap to keep them straight
They remind me somewhat of the ancient Roman scissor gladiator's armored gauntlet with the protruding blade, to draw a comparison with a different culture.
10:00 They could be but they could very much be a stand alone Sri Lankan hilt design. The vajra type quillons are a common theme in south Asian sword hilts which pre date European contact. The Makara type pommel/handle head is also distinctly south Asian and isn’t found on European swords. And most of all the sword of Mahanaga Rajasinghe Kuruvira Adithya Arsanilaishta housed in the national museum in Colombo, a pre-kastane sword dated to 1416 AD is the oldest surviving representation of the Makara guard, which is also a D shaped knuckle guard. The first European contact was in 1505 by the Portuguese, so that’s 89 years before then. They could also very well have seen European swords and taken aspects of existing Sri Lankan swords to make a new type of sword which became the kastane.
I appreciate that you said the weapons was distinctly indian, to be followed up with saying india is a big place. Well said. Just as you might find uniquely African weapons, though Africa is insanely large. Places like these are not monoliths.
Can someone please answer something for me? Inside of Sikh temples (Gurdwaras), they have little shrines or displays of weapons. My question: What is the technical name for these weapons displays in Gurdwaras? I want to call them "Weapons Rosaries", but that's just based on the name of a book written by a particular Sikh guru. Can someone please tell me the correct term? Thank you!
@@andreweden9405 Generic Sikh, Punjabi term for sacred weapons is "Shastar". Amritvanni (blessed/devotees) are the people who look after the Shastars. If you mean the specific icon with a longsword or Khanda in the middle with a throwing ring chakkar around it and flanked by two Tulwars. That is what is commonly also called the Khanda and when on a flag it's the "Nishan Sahib" or Icon of Sikhs. Sometimes weapons are displayed in that pattern as well
@KhanB4theStorm , Thank you very much for the information! That's more than I knew before. They quite possibly might be called Nishan Sahib. All I know is that, in every Gurdwara I've ever looked at, there will be various little areas where they have several traditional Sikh weapons displayed together, I believe they will sometimes even be in a glass-covered display case. Most of the time these are edged weapons: swords, daggers, chakram, etc. Although, I have seen firearms in some of them, usually the old traditional matchlocks. But I've also seen AR-15s, AK-47s, and various other modern firearms in them as well, presumably being displays from people's individual homes (but I could be wrong). I've also seen flowers included in them as decoration. Anyway, my question is: What is the official term for these weapons displays? Like you said, perhaps it is the "Nishan Sahib". I believe it was Guru Ranjit Singh who wrote a combat treatise called "The Name of the Rosary of Weapons", or something like that. However, I think I may have read somewhere that these weapons displays are also referred to as "Weapons Rosaries". Have you ever heard anything like that? Again, thank you for your information!
@@andreweden9405 Weapons in the Sikh faith are a manifested form of Gods power. They are worshipped as divine and are bowed down to. Without weapons there is no defence against evil. They are the protectors of freedom, honor and righteousness. Weapons are put in different groups to describe their functional properties. For example, "Shaster" and "Aster", shaster can be used as a general term for weapons as well as bladed ones. Aster refers to projectile weapons such as guns, bows and arrows, etc. The Rosary of weapons you refer to is Bani (speech/text) written by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Called Shaster Naam Mala, which translates to the Rosary of Weapon Names. It starts off with recognizing and praising weapons as the divine force that protects from evil. Then continues to name countless different ways to describe weapons. With the largest section being the different attributes and names of guns. I hope this helps. I will link a video below that presents a visual to all of this. Take care. ua-cam.com/video/X70ciiQXK_E/v-deo.htmlsi=Jss4YPgh6OA55PRs
Katars look pretty cool, but ergonomically they look like a nightmare :o I also have a hard time comprehending how you can hit something tough like armor without it twisting in your hand, as you have very little grip on it to keep it straight and prevent it from rotating. Unless the point is that those iron bars digging into your hand flesh is what's meant to keep it in place. Or can your thumb over the top really hold on to it?
Goodness gracious, that is a thick reinforced tip! I wonder if there are any accounts of non lethal takedowns using the flat of the blade, getting knocked upside the head with a backhand?
Would be interested to see a video on the construction of the Katar, as it obviously does not have a tang of any sort, so I'm curious how the blade was connected to the grip.
A video about gauntlets from different cultures would be interesting. There are plenty of videos about weapons and protections for your head and chest, but not about "passive" hand protection.
@@blackfin2389 Thing with a lot of Indian weapons is they are optimized for specific techniques and purposes. The awkward grips on weapons are part of re-enforcing that method in training much the way our Mongol saddles are designed to minimise the time one is sat in them and to encourage the rider to stand on stirrups. Indian swords and daggers have those awkward grips to emphasise a specific motion and there's no other way to drive the "point" of a set of movements home then to make it painful if you try to do any other motion. Awkward yes but it gets the specific job done very well. Much like some modern pistol grips wouldn't work any other way either
I have 2 replica Katar, both made by Windlass as far as I know. One is plain with a wide triangular blade the other had a faux antique brass hilt a bit beefier in design with a flame blade. The flame blade is not forged as such but a triangular blade that had has been put up a belt sander to make the concave parts & as such can only be sharp on the outer edges. I don't know if that was ever done historically but I'm guessing it either wasn't or wasn't typical.
I managed to get my hands on one of the pata sized "full-ass sword blade"d hooded katars this year, a very lucky catch. The weird thing is it has a (European?) backsword blade. Have you ever seen one (or a pata) with such a blade?
@@jellekastelein7316 Pretty common from the 1600s onwards. European blades tended to have more flex generally. Native blades tended to be more stiffened this is a massive generalisation though and sometimes you get the odd exception
@KhanB4theStorm I know the European blades are common... but what I meant is that it is a backsword, rather than a broadsword blade. That seems quite odd for the type. I've only ever seen them with double edged blades. The last 15 cm or so has a false edge, but the rest of it is blunt along the left side of the blade (when holding the sword out pointing away from the body with the hood pointing up).
The Islamic incursions actually happened way back as early as the 8th Century. First the Arabs taking what is now Sindh in Pakistan. Then Turkic invaders in the 10th and 11th Century from what is now Afghanistan conquered all the way up to the Pubjab, culminating in the 12th Century when another wave of Turkic invaders sweeped in and took the whole of North India. The Mughals arrived much much later towards end of medieval age and thry were invited by Rajpoot King Rana Sanga to eject the Turkic Delhi Sultanate. Trouble is Babur was also Turkic and while he destroyed the Delhi Sultanate he didnt leave, rather set his own empire at the cost of Rana Sanga. Sanga had hoped Babur would leave because up to that point Turko Mongol invaders from Central Asia didnt ussually stay in India for long particularly Baburs timurid line. Sikhs rose up during the Mughal era, they were not a Medieval culture but post Medieval.
Just for perspective the Mughals arrived in an already largely islamic ruled North India which had been ruled by the Delhi sultanate for hundreds of years earlier. Ironically while the North of India was ruled by Muslims the population was largely Hindu, meanwhile in Central and South India you had large populations of Muslims, far more numerous than in the North of India but many were living under rule of Hindu kings. It's really in modern age when you get crazy issues of intercommunal unrest over religion. Before that era many conflicts were more over resources and territory grabs.
@KhanB4theStormNo, When Babur attacked in 1526 A.D, only delhi and region around it were ruled by muslim Lodi sultanate along with bengal. But all other regions especially Rajputa were autonomous.
@@factshistory3193 not to mention Deccan Sultanates, Khanates of the West, and some of those Rajput kingdoms you talk about had Muslim rulers too, just as some of the Bengal and Eastern provinces still had Hindu rulers. But nobody questions that the most powerful force in North India was still the Delhi Sultanate that's why Rana Sanga invited Babur hoping he would topple them then leave the throne to Rana, but it didn't work out that way. Lodi was Muslim but many of his troops and generals were Hindu just like Rana was Hindu but many of his best allies and commanders were Muslims. The Mughals had a hard time subduing the Rajput's both Hindu and Muslim ones.
@KhanB4theStorm Are you joking? There was severe religious unrest in those times! If anything it's less today! The Delhi sultanate, Mughal empire etc. destroyed various temples and built mosques on top of them and practiced discriminatory laws based on sharia like the jizya tax on non Muslims throughout various times. Even "secular" minded rulers like Akbar enforced them now and then. There have been various rebelions protesting such discriminatory laws!
Really interesting video Matt. I've recently acquired a wootz Afghan poulwar that needs etching. First time at this so will go slowly maybe with lemon juice?
Vijayanagara is the name of the capital. The empire actually called itself the Karnataka Empire. It was actually formed in early 14th century and lasted in its full glory for 3 centuries with its capital Vijayanagara being the richest city in the World of the time.
What European swords are Sri Lankan Kastane swords influenced by? Mostly talking about it in regards to the hilt, which is what makes a kastane distinct, since a lot of them used import blades.
@@matg919 it's a weird technicality. Antiques, religious weapons and weapons of cultural significance like national dress swords and knives are still allowed. It's like how Scottish folks wear the Sgian Dubh knife. Sikhs and Muslims largely and some Hindu cultures have weapons as an integral part of many customs and ceremonies like weddings, parades and festivals.
@@matg919 The Katar can be classed as a push dagger I suppose though early examples are used more like short swords, particularly for hunting. They were also traditionally a coming of age weapon, you progressed up the ranks and the Katar was a symbol of a noble too
@@fatman4792 join the list for things like decent modern replicas of Tulwars, Ram Daos, Sosun Pattah, Pattisa/Dhund Patta and then you get into the really weird and wonderful stuff like Saenthi, Sahng, Borkadan and Bhuj
its decent for an dagger, wide blade, for maximum damage, straight, unbroken wrist for maximum wrist strength, and stabbing power. Against an wild animal during hunting, its good, but i don't see how its durable at all, it doesn't have an tang
From my experience in SCA and fencing a punch dagger seems like a stupid weapon. You lose all dexterity from your wrist and your fingers. You can't use fingers in SCA because you have to have armored gloves or guards, but wrist mobility is vital. I couldn't even imagine trying to fight with an immobile wrist.
Can we ditch the "X century" thing? It's a commonly, an understandably confused turn of speech that is only taken seriously thanks to it being a French-Latin framing. Saying "1500's" is better in every meaningful way over "16th century". There are *many* things (almost all of it it Romance, btw) that are in our speech *only* to silently state that we're "educated", "sophisticated", "intelligent" - and I do believe this is just another one of those things.
@@Wastelandman7000 he's actually right. Islamic rulers did a lot to improve the lower social orders, the British did even more, sadly India started going downhill for minorities post independence
The ruins of the Vijayanagara Kingdom in Southern India near Hampi/Hospet is of unique construction including carved stone columns carved and tuned to musical notes if you tap on them. I love the content you do about India. Thank you.
Yeah the ruins of a great and mighty Empire. It was only brought down by the arrogance of it's overconfident last King and a coalition of several Muslim states. The final battle involved five armies, and use of gigantic cannons so big that in the 19th and 20th Century the British wanted to take some of these Cannon back to England, but they were so heavy they couldnt do it. You can still see one of these Cannons used by the Sultanates against the Vijaynagara empire, the cannon is called Maalik-e-Maidan "Master of the Battlefield" and it's a huge bombard. Accounts tell us that the last King of the Hindus raised a pile of coins like a large mound of gold and offered it to the soldier who could bring back a sultans head. Meanwhile the Sultan ordered piles of copper coins to be stuffed into the cannons and shot like giant shotguns. The devastating effect left thousands dead but the combined armies of the Sultanates won and Hampi burned for a Month.
yah, I always like when people are cross culturally interested.
I think it gives you a more robust perspective on things. Elements that can be seen across culture, as well as elements that are more distinct and unique within cultures.
Cause everything has similarities and differences, and learning about them helps you to appreciate and understand things more completely.
@@midshipman8654 No kidding. If I was Benign Dictator of my country I would install compulsory military and civil service and everyone who was capable would go to some horribly underdeveloped place to dig wells so when they came home they would stop complaining about how "hard" they have it in their prosperous, clean, well-developed country.
I have traveled a bit including 15 months in India and a month in Sri Lanka over three trips.
Perspective is everything. Cheers!
What happened to these people?!
@@AyEhm-ii2dp Some old story. They were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared and those conquerors were conquered and disappeared.
I bet you have access to the InterWeb. You could go look it up.
9:25 "Like, full-ass sword blades!" I never thought I'd hear Mr. Easton talk so informally lol!
I had to replay that segment to be sure I heard right, thought I was trippin 😂
No kidding, it came out of left field.
"Full-ass sword blades" is a technical term, I take it. :P
I submit the following definition: Full-ass sword blade - A class of blade of such a length that it is no longer even debatable by any reasonable person that it could be a dagger.
It is a sub-class of the broader Freaking Uge sword types
A secondary backup weapon like a dagger, but considered small enough to be considered not even a dress sword
well as Matt once said "if you are going to be anal, go full anal" and I assume a whole ass sword blade would be what you want for that.
Has Matt (or anybody else) done a video on field use, practical cutting etc with the Katar? A bit of an overview on their use in sparring would be interesting too.
There's a channel named Bayt al asad house of lion which has done multiple katat sparring.
Many kalaripayattu videos are there as well which showcase katar sparring or fighting but many are performances as well
Not really about cutting , just as a lance isn't. That doesn't mean no-one hasn't considered that and made one, I've seen some that are curved for slashing etc. but generally think punching through chainmail or ribcages. Checkout scissor katars, they are obviously not meant for cuts, but to deliver poison. Also the languettes can be braced inside a buckler (Khanda) and the spike sticking out, sword in the dominant hand. 🔱🌑
"...that's a quick RUN THROUGH"
I see what you did there.
2:50 No Matt they do appear in Sri Lanka, either imports or locally made ones, you can see multiple in the National museum in Colombo, they even have an S type blade or curvy blade one. There’s videos of them on UA-cam too.
Hi Matt. The pronunciation is as below from Wikipedia, and it is correct.
Vijayanagara Empire (/vɪˌdʒəjəˈnəɡərə/)
p.s (edited) It means City of Vijay or Victory. Established as a backlash to oppression under Delhi Sultante daughter kingdoms, it arose as a saviour of Hindu practices under extremist Muslim rulers (not to be confused with all contemporary muslims, many muslims fought on this side).
Was an inspiration for Maratha resurgence too.
I would love to see Tod testing katars against the srmour of the time
I wonder if the hood is more a response to an increase in hand sniping by longer blades?
Another very interesting example of India's indigenous weaponry being of great variety and uniqueness. You mentioned gauntlets. I'm assuming you refer to dastana? If so, would love to see a video covering them as well as different forms of armor found in the subcontinent (char aina/mirror armor, leather and quilted cloth armor, etc)
Just a slight correction but despite popular misconceptions the Mughals did not bring Islam or Persianate culture to India. The Islamic incursion into India really seriously began for the first time with the Ghaznavid campaigns of 973-1027CE, primarily under Mahmud of Ghazni, and became thoroughly established under Ghurid rule from 1175 onwards-so by the time the Mughals showed up (from about 1519CE onwards) Northern and Central India had been dominated by Islamic, Persianate states for centuries. This is also very much reflected in the Mughal conquests-although the Mughals did fight Hindu powers (notably several Rajput coalitions and the Mahrattas, both of whom proved very difficult to defeat) the vast majority of the enemies the Mughals fought were actually rival Muslim powers-the Delhi Sultanate, the Gujarat Sultanate, Ahmednagar, Bijapur, the Sultanate of Golconda and various Rohilla Afghan principalities scattered throughout Bihar, Awadh and Bengal being among the most notable. The impact of the Mughal arrival in India wasn't so much a issue of cultural or religious incursion, but rather that after a long period of relative disunity and stagnation the quick conquests of the Mughals (powered by the twin factors of advanced gunpowder weaponry and a flood of Central Asian cavalry seeking service in the aftermath of the disintegration of Timurid Central Asia and the rise of the Uzbeks) meant Northern India was suddenly consolidated under a centralised, militarised and expansionist power.
Thanks for that, too many simple minds want to simplify the nuances into a massive clash of religions or colonialism when the issue is far more nuanced.
The mighty punchy stabby
Sometimes the shooty shooty punchy stabby.
Just by the grip style they look like they would easily twist in the hand when hitting, its like they need a wrist or forearm strap to keep them straight
That's an intimidating weapon. The hood gives it a cobra vibe.
While you're doing Indian weapons, I'd love to know more about the madu.
4:31
Quick note, brigandine and mirror armor were also used, but the brigandine had much smaller plates under the fabric than we see in europe
[Parliament didn't like that]
Im really surprised you havent shown off a scissor katar
They remind me somewhat of the ancient Roman scissor gladiator's armored gauntlet with the protruding blade, to draw a comparison with a different culture.
The Cestus! Also a fantastic melee weapon that could leave horrific wounds.
Last time I was this early I still had my Big Stick Energy.
10:00 They could be but they could very much be a stand alone Sri Lankan hilt design. The vajra type quillons are a common theme in south Asian sword hilts which pre date European contact. The Makara type pommel/handle head is also distinctly south Asian and isn’t found on European swords. And most of all the sword of Mahanaga Rajasinghe Kuruvira Adithya Arsanilaishta housed in the national museum in Colombo, a pre-kastane sword dated to 1416 AD is the oldest surviving representation of the Makara guard, which is also a D shaped knuckle guard. The first European contact was in 1505 by the Portuguese, so that’s 89 years before then. They could also very well have seen European swords and taken aspects of existing Sri Lankan swords to make a new type of sword which became the kastane.
I appreciate that you said the weapons was distinctly indian, to be followed up with saying india is a big place. Well said. Just as you might find uniquely African weapons, though Africa is insanely large. Places like these are not monoliths.
Can someone please answer something for me? Inside of Sikh temples (Gurdwaras), they have little shrines or displays of weapons. My question: What is the technical name for these weapons displays in Gurdwaras? I want to call them "Weapons Rosaries", but that's just based on the name of a book written by a particular Sikh guru. Can someone please tell me the correct term? Thank you!
@@andreweden9405 Generic Sikh, Punjabi term for sacred weapons is "Shastar". Amritvanni (blessed/devotees) are the people who look after the Shastars. If you mean the specific icon with a longsword or Khanda in the middle with a throwing ring chakkar around it and flanked by two Tulwars. That is what is commonly also called the Khanda and when on a flag it's the "Nishan Sahib" or Icon of Sikhs. Sometimes weapons are displayed in that pattern as well
@KhanB4theStorm , Thank you very much for the information! That's more than I knew before. They quite possibly might be called Nishan Sahib. All I know is that, in every Gurdwara I've ever looked at, there will be various little areas where they have several traditional Sikh weapons displayed together, I believe they will sometimes even be in a glass-covered display case. Most of the time these are edged weapons: swords, daggers, chakram, etc. Although, I have seen firearms in some of them, usually the old traditional matchlocks. But I've also seen AR-15s, AK-47s, and various other modern firearms in them as well, presumably being displays from people's individual homes (but I could be wrong). I've also seen flowers included in them as decoration. Anyway, my question is: What is the official term for these weapons displays? Like you said, perhaps it is the "Nishan Sahib".
I believe it was Guru Ranjit Singh who wrote a combat treatise called "The Name of the Rosary of Weapons", or something like that. However, I think I may have read somewhere that these weapons displays are also referred to as "Weapons Rosaries". Have you ever heard anything like that? Again, thank you for your information!
@@andreweden9405 Just to let you know the guy you're talking to is racist. Just check his profile pic.
@@andreweden9405 Weapons in the Sikh faith are a manifested form of Gods power. They are worshipped as divine and are bowed down to. Without weapons there is no defence against evil. They are the protectors of freedom, honor and righteousness. Weapons are put in different groups to describe their functional properties. For example, "Shaster" and "Aster", shaster can be used as a general term for weapons as well as bladed ones. Aster refers to projectile weapons such as guns, bows and arrows, etc. The Rosary of weapons you refer to is Bani (speech/text) written by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Called Shaster Naam Mala, which translates to the Rosary of Weapon Names. It starts off with recognizing and praising weapons as the divine force that protects from evil. Then continues to name countless different ways to describe weapons. With the largest section being the different attributes and names of guns. I hope this helps. I will link a video below that presents a visual to all of this. Take care.
ua-cam.com/video/X70ciiQXK_E/v-deo.htmlsi=Jss4YPgh6OA55PRs
Katars look pretty cool, but ergonomically they look like a nightmare :o
I also have a hard time comprehending how you can hit something tough like armor without it twisting in your hand, as you have very little grip on it to keep it straight and prevent it from rotating. Unless the point is that those iron bars digging into your hand flesh is what's meant to keep it in place. Or can your thumb over the top really hold on to it?
Goodness gracious, that is a thick reinforced tip! I wonder if there are any accounts of non lethal takedowns using the flat of the blade, getting knocked upside the head with a backhand?
Would be interested to see a video on the construction of the Katar, as it obviously does not have a tang of any sort, so I'm curious how the blade was connected to the grip.
A video about gauntlets from different cultures would be interesting. There are plenty of videos about weapons and protections for your head and chest, but not about "passive" hand protection.
These would be amazing, with small additions, at breaking the guard and controlling your opponents blade. I feel it would pair quite well a rapier.
The ultimate punch dagger with which I'm familiar is a WW1 trench raiding weapon, a fully enclosed steel mitten with a blade extending from it.
A thought occurred to me, Would a more ergonomic grip make it easier to use or would it further inhibit its range of motion?
@@blackfin2389 Thing with a lot of Indian weapons is they are optimized for specific techniques and purposes. The awkward grips on weapons are part of re-enforcing that method in training much the way our Mongol saddles are designed to minimise the time one is sat in them and to encourage the rider to stand on stirrups. Indian swords and daggers have those awkward grips to emphasise a specific motion and there's no other way to drive the "point" of a set of movements home then to make it painful if you try to do any other motion. Awkward yes but it gets the specific job done very well. Much like some modern pistol grips wouldn't work any other way either
I'm thinking if it was attached to a strap shield it would be terrifying. Even something the size of a buckler would maker it a monster in a fight.
@KhanB4theStorm Good explanation.
I have 2 replica Katar, both made by Windlass as far as I know. One is plain with a wide triangular blade the other had a faux antique brass hilt a bit beefier in design with a flame blade.
The flame blade is not forged as such but a triangular blade that had has been put up a belt sander to make the concave parts & as such can only be sharp on the outer edges. I don't know if that was ever done historically but I'm guessing it either wasn't or wasn't typical.
I managed to get my hands on one of the pata sized "full-ass sword blade"d hooded katars this year, a very lucky catch. The weird thing is it has a (European?) backsword blade. Have you ever seen one (or a pata) with such a blade?
@@jellekastelein7316 Pretty common from the 1600s onwards. European blades tended to have more flex generally. Native blades tended to be more stiffened this is a massive generalisation though and sometimes you get the odd exception
@KhanB4theStorm I know the European blades are common... but what I meant is that it is a backsword, rather than a broadsword blade. That seems quite odd for the type. I've only ever seen them with double edged blades. The last 15 cm or so has a false edge, but the rest of it is blunt along the left side of the blade (when holding the sword out pointing away from the body with the hood pointing up).
vi-ja-ya-na-ga-ra, where all the 'a' are pronounced as schwa, and the r is a tap
@@kiraviolet yes that's right 👍
Are all the "grip bars" straight?
Seems like it would be more ergonomic to have them slightly canted, kinda like the grip of a pistol.
Thank you for the video
Could be used as a faux shield in ones off hand with that hood. Fact possibly reinforced by the catching scroll at the bottom of the hood.
The Islamic incursions actually happened way back as early as the 8th Century. First the Arabs taking what is now Sindh in Pakistan. Then Turkic invaders in the 10th and 11th Century from what is now Afghanistan conquered all the way up to the Pubjab, culminating in the 12th Century when another wave of Turkic invaders sweeped in and took the whole of North India. The Mughals arrived much much later towards end of medieval age and thry were invited by Rajpoot King Rana Sanga to eject the Turkic Delhi Sultanate. Trouble is Babur was also Turkic and while he destroyed the Delhi Sultanate he didnt leave, rather set his own empire at the cost of Rana Sanga. Sanga had hoped Babur would leave because up to that point Turko Mongol invaders from Central Asia didnt ussually stay in India for long particularly Baburs timurid line. Sikhs rose up during the Mughal era, they were not a Medieval culture but post Medieval.
Just for perspective the Mughals arrived in an already largely islamic ruled North India which had been ruled by the Delhi sultanate for hundreds of years earlier.
Ironically while the North of India was ruled by Muslims the population was largely Hindu, meanwhile in Central and South India you had large populations of Muslims, far more numerous than in the North of India but many were living under rule of Hindu kings. It's really in modern age when you get crazy issues of intercommunal unrest over religion. Before that era many conflicts were more over resources and territory grabs.
Very true
@KhanB4theStormNo, When Babur attacked in 1526 A.D, only delhi and region around it were ruled by muslim Lodi sultanate along with bengal. But all other regions especially Rajputa were autonomous.
@@factshistory3193 not to mention Deccan Sultanates, Khanates of the West, and some of those Rajput kingdoms you talk about had Muslim rulers too, just as some of the Bengal and Eastern provinces still had Hindu rulers. But nobody questions that the most powerful force in North India was still the Delhi Sultanate that's why Rana Sanga invited Babur hoping he would topple them then leave the throne to Rana, but it didn't work out that way. Lodi was Muslim but many of his troops and generals were Hindu just like Rana was Hindu but many of his best allies and commanders were Muslims. The Mughals had a hard time subduing the Rajput's both Hindu and Muslim ones.
@KhanB4theStorm Are you joking? There was severe religious unrest in those times! If anything it's less today! The Delhi sultanate, Mughal empire etc. destroyed various temples and built mosques on top of them and practiced discriminatory laws based on sharia like the jizya tax on non Muslims throughout various times. Even "secular" minded rulers like Akbar enforced them now and then. There have been various rebelions protesting such discriminatory laws!
Very functional, would like to buy one
That old one you show second/first just screams anti armor, with the long, narrow, reinforced blade.
Really interesting video Matt. I've recently acquired a wootz Afghan poulwar that needs etching. First time at this so will go slowly maybe with lemon juice?
Vijayanagara is the name of the capital. The empire actually called itself the Karnataka Empire. It was actually formed in early 14th century and lasted in its full glory for 3 centuries with its capital Vijayanagara being the richest city in the World of the time.
What European swords are Sri Lankan Kastane swords influenced by? Mostly talking about it in regards to the hilt, which is what makes a kastane distinct, since a lot of them used import blades.
"Italy 1480" type hilt guard on that, I guess
@ Italy 1480 type? Never heard of that, got any references?
I've been thinking about trying to get a custom one made for myself. (I don't trust myself with antiques.)
Diablo 2 assasociations intensify.
As long as we don't start calling them "Military Katar"
Are they not illegal here in the UK as push daggers or are antiques exempt?
@@matg919 it's a weird technicality. Antiques, religious weapons and weapons of cultural significance like national dress swords and knives are still allowed. It's like how Scottish folks wear the Sgian Dubh knife. Sikhs and Muslims largely and some Hindu cultures have weapons as an integral part of many customs and ceremonies like weddings, parades and festivals.
@@matg919 The Katar can be classed as a push dagger I suppose though early examples are used more like short swords, particularly for hunting. They were also traditionally a coming of age weapon, you progressed up the ranks and the Katar was a symbol of a noble too
You have an excellent channel 🇬🇧 🇳🇿
Another invention (in war melee category) to the #TimelineOfMankind project
Are they legal in England? Does ARGOS sell them and for how much?
Antiques are fine
Argos doesn't tend to sell antiques, generally what they do sell is low quality and targeted towards the least affluent of people.
Answer: yes it is
When will you cover Katars in your channel?
I've mentioned them a few times@josecoronadonieto6911
We are going to need the amazing Sikh warriors again very soon.
I really want to learn how to fight with a weapon like this.
I suspect it mostly involves punching.
That's going to sting
Ill keep saying windlass collab to produce sone katars?
There are almost no good reproductions of such blades
@@fatman4792 join the list for things like decent modern replicas of Tulwars, Ram Daos, Sosun Pattah, Pattisa/Dhund Patta and then you get into the really weird and wonderful stuff like Saenthi, Sahng, Borkadan and Bhuj
I like how unique the katar were in their time.
its decent for an dagger, wide blade, for maximum damage, straight, unbroken wrist for maximum wrist strength, and stabbing power. Against an wild animal during hunting, its good, but i don't see how its durable at all, it doesn't have an tang
Ultimate is the scissor Katar.
Indian weapons are so cool!
Still asking for that pesky Zaghnal though
Aren't these explicitly illegal in britain because they're punch daggers?
I'm not sure about the current British laws but most weapon bans will have exemptions for antiques.
@@gitman3486 Antique and religious ceremonial and dress weapons are still passable.
Who loves Willow?
German blades seem to be every where
Will have to watch this later. It's something I requested more than once.
Yay!!!
One of my favourite nations to play in eu4. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom there in there
Make one on khanda
Backstab 3X damage.
Yo
Love that weapon in blade and sorcery, it's not hooded but so much fun!
From my experience in SCA and fencing a punch dagger seems like a stupid weapon. You lose all dexterity from your wrist and your fingers. You can't use fingers in SCA because you have to have armored gloves or guards, but wrist mobility is vital. I couldn't even imagine trying to fight with an immobile wrist.
I love katar! But they're illegal in canada... stupid...
Have you looked into collectors permits for antiques?
We've got them here right next to you in the States, so...close, but no katar!😂
Go back to 3rd world!
I feel for you. Then again weapons laws are usually politicians virtue signaling, so expecting them to be rational isn't going to happen.
Those particular weapons are so cool. They deserve more attention in fantasy and historical media.
Shorty Wanna Be A Thug.
After 1000 AD the muslims ruled at least north of India more often an konger than Hindus.
Perfect offhand for a pata
👁💘🔱🌑
Can we ditch the "X century" thing? It's a commonly, an understandably confused turn of speech that is only taken seriously thanks to it being a French-Latin framing. Saying "1500's" is better in every meaningful way over "16th century". There are *many* things (almost all of it it Romance, btw) that are in our speech *only* to silently state that we're "educated", "sophisticated", "intelligent" - and I do believe this is just another one of those things.
Looks like something Immortan Joe would use to pop open his Hawaiian Punch out in the post apocalyptic wasteland
Looks like a Michael Myers Special
Stupid weapon that is incredibly weak against side forces.
Has zero advantages.
Lots of Hindu lower caste people got a better deal being a Muslim.
*shrug* We weren't there, but you're probably right. (I'm kind of skeptical about everything now.
@@Wastelandman7000 he's actually right. Islamic rulers did a lot to improve the lower social orders, the British did even more, sadly India started going downhill for minorities post independence
Your videos always lift my mood and make me forget about problems. Thank you for your ability to make us happy!🔷👅🌓