KOFTGIRI

The Weaponry Craft

Amal C Vijay
KOFTGIRI
The Weaponry Craft

Amal C Vijay

kerala state institute of design

kollam,kerala
 Copyright 2020
Student Publication meant for private
circlation only. All rights reserved.
P.G Diploma,
Design, 2018-2020,
IT Intergrated Communication
Kerala State Institute of Design,
Kerala, India.
No part of this document must be
reporduced in any form in any means
without permission from publisher,
Amal C Vijay and
Kerala State Institute of Design.
All illustrations and photographs are
copyright by respective
organization/Individual.
Edited and Design by
Amal C Vijay
cvijayamal@gmail.com
Processed at:
Kerala State Institute of Design
Kerala
India
www.ksid.ac.in
“A mind needs books as as a sword needs a
whetstone, if it is to keep its edge”
Preface
Rajasthan is rich and replete with crafts traditions which are embedded and enmeshed
within its cultural fabric. Popularity of these crafts is well established and recognized
worldwide. But there are certain crafts which are either extinct or are on the verge of
becoming extinct. There is thus an immediate necessity of systematic record,
documentation and research of these craft practices, mainly to celebrate time-honoured
indigenous skills and practices. There is thus an immediate
necessity of systematic record, documentation and research
of these craft practices, mainly to celebrate time-honoured indigenous skills and
practices. This document is a compilation of the various crafts which are Languishing due to
various reasons. Several trips were made to obtain
first hand information about the crafts, their artists,
materials, techniques and historic aspects. The document is well structured and it is
hoped shall become a valuable reference material for all interested.
Aknowledgement
The completion of this documentation would not have been possible without the genuine
help and suggestions given by our guides, colleagues, friends, and our families. I want to
thank of KSID as an institute to provide us with an opportunity to have this experience.
I would like to thank Mrs. Radhika Prasad, the course mentor and our coordinator, Mr. Leenus L K for the
mentorship and his guidance, I would like to thanks my dear friends Vishnu and Anjali for their time and help,
special thanks to Dharmendar Singh, Anil Kumar and his family I interacted with, for their patience and wisdom.
Finally, I would like to thank our family for their constant support and motivation.
Content
1. Introduction 12. Products

2. History 13. Dagger

3. Global Presence 14. Katar

4. Geographical Location 15. Swords

5. The Jorney to Rajasthan 16. Other Weapon

6. Udaipur the city of lakes 17. Mokume

7. Practicionar Community 18. Damascus

8. Tools 19. Challenges

9. Techniques 20. Market

10. How it is made 21. References

11. Design and Motifs 22. Credits

INTRODUCTION
K oftgiri is a type of deco-
ration originating in India
with the Mughals as a means
to decorate arms and weapon-
ry. It can be both an inlay and
overlay art. The word Koftgiri
refers to the action of “beat-
ing” the pattern into the iron,
an art of inlaying light metal
on a dark one to provide a sur-
face with an ornamental ap-
pearance with elaborate and
lavish chiselling gold or silver
leaf. For this craft the term Koft
is applied, and the workperson
is known as a Koftgar (a gild-
er) and the trade as Koftgari.
Koftgiri motifs are tradition-
al with lots of lines and curves
which is possible with the
handling of Gold and Silver
wire. The specialty of Koftgi-
ri is that the whole design is
produced mainly by wire.
Main materials are sourced
from karkhanas at Ajmer and
Bhilwara, and then manually
created into desired forms us-
ing the essential tools. As this
craft is labour intensive
both women and men are
involved in the process.
While thewomen do the ini-
tial preparation of the mate-
rial, final finish and packag-
ing of the objects, the men
do most of the heavy man-
ual labour and decoration.
Primarily Koftgiri craft was
used in creating handles of
swords and daggers and articles
of utility such as boxes, cutlery,
hunting knives, etc. Until
a hundred years or so ago,
Koftgiri was widely used by
the Gadi-Lohars, the traditional
armourers of Rajasthan, to
create a range of weaponry
and armour for the use of
their Rajput clientele, the
tradition has become
obsolete now.
Rajasthan State is known for
its valour and warriors and is
also popular for its arms made
of iron and steel. In the past
the wars were fought man to
man in field with conventional
weapons like sword,
spear and daggers.
Craftsmen in large
numbers were employed
throughout the erstwhile State
of Rajasthan to manufacture
these weapons. The arms
produced by them were
of high quality and proved
their worth in the battles.
Thousands of weapons in the
collection of various museums
in Rajasthan give us the
glimpse of their skill. The swords
and other arms of Maharana
Pratap displayed in the
museum at Udaipur are
masterpiece examples of this
craft. Two peculiarly Rajput
weapons, the Katar and the
gauntlet were introduced during
the service of Rajput prince
with the Mughals kings.
Ain-e-akbari also mentions these
well-crafted war objects and
weapons. It is observed that
during the later part of the 15th
century the Rajput warriors
adopted the arms used by the
Mughals as they had shown
superiority in the earlier
wars. The typical arms of Rajput
soldiers were spearheads,
elephant goads, swords and
long battle axes.
Arrow heads produced
here were like miniature
spearheads with and
without barbs or half-moon or
flower shaped. Sirohi, Udaipur,
Jodhpur and Jaipur were
the many producing centres
of these weapons in the past
.
In recent times these crafted
objects are seen only on the
occasion of Dussehra when
these weapons are worshiped
by the Rajput community.
Although elite houses of the
region still commission kofatgiri
arms and swords for ritual
display, this craft is mostly
seen as decorative curios
made for the antique dealers
and interior decorators.
HISTORY Koftgiri motifs are traditional
with lots of lines and curves
Metal craft is synonymous with
Indian civilization and culture.
which is possible with the Metal craft in India dates
Koftgiri is a type of decoration
handling of Gold and Silver as far as 3000 BC. A variety of
originating in India with
wire. The specialty of Koftgiri metals- copper, bronze, silver,
the Mughals as a means to gold, iron, and bell metalbegan
is that the whole design is
decorate arms and weaponry. to be used as soon as they
produced mainly by wire.
It can be both an inlay and were discovered by humankind.
Main materials are sourced
overlay art. The word Koftgiri
from karkhanas at Ajmer and
refers to the action of “beating” Metal are used across a variety
Bhilwara, and then manually
the pattern into the iron, an of applications in the Indian
created into desired forms
art of inlaying light metal civilization and culture- from
using the essential tools. As this
on a dark one to provide a surface religion to war to everyday
craft is labour intensive
with an ornamental appearance life to various occupations
both women and men are
with elaborate and lavish to royal mints. Pots, pans,
involved in the process. utensils, knives, sickles, boxes
chiselling gold or silver leaf.
of storage, artillery, arrows,
While the women do the initial swords, armour, coins,
For this craft the term Koft is
preparation of the material, musical instruments, idols- the
applied, and the workperson is
final finish and packaging list is endless.
known as a Koftgar (a gilder)
of the objects, the men do
and the trade as Koftgari.
most of the heavy manual
labour and decoration.
GLOBAL This craft has originated with
Mughals –some 500-700 years
PRESENCE ago which vanished after
sometimes. Sikligar community
restored the craft and brought
it to Chittorgarh, which
later on, shifted to Udaipur
and at present 5th generation
is practising the craft.
Although in medieval times
there were artisans from Punjab
and Gujarat also who were
experts in making this craft of
kofatgiri in which the object
seems to endeavour to hide
the ground by a wearisome
superabundance of meaningless
ornament.

Historicals the Ain-i-Akbari

enumerates kofatgiri as one
of the arts practiced in the
Imperial Court.
The Mughal Emperor .
Akbar encouraged the arts,
and probably under his
influence many new ones
were developed, while foreign
workmen were induced to
settle in the country. Under
his patronage, however, much
improvement took place. In
several of the illustrations of
arms from Mugal and Persian
period we find, especially a
sword hilt, this mode
of ornamentation is
beautifully shown.

Nowadays, Pakistan, China

and USA are able to produce
the base steel i.e., Wootz steel
but still are unable to produce
the wire work of Koftgiri.
Hence making this craft
unique to Rajasthan
GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATION
Koftgiri is traditional craft as it
is practiced in Mewar district
since decades. This craft can
be seen in Jaipur and Udaipur
nowadays. In Jaipur, Koftgiri
can be seen in the importexport
market. Whereas, Udai-
pur, is where clusters are
found where Koftgiri is
practiced.
Once a proper quality is
achieved the product is highly
sought after. At time when the
craft is used for commercial
production there are still lots
of artisans who practice this
craft and use these commer-
cial productions for enhancing
Koftgiri is not a seasonal With the changing time the
craft. their expertise, but the work pattern has also changed
market is definitely very small. as in the earlier times all
workers used to complete the
There are not much specific work in a single unit. Nowadays,
changes in the production they take the pieces to
units, which use the age old their home.
techniques to create and Koftgiri is a twelve-month
practice Kofatgiri craft. craftwork. But sometimes it is
In the earlier times the artisans difficult to work in rainy season
used to create their own as during Monsoon, while
design which used to be 100% working sometimes corrosion
wire work. Nowadays, on the takes place. Hence the
basis of order and designs production is low
that are provided by the client, during this period.
the artisan works. Within these
contemporary practices a
little bit of die cut work is also
used in the process of Kofatgiri.
Hence making it easier to
mass produce and make the
craft more affordable.
.

Other Regions in Rajasthan

Koftgiri practicing areas
 The Journey To

Rajasthan
Known as the city of Forts
and Palaces and the Land
of the place where both the
history and the present co
exist. It is among the richest
states in the among the
richest states in the coun-
try so far as the field of arts
and crafts in concerned
Every day many tourists
not only from India but
from all over the world visit
Rajasthan and experience
the grandeur of this place.
The use of lively colours
and fantasy designs is dis-
tinctintive in all forms of
arts and crafts of Rajasthan.

.
UDAIPUR city of Lakes

rj27
Udaipur is a small city in
the western Indian state of
Rajasthan, formerly the capital of
the Rajput kingdom of Mewar.
Founded by Udai Singh II in
1559, it is set around a series
of artificial lakes and known
for its lavish palaces.
Udaipur is also very rich in
minerals and metals that
come from the surrounding
Aravalis. This makes Udaipur
one of the most lucrative
places for the development of
crafts such as stone work,
metal work- especially
damascening and engraving.
The craftsmen of Rajasthan,
Udaipur especially, have al-
ways shown exceptional skill in
engraving, chasing and orna-
menting of metal articles of
everyday and decorative use,
along with weaponry. It might
be important to remember
that none of these artisans
were natives of Udaipur. How-
ever, they have found a con-
ducive climate and favourable
atmosphere for
their crafts to follow
PRACTITIONAR
COMMUNITY
The craft is growing; the new
inventions and combination
of patterns are highly sought
after in this trade and arti-
sans who are highly skilled
are always in demand. So, the
growth is restricted to skilled
persons or to wealthy persons.
The skilled labour thus is
shrinking as in present situa-
tion in economic inflations the
earning are not so much to
support the lively hood of the
artisans so they are migrating
to other green pastures for bet-
ter lively hood, such as build-
ing construction and factory
labour.
The people who practiced
this craft form were known as
Sikligars. They are blacksmiths,
who perform a very specific
task of making and polishing of
arms used in war. During the
times of the kings, they were
asked to keep making weapons
continuously throughout
the year, so that there is no dearth
of weapons during the war.
And when war
happened, they would move
with the king to the battlefield,
where they would repair
and polish the weapons
as per requirements.
In a time when caste was
the basis of craft practices,
Sikligars were a hereditary
category.However, the current
batch of artisans that are
practicing this art, have learnt
it out of interest and curios-
ity. It is very heartening to
know that these artisans are
leading a much fulfilled life
while earning through the craft.
Anil Kumar aka Lalit Ji and his family
He is having a big join family which
consist of his parents, his wife and
and three children His family be- There is a chance that this
longs to the sikilgars community. craft could be extinct.
His father Kanhya Lal who Lalit is leading a very
was doing Koftgiri works happy family man Lalit is tak-
is now helping his son. He ing care of his Dad’s business.
was doing Koftgiri from According todays trends as he
his childhood. is doing it only in online. He is
They are following their an- selling his products through
cestors work dfor generation ebay and also he is concerned
and still irt is continuing to the more about his foreign cus-
future. Mann the youngest of tomers as he earns more. He is
Lalits family who is studying tryuing to develop his online
in higher secondary is inter- customers by making a web-
ested in doing some business site called Mokume Media.
in his future.He knows
all the process in mak-
ing koftgiri but he is
confused that hew has
to take this work for-
ward in his future as a
career.His other two
daughters Akshi and
her sister is doing
a different career.
TOOLS
• Hammer ( Hathodi)
• Salai
•Aron – Ground Hammer.
• Angle
• Cheerapatti (a tool to cut wire
• Measuring tape
or patti)
• Fevicol
• Sheet cutter
• Sheet measuring tool
• Pencil Chirni-The tool for hatching the
• Gopni (tool for polishing
• Hand drill surface
the surface)
• Buffing machine
• Compass
• Chisels (Tankla)
• Marker
• Knife (chirni)
• Burner
• Clamp
• Hakik stone
• Furnace

Silver and wire inlay(cheerapatti)

 Marking tool

Gopni (tool for polishing the

surface)

Tools used for marKing

TECHNIQUES •Teh-tula: a gold or silver foil
is hammered onto a cross-
Repeated heating and rubbing
assures the soft gold is spread
There are three Koftgiri tech- hatch or punched surface. This evenly and fixed firmly to the
niques: is more of an overlay art. You surface. A variation is to apply
can feel the gold/silver on a paste of gold and mercury
•Te-hen-shah or “Deep in-
the objects. The pattern just instead of gold leaf.
lay”: a pattern is carved into
a blade and the silver wire is looks embossed.
Subsequent heating vaporizes
hammered into the undercut
Another technique called the mercury leaving only the gold
grooves. You can’t feel the fixed to the surface pattern..
pattern on the blade. This is “Mulamma” is thought of as
In each case, the craftsperson
simply called “inlay”. imitation Koftgari. It is a way of
uses one or more techniques
gold plating (gliding) on steel.
to erase the cross hatching
•Traditional Koftgari: a cross- Like Koftgiri, the surface to
where it is not holding silver
hatching pattern drawn be gilded is crosshatched. The
or gold to the surface. De-
on the blade with a sharp pattern is drawn with the silai pending on the skill of the
implement (“Silai”, a hard and then very thin gold leave craftsman, this may be more
steel needle) followed by is applied and rubbed with or less successful and it is of-
heating and pressing with a an agate stone, bone, ten possible to see some cross
polish hakik stone. You or an ivory burnisher. hatching remaining even
can feel the pattern on very high quality items.
The various process is described 5. Gaat (scratches on Since the cuts on the metal
below ;- the mould) is prepared. are not as deep as with inlay,
the soft metal decoration can
1.Moulds of blades and 6. Through chiselling, pat- wear over time with use there-
handles are prepared. tern is created on Gaat. fore it is possible produce
much more elaborate designs
2. Chiselling is done to create 7. Then Gaat is baked un- with inlay.
the pattern. til it turns blue in colour for
the visibility of the wire while
3. The shape of the handle is cut doing Koftgiri.
out from iron sheet of 18-20 gazes.
8. For completing the pattern
4. Using Aron and Hathodi two-three days could take.
the cut pieces are given shape
of the handle. The pieces are 9. After completion Gopni and
joined through welding. (The jade stone is used for polishing.
beating process is often pre- A wide range of articles is pro-
ferred for bell – metal and duced in this technique both
copper particularly some- for ornamental purpose and
times as it is believed to make for utility. Elegant picturization is
the object more durable.) also done sometimes in Koftagiri.
HOW IT IS
MADE
Step by step process
Iron or steal sheet is first cut as per the shape. One requires
both positive and negative then they are welded and
finishing is done with filer.
Once the handle is made and the finishing is done it is
buffed on the buffing machine.The cut steel is moulded
into the form of sword’s handle.
The positive and negative side is prepared for welding.
Welding is done to join the pieces.
Buffing is done after all these process.
After this it is baked, till it turns blue so
that pattern of gold and silver is easily visible.
Before doing Koftgiri craft the handle is heated until it turns
blue so that one can easily make designs and pattern on blue
colored surface.
Craftsman start laying thin silver wires for making outlines
thin silver wires for making outlines of the pattern.
Pressing the wire with a pointed tool called salai fixes
them in the etched grooves.
After the outline the main motives are made and then
filled with closely placed gold or silver wires.
Artisans now a day’s use readymade leaves or patterns
of silver and gold, which they bring from Delhi or Jaipur.
Then fine marking is done with a help of a sharp
tool and a slight depression is made or guidelines.
Chittai is done if required by putting rall and
then beating the surface.
Then they have a complete finished handle and
then dagger is attached then they heat
the whole thing ones and after that with the
help of knife (chirni) they hatch the surface
very close and cross- hatched pattern are made.
Heating and pressing process is done. Ones the motifs
are filled and correction is done, the borders are removed
and then artisans again heat the area where inlay work is
done so that it settles down.They wait for it to cool for 8-10
minutes.The product or article is heated and pressed
well so that there is no chance for it to come out after
that the artisans rubs it with hakik stone for a finished
polish.Most of their work is done by handsand thus it’s too
time taking.
Ornamentation done on knife no dye is used only silver
wire is used. Neem patta motif are used in most of the
leaf designs.
DESIGN and
MOTIFS
Every country has its own His-
tory and the History of Rajas-
than revolves around warriors
and Royal People who com-
monly used weapons and ob-
ject d’art to show their pomp
and glamour. Since the Ko-
fatgiri craft is connected with
making of arms and armour it
gives a sense of Royalty and
Glamour and leads to the
Heritage. The motifs too are
hence related to traditional prac-
tices/ religion/ rituals of Rajasthan.
Koftgiri represents the rich-
ness through daggers, swords
and other products of royal
Rajasthan and India.
Koftgiri represents the rich-
ness through daggers, swords
and other products of royal
Rajasthan and India. As the
lineage of this craft can be
traced from Persia and Mughal
time period, the motifs of
this craft also are related to
the Persian, the Mughals and
the imperial Hindu religion.
Kofatgiri craft is mostly con-
centrated within the region
of Mewar in Rajasthan with
rituals that are far different and
unique from any other area.
Thus Koftgiri represents the
royal beauty of Mewar dis-
trict in form of daggers and
sword created by the Sikligari
community in Mewar dis-
trict who are the Lohars
particularly working on arms and
armours.
There are various designs mo-
tifs created in respect to the
things that the artisans love and
care about which are their pets
which include horses, parrots,
eagles, goats etc.. Another type
of design trend was the carv-
ings of huntings and the animals
which were hunted by them.
The designs carved by the the ar-
tisans who were in present India
and the artisans came from per-
sia where different. The artisans
from persia were using a kind of
arabic and islamic patterns and
scripts .
But the one which were
common in both of them were
the idea of adapting from nature.
Koftgiri signifies the royal
heritage of Mewar district.
The motifs used in Kofatgi-
ri are inspired from the Mu-
ghal art and Mewar art. The
decoration is mainly focused
on the floral patterns within
this the most common motif is
the Neem patta.

Nowadays, the motifs used in

Koftgiri are being contempo-
rized as per orders and clients
requirement. These contem-
porary designs use bits of dye
cut work which resembles
with the craft of Andhra
Pradesh, Bird wire.
PRODUCTS
A wide range of articles is
produced in this technique both
for ornamental purpose and
for utility. Elegant picturization is
also done sometimes in Koftagiri.
Most common articles are
Daggers, Swords, Shields,
Armour and Decorative items like
small Animals, Mirrors, Photo
frames and accessories like
coat buttons or bracelet.

The sale of Kofatgiri craft is

affected by season and festival,
thus affecting the selling as
the demand of decorative
items increases from the
countries like Arab countries.
Although the craftperson are
skilled to create the tradi-
tional article yet as more and
more artisans are working
according to the client’s de-
sign, the artisans are hence
adapting their craft practice
to produce boxes, cutlery,
hunting knives, survival knives
and many more small arti-
cle mostly used for souvenirs
Unlike the urban centres, in
the villages of Rajasthan such
as Chittorgarh, hardly people
come to buy old weapons. Most
of the customers come to ar-
tisan’s shops in Chatter, but
there are still not enough to
get by. As a result, many fami-
lies have started to adapt their
skills and make other objects
out of iron that can be used because it is the only way they
by people in the village, like can continue to work
cooking utensils, or everyday
essentials for crops and rearing
animals. Daily customers
from the village provide them
with a constant flow of income.
As mentioned above within the
city the artisans are starting
to change their focus, and
target a different kind of
consumer for eg. designing a
picture frame on paper cast and
then carve out of iron, or
brass to make the craft more
budget friendly so that more
people can afford to buy it.
Thus the artisan’s families
are always evolving this
craft, with metal and survive.

DAGGER
A dagger is a knife with a very
sharp point and usually two
sharp edges, typically designed
or capable of being used as a
thrusting or stabbing weapon.
Daggers have been used
throughout human history for
close combat confrontations,
and many cultures have used
adorned daggers in ritual and
ceremonial contexts. The
distinctive shape and historic
usage of the dagger have made
it iconic and symbolic. A dagger
in the modern sense is a weapon
designed for close-proximity
combat or self-defense; due
to its use in historic weapon
assemblages, it has associations
with assassination and murders.
Double-edged knives, however, Other than daggers
play different sorts of roles in
koftgiri works are done in
different social contexts. In
some cultures, they are neither all of these items
a weapon nor a tool, but a
potent symbol of manhood; in · Dagger
others they are ritual objects
used in body modifications
· Cutter
such as circumcision · Buttons
A wide variety of thrusting knives · Swords
have been described as daggers, · Weapons
including knives that feature
only a single cutting edge, such · Small and big knifes
as the European rondel dagger
or the Persian pesh-kabz, or,
· Candle stand
in some instances, no cutting · Plates
edge at all, such as the stiletto
of the Renaissance. However, · Pen holders
in the last hundred years or so, · Containers
in most contexts, a dagger has
certain definable characteristics, · Belt buckles
· Hookah
including a short blade with a
sharply tapered point, a central
spine or fuller, and usually two
cutting edges sharpened the full
length of the blade, or nearly so
Most daggers also feature a
full crossguard to keep the
hand from riding forwards onto
the sharpened blade edges.

KATAR
The katar or katara is a type of
push dagger from the Indian
subcontinent.The weapon is
characterized by its H-shaped
horizontal hand grip which re-
sults in the blade sitting above
the user’s knuckles. Unique to
the Indian subcontinent, it is the
most famous and characteristic
of Indian daggers.Ceremonial
katars were also used in worship.
The katar was created in South-
ern India,its earliest forms be-
ing closely associated with the
14th-century Vijayanagara Em-
pire.It may have originated with
the mustika, a method of hold-
ing a dagger between the mid-
dle and index fingerstill used in
kalaripayattu and gatka today.
The real name of this is “Kidaari”
is from the ancient Tamil ware-
fare class of weapons. Kidaari
derived from the term “Ke-
dayam Ari” meaning the shield
slippter in tamil. The name indi-
cates this weapon being used
to break down shield walls of
enimies and armours. The weap-
on was used by the Tamil in-
fantry units aka “Kaalatpadai”.
This falls under the “mushtikai”
class of the weapon system.
“Mushti” means the fingers
closed and “kai” means arm.
This weapon is majorly used
in closed combat. A Tamil king
will be gifted with a golden
Kidari as a token of loyalty
from the Kaalatpadai General.
This falls under the “mushtikai”
class of the weapon system.
“Mushti” means the fingers
This falls under the “mushti-
kai” class of the weapon sys-
tem. “Mushti” means the fin-
gers closed and “kai” means
arm. This weapon is majorly
used in closed combat. A Tamil
king will be gifted with a gold-
en Kidari as a token of loyalty
from the Kaalatpadai Gener-
al. It is worn as a symbol of re-
spect by the king to the soldiers
who lay down their lifes for him
in war without any hesitation.
Later Chatrpathi Shivaji was
gifted with a Kidaari during
his conquest to Tamil Nadu.
A specific type of dagger might
have been designed for this, as
maustika is described vaguely
as a “fist dagger” in the arsenal
list of Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.
As the weapon spread through-
out the region it became some-
thing of a status symbol, much
like the Southeast Asian kris or
the Japanese katana. Princes
and nobles were often portrayed
wearing a katar at their side.
This was not only a precau-
tion for self-defense, but also
meant to show their wealth
and position. Upper-class Ra-
jputs and Mughals would even
hunt tigers with a pair of katar.
For a hunter to kill a tiger with
such a short-range weapon
was considered the surest sign
of bravery and martial skill.

This was not only a precaution for

self-defense, but also meant to
show their wealth and position.
Upper-class Rajputs and Mu-
ghals would even hunt ti-
gers with a pair of katar.
For a hunter to kill a tiger with
such a short-range weapon
was considered the surest sign
of bravery and martial skill.
Modern katar designs may in-
clude single-shot pistols built
into either side of the weapon.
In the 18th century, some tra-
ditional katar were refurbished
with this innovation. The pis-
tols are meant to deal the killing
blow after the weapon has been
thrust into the enemy. The katar
ceased to be in common use by
the 19th century, though they
were still forged for decorative
purposes. During the 18th and
19th century, a distinctive group
of katar were produced at Bundi
in Rajasthan. They were ornately
crafted and their hilts were cov-
ered in gold foil. These katar were
shown at the Great Exhibition of
1851 in Crystal Palace, London.
Since then, the weap-
on has sometimes been
mistakenly referred to in
English as a “Bundi dagger”.
The basic katar has a short, wide,
triangular blade. Its peculiarity
lies in the handle which is made
up of two parallel bars connect-
ed by two or more cross-pieces,
one of which is at the end of the
side bars and is fastened to the
blade. The remainder forms the
handle which is at right angle to
the blade. Some handles have
long arms extending across the
length of the user’s forearm. The
handle is generally of all-steel
construction and is forged in one
piece together with the blade.
The blade, typically measuring
30–90 cm (12–35 in) in length,
is usually cut with a number of
fullers. Most katar have straight
blades, but in south India they
are commonly wavy.South Indi-
an blades are often made broad
at the hilt and taper in straight
lines to the point, and elaborately
ribbed by grooves parallel to the
edges. Occasionally the blades
are slightly curved, making
them suited for slashing attacks.
Some blades are forked into
two points, which would later
develop into the scissors katar.
The force of a katar thrust could
be so great that many blades
were thickened at the point to
prevent them from bending or
breaking. This also strengthened
heir use against mail. All katar
with thickened tips are common-
ly described as “armour-pierc-
ing”, but it is likely that only nar-
row and slender blades made
this function possible. Such a
weapon was capable of piercing
textile, mail, and even plate ar-
mor. This quality was preferred
for warfare, where an opponent
was more likely to be armor-clad,
as opposed to single combat.
Their use against mail. All katar
with thickened tips are common-
ly described as “armour-pierc-
ing”, but it is likely that only nar-
row and slender blades made
Because the katar’s blade is in
line with the user’s arm, the
basic attack is a direct thrust
identical to a punch, although it
could also be used for slashing.
This design allows the fight-
er to put their whole weight
into a thrust. Typical targets
include the head and up-
per body, similar to boxing.
The sides of the handle could
be used for blocking but it
otherwise has little defensive
capability. As such, the wielder
must be agile enough to dodge
the opponent's attacks and
strike quickly, made possible
because of the weapon's light
weight and small size. Indian
martial arts in general make
extensive use of agility and
acrobatic maneuvers. As far
back as the 16th century, there
was at least one fighting style
which focused on fighting with
a pair of katar, one in each hand.
Aside from the basic straight
thrust, other techniques
include the reverse flipped
pierce, inwards side slashing,
outwards side slashing, cobra
coiled thrust, and tiger claw
pierce performed by jumping
towards the opponent.
 Old katars used in
history during mighal
period
SWORDS
A sword is a bladed melee
weapon intended for slashing
Historically, the sword
or thrusting that is longer than
developed in the Bronze Age,
a knife or dagger, consisting
evolving from the dagger; the
of a long blade attached to a
earliest specimens date to
hilt. The precise definition of
about 1600 BC. The later Iron
the term varies with the his-
Age sword remained fairly
torical epoch or the geograph-
short and without a crossguard.
ic region under consideration.
Thrusting swords such as the
The blade can be straight or
rapier and eventually the smalls-
curved. Thrusting swords have
word were designed to impale
a pointed tip on the blade,
their targets quickly and in-
and tend to be straighter;
flict deep stab wounds. Their
slashing swords have a sharp-
long and straight yet light and
ened cutting edge on one or
well balanced design made
both sides of the blade, and
them highly maneuverable
are more likely to be curved.
and deadly in a duel but fair-
Many swords are designed for
ly ineffective when used in a
both thrusting and slashing.
slashing or chopping motion.
The koftgiri swords are not
used in war purposes. But
those are used at the time
of crowning new king were
the new king raise these
weapons towards the peo-
ple to show his streangth.
Also the kings were having
an attraction towards these
weapons to keep good de-
signed works with them.
In the modern age also the
politicians in northern india
continues to this same prac-
tice rarely during election
campaigns and other func-
tions by raising the sword..

(image credits: pintrest)

OTHER
WEAPONS

Shields and axes

 khukri

swords
MOKUME
Mokume-gane(,Mokumegane) Mokume-gane has been used
is a Japanese metalworking to create many artistic objects.
procedure which produces Though the technique was first
a mixed-metal laminate with developed for production of dec-
distinctive layered patterns, orative sword fittings, the craft is
as well as that laminate itself. today mostly used in the produc-
tion of jewelry and hollowware.
Mokume gane translates closely
to "wood grain metal" or "wood
eye metal" and describes the
way metal takes on the appear-
ance of natural wood grain.Mo-
kume gane fuses several layers
of differently coloured precious
metals together to form a sand-
wich of alloys called a "billet."

Numerous ways of working the

mokume gane create diverse
pattens. Once the metal has
been rolled into a sheet or bar,
several techniques are used
to produce a range of effects
DAMASCUS
As humankind grew with met-
als, a number of techniques
began to be used. These
techniques were either discov-
ered on the subcontinent, or
borrowed from neighbouring
civilizations. Damascening is
one of the techniques that
came to India from Damascus,
Syria. However, it is not as sim-
ple as that. In fact, it was In-
dia that exported the alloyu-
kkusteel to Damascus, where
swords and armours were
made with the technique of
damascening.
Damascus swords and knives
dominated the weapon indus-
try from the Iron Age to the
Viking age. Its origins can
be traced back as far as 500
A.D. In India, it was called
Telangana Wootz or Ukku steel.
It then found its way to Da-
mascus, Syria, which was the
centre of trade in that region
for war equipment such as
knives, swords and armour.
The steel that was forged by
the sword smiths of Ancient
Damascus was such a well-kept
secret, that it cannot be per-
fectly replicated even today.
With the advent of firearms,
the secret was lost and
never fully rediscovered,
despite many efforts.
The mysterious story of dam-
ascening is an intriguing one.
The reputation and history of
Damascus steel has given rise
to many legends, such as the
ability to cut through a rifle
barrel or to cut a hair falling
across the blade. Despite the
fact that the original craft is no
longer in use, its modern day
versions are still sought after
in the market, in the form of
blunt swords, kitchen knives,
cutlery, paper weights fin-
ger rings, et al- Modern day
Damascus steel is a very
sought after commodity.
A version of this craft is car-
ried on in Udaipur in the state
of Rajasthan, in India. This
document is an attempt to doc-
ument the past and the pres-
ent of the craft form, which
is on the verge of extinction.
It is hoped that the docu-
ment interests certain curious
minds to explore further and
develop contemporary uses
out of both the steel and the
technique.
It is believed that the origi-
nal Damascus steel swords
may have been made near
Damascus, Syria, in the peri-
od from 900 AD to as late as
1750 AD but quickly gained its
reputation during the Crusades.
There are many reasons cit-
ed by scholars. Apparently
the process was lost to the
middle-eastern metal smiths
around 1750 AD, possibly
because sources of ores
containing trace amounts of
tungsten and/or vanadium
needed for its production were
d e p l e t e d .
It is said that in India till the
19th century swords and dag-
gers of ukku steel were made
at centers including Lahore,
Amritsar, Agra, Jaipur, Gwali-
or, Tanjore, Mysore, Golconda
etc. although none of these
centres survive today.
However, some of the finest
swords and artifacts of Da-
mascus steel seen in museums
today are from the Otto-
man region i.e. Turkey. De-
spite all the knowledge and
technological advances of
the 21st century, people are
still debating the mechanism
through which such beau-
tiful patterns were formed
on Damascus blades
The various steps in making the da-
mascus steel. A big bundle of mild
steel and carbon steel almost 94 lay-
ers are forged repeatedly and dipped
into the sulphuric acid after draw-
ing the wanted patterns and ham-
mered with nails by making grooves
in it. After taking it from the sul-
phuric acid the carbon steel will be The various steps
burned and the mild steel remains in making
to give the patterns in damascus Damascus
CHALLENGES
As mentioned earlier, the making
of Kofatgiri craft is labour
intensive, due to hard work
the youth work force is thus
gradually shifting to other
avenues of lively hood.
Other factors affecting the
craft are non availability of
a variety of Raw materials.
Kofatgiri is a year round activity
which is only stopped during
the monsoon season the
storage of material is necessary.
Thus a large inventory
of raw material is to be
maintained, some of these
being very expensive. Hence
because of this reason many
artisans are finding it difficult to
continuously practice this craft.
There are certain process
where women folks can easily
And the knowledge of
the younger generation
do the work helping the men is not complete, and it is
folk with the craft in the unite doubtful that the next
but due to house hold pres- generation will carry on the trade.
sure they generally do it at Most of the grand children in
their own home while doing the families help, but they also
family chores and looking af- go to school, and will probably
ter their children. This factor attend college, thus the
also effects the production of craft may face a grim
the craft as many unites are future, creating it a
unable to function to the full languishing craft of Rajasthan.
capacity as the constant la-
bour is not available to Although the strength of this
complete the work order. craft is the use of iron and
steel, it still faces a problem
because iron catches rust and
In Rajasthan some families
therefore cannot be worked
are the last to pass down the
on during the rainy season.
knowledge of making weapons
Hence this craft facing
and armour.
the challenge of time and
suitable climatic conditions.
MARKET
According to the artisan Mr.Anil
Kumar the demand for this craft
has not decreased it is just there
in the new form. He also quoted
that "I used to sell koftgiri
products in the local market.
But now I am not doing this. The
reason is that people in this era
has no idea about the value of
this product.So the business
trick that I am using is that I am
selling this product only
through online market.
The peopole in the foreign
countries understand the val-
ue of this product so they have
demand for this product. But
most of the artisans send this
product in the local market
and they sell this prod-
uct in an amount
that the people can afford”
In local market a local dag-
ger of 12 inches is available for
69 $(4899 Indian Rupees) in
the online market and 2000
rupees in the local market.
Also he mentioned that
people are treating this work
like any other knifes or swords.
my view points
"When we were arranged to do
craft documentation; What I have
thought is a kind of experience
which consist of learning about
a craft and some trip will also be
there. As we have thought first
of all experiencing Rajasthan was
a great part I have never been
to North India before. Walking
through Rajasthan each and
every moment was a different
experience.Comparing with Kerala
some seems similar and some
generates a lot of wonderment.
We walk through the mustard and
wheat fields just like our paddy
fields in kerala. We experienced
a homely life in bassi, and pan
spitting Sreenathji devotees in
Nathdwara. Where I have seen
half of human and ‘holy cow’s ‘
population all over.
Eye glittering Jaisalmers golden I was also had a very much
streets were also experienced. beloved artisans who considers
Vast and wild deserts . Wild in the us like their children, with a ‘free
sense of both human wildness gift’ that he has given me .
for money was also experienced . The Horse headed
dagger which I have
Talking about the craft there was got from his heart...”
always a love in me for weapons
not because I love violence but
I feel when you see a sword or
knife...The pride that you urge.
Also as a fan of stories and
myths , most super heroes
were having a weapon which
he could conquer thaeir villain.
That drives me towards Koftgiri
which made me study the craft
with full pleasure and interest
till the completion of the
document. The master skilled
talents always mesmerises my
eyes , their speed and easiness
to do tough works and designs
REFERENCES
www. ohmyrajasthan.com

www. forhex.org

Damascening the, Inlay of Gold. “Koftigiri-Weaponry.”

DAMASCENING (n.d.): n.

pag. Web.
Swords and Knives.(n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015,
from http://at kinsonswords.
com/sword-making-and-decoration/decoration/koftgiri.html
<https://www.academia.edu/4034805/The_Use_of_Flora_and_
Fauna_Imagery
_in_Mughal_Decorative_Arts>. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015, from
http://www.craftrevival.org/CraftArtDetails.asp?CountryCode=In-
dia&CraftCode=003389
Languishing crafts IICD craft documentation Jaipur
CREDITS
Student Assistant
Vishnuprasad
Anjali S
ARTISAN
Anil Sikligar (Lalit)
S/o Kanhiya Lal S-63, Eklovya Colony,

3 generation continues..
Mulla Talai, Udaipur,Rajasthan-313001
Mobile no: 09314488252
(All the photographs shown are taken by Amal C Vijay and friends,
except some which are given credit in the photographs itself)
KSID