Koftgiri-The Weaponry Craft

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, IT Intergrated Communication Design, 2018-2020, 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

3. Global Presence

14. Katar

2. History

4. Geographical Location

5. The Jorney to Rajasthan 6. Udaipur the city of lakes 7. Practicionar Community 8. Tools

9. Techniques

10. How it is made

11. Design and Motifs

13. Dagger 15. Swords

16. Other Weapon 17. Mokume

18. Damascus

19. Challenges 20. Market

21. References 22. Credits

INTRODUCTION

K

oftgiri is a type of decoration originating in India with the Mughals as a means to decorate arms and weaponry. It can be both an inlay and overlay art. The word Koftgiri refers to the action of “beating� the pattern into the iron, an art of inlaying light metal on a dark one to provide a surface with an ornamental appearance 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 gilder) and the trade as Koftgari.

Koftgiri motifs are traditional with lots of lines and curves which is possible with the handling of Gold and Silver wire. The specialty of Koftgiri 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 using the essential tools. As this craft is labour intensive both women and men are involved in the process.

While thewomen do the initial preparation of the material, final finish and packaging of the objects, the men do most of the heavy manual 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 is a type of decoration originating in India with the Mughals as a means to decorate arms and weaponry.

It can be both an inlay and overlay art. The word Koftgiri refers to the action of “beating� the pattern into the iron, an art of inlaying light metal on a dark one to provide a surface with an ornamental appearance 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 gilder) and the trade as Koftgari.

Koftgiri motifs are traditional with lots of lines and curves which is possible with the handling of Gold and Silver wire. The specialty of Koftgiri 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 using the essential tools. As this craft is labour intensive both women and men are involved in the process.

While the women do the initial preparation of the material, final finish and packaging of the objects, the men do most of the heavy manual labour and decoration.

Metal craft is synonymous with Indian civilization and culture.

Metal craft in India dates as far as 3000 BC. A variety of metals- copper, bronze, silver, gold, iron, and bell metalbegan to be used as soon as they were discovered by humankind.

Metal are used across a variety of applications in the Indian civilization and culture- from religion to war to everyday life to various occupations to royal mints. Pots, pans, utensils, knives, sickles, boxes of storage, artillery, arrows, swords, armour, coins, musical instruments, idols- the list is endless.

GLOBAL PRESENCE

This craft has originated with Mughals –some 500-700 years 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, Udaipur, 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 commercial productions for enhancing

Koftgiri is not a seasonal craft. their expertise, but the market is definitely very small.

There are not much specific changes in the production units, which use the age old techniques to create and practice Kofatgiri craft.

In the earlier times the artisans used to create their own design which used to be 100% wire work. Nowadays, on the basis of order and designs that are provided by the client, 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.

With the changing time the work pattern has also changed as in the earlier times all workers used to complete the work in a single unit. Nowadays, they take the pieces to their home.

Koftgiri is a twelve-month craftwork. But sometimes it is difficult to work in rainy season as during Monsoon, while working sometimes corrosion takes place.

Hence the production is low during this period.

.

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 country 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 distinctintive in all forms of arts and crafts of Rajasthan. .

UDAIPUR

rj27

city of Lakes

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 workespecially damascening and engraving.

The craftsmen of Rajasthan, Udaipur especially, have always shown exceptional skill in engraving, chasing and ornamenting 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. However, they have found a conducive 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 artisans 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 situation 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 better lively hood, such as building 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 curiosity. 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 belongs to the sikilgars community.

His father Kanhya Lal who was doing Koftgiri works is now helping his son. He was doing Koftgiri from his childhood.

They are following their ancestors work dfor generation and still irt is continuing to the future. Mann the youngest of Lalits family who is studying in higher secondary is interested in doing some business in his future.He knows all the process in making koftgiri but he is confused that hew has to take this work forward in his future as a career.His other two daughters Akshi and her sister is doing a different career.

There is a chance that this craft could be extinct.

Lalit is leading a very happy family man Lalit is taking care of his Dad’s business.

According todays trends as he is doing it only in online. He is selling his products through ebay and also he is concerned more about his foreign customers as he earns more. He is tryuing to develop his online customers by making a website called Mokume Media.

TOOLS • Hammer ( Hathodi) •Aron – Ground Hammer.

• Cheerapatti (a tool to cut wire or patti) • Sheet cutter • Pencil • Hand drill • Buffing machine • Chisels (Tankla) • Knife (chirni) • Clamp

• Salai • Angle • Measuring tape • Fevicol • Sheet measuring tool • Gopni (tool for polishing the surface) • Compass • Marker • Burner • Hakik stone • Furnace

Chirni-The tool for hatching the surface

Silver and wire inlay(cheerapatti)

Marking tool Gopni (tool for polishing the surface)

Tools used for marKing

TECHNIQUES There are three Koftgiri techniques: •Te-hen-shah or “Deep inlay”: a pattern is carved into a blade and the silver wire is hammered into the undercut grooves. You can’t feel the pattern on the blade. This is simply called “inlay”.

•Traditional Koftgari: a crosshatching pattern drawn on the blade with a sharp implement (“Silai”, a hard steel needle) followed by heating and pressing with a polish hakik stone.

You can feel the pattern

•Teh-tula: a gold or silver foil is hammered onto a crosshatch or punched surface. This is more of an overlay art. You can feel the gold/silver on the objects. The pattern just looks embossed.

Another technique called “Mulamma” is thought of as imitation Koftgari. It is a way of gold plating (gliding) on steel.

Like Koftgiri, the surface to be gilded is crosshatched. The pattern is drawn with the silai and then very thin gold leave is applied and rubbed with an agate stone, bone, or an ivory burnisher.

Repeated heating and rubbing assures the soft gold is spread evenly and fixed firmly to the surface. A variation is to apply a paste of gold and mercury instead of gold leaf.

Subsequent heating vaporizes the mercury leaving only the gold fixed to the surface pattern..

In each case, the craftsperson uses one or more techniques to erase the cross hatching where it is not holding silver or gold to the surface. Depending on the skill of the craftsman, this may be more or less successful and it is often possible to see some cross hatching remaining even on very high quality items.

The various process is described below ;-

5. the

1.Moulds handles

6. Through chiselling, pattern is created on Gaat.

of blades and are prepared.

2. Chiselling is done to create the pattern.

3. The shape of the handle is cut out from iron sheet of 18-20 gazes.

4. Using Aron and Hathodi the cut pieces are given shape of the handle. The pieces are joined through welding. (The beating process is often preferred for bell – metal and copper particularly sometimes as it is believed to make the object more durable.)

Gaat (scratches on mould) is prepared.

7. Then Gaat is baked until it turns blue in colour for the visibility of the wire while doing Koftgiri.

8. For completing the pattern two-three days could take.

9. After completion Gopni and jade stone is used for polishing.

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.

Since the cuts on the metal are not as deep as with inlay, the soft metal decoration can wear over time with use therefore it is possible produce much more elaborate designs with inlay.

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 History and the History of Rajasthan revolves around warriors and Royal People who commonly used weapons and object d’art to show their pomp and glamour. Since the Kofatgiri 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 practices/ religion/ rituals of Rajasthan.

Koftgiri represents the richness through daggers, swords and other products of royal Rajasthan and India.

Koftgiri represents the richness 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 concentrated 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 district in form of daggers and sword created by the Sikligari community in Mewar district who are the Lohars

particularly working on arms and armours.

There are various designs motifs 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 carvings of huntings and the animals which were hunted by them.

The designs carved by the the artisans who were in present India and the artisans came from persia 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 Kofatgiri are inspired from the Mughal 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 contemporized as per orders and clients requirement. These contemporary 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 traditional article yet as more and more artisans are working according to the client’s design, the artisans are hence adapting their craft practice to produce boxes, cutlery, hunting knives, survival knives and many more small article 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 artisan’s shops in Chatter, but there are still not enough to get by. As a result, many families have started to adapt their skills and make other objects

out of iron that can be used by people in the village, like 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.

because it is the only way they can continue to work

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, play different sorts of roles in different social contexts. In some cultures, they are neither a weapon nor a tool, but a potent symbol of manhood; in others they are ritual objects used in body modifications such as circumcision

Other than daggers

A wide variety of thrusting knives have been described as daggers, including knives that feature only a single cutting edge, such as the European rondel dagger or the Persian pesh-kabz, or, in some instances, no cutting edge at all, such as the stiletto of the Renaissance. However, in the last hundred years or so, in most contexts, a dagger has certain definable characteristics,

· Swords

koftgiri works are done in all of these items · Dagger · Cutter · Buttons · Weapons · Small and big knifes · Candle stand · Plates · Pen holders · Containers · 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

kalaripayattu and gatka today.

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 results 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 real name of this is “Kidaari” is from the ancient Tamil warefare class of weapons. Kidaari derived from the term “Kedayam Ari” meaning the shield slippter in tamil. The name indicates this weapon being used to break down shield walls of enimies and armours. The weapon was used by the Tamil infantry units aka “Kaalatpadai”.

This falls under the “mushtikai” class of the weapon system.

The katar was created in Southern India,its earliest forms being closely associated with the 14th-century Vijayanagara Empire.It may have originated with the mustika, a method of holding a dagger between the middle and index fingerstill used in

“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 “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. It is worn as a symbol of respect 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 throughout the region it became something 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 precaution for self-defense, but also meant to show their wealth and position.

Upper-class Rajputs 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 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.

Modern katar designs may include single-shot pistols built into either side of the weapon.

In the 18th century, some traditional katar were refurbished with this innovation. The pistols 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 covered in gold foil. These katar were shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Crystal Palace, London.

Since then, the weapon 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 connected 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 Indian 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 commonly described as “armour-piercing”, but it is likely that only narrow and slender blades made

this function possible. Such a weapon was capable of piercing textile, mail, and even plate armor. 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 commonly described as “armour-piercing”, but it is likely that only narrow 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 fighter to put their whole weight into a thrust. Typical targets include the head and upper 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 or thrusting that is longer than a knife or dagger, consisting of a long blade attached to a hilt. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographic region under consideration.

The blade can be straight or curved. Thrusting swords have a pointed tip on the blade, and tend to be straighter; slashing swords have a sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade, and are more likely to be curved.

Many swords are designed for both thrusting and slashing.

Historically, the sword developed in the Bronze Age, evolving from the dagger; the earliest specimens date to about 1600 BC. The later Iron Age sword remained fairly short and without a crossguard.

Thrusting swords such as the rapier and eventually the smallsword were designed to impale their targets quickly and inflict deep stab wounds. Their long and straight yet light and well balanced design made them highly maneuverable and deadly in a duel but fairly ineffective when used in a 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 people to show his streangth.

Also the kings were having an attraction towards these weapons to keep good designed works with them.

In the modern age also the politicians in northern india continues to this same practice rarely during election campaigns and other functions by raising the sword..

(image

credits:

pintrest)

OTHER WEAPONS

Shields and axes

khukri

swords

MOKUME

Mokume-gane(,Mokumegane) is a Japanese metalworking procedure which produces a mixed-metal laminate with distinctive layered patterns, as well as that laminate itself.

Mokume gane translates closely to "wood grain metal" or "wood eye metal" and describes the way metal takes on the appearance of natural wood grain.Mokume gane fuses several layers of differently coloured precious metals together to form a sandwich 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

Mokume-gane has been used to create many artistic objects.

Though the technique was first developed for production of decorative sword fittings, the craft is today mostly used in the production of jewelry and hollowware.

DAMASCUS

As humankind grew with metals, a number of techniques began to be used. These techniques were either discovered 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 simple as that. In fact, it was India that exported the alloyukkusteel to Damascus, where swords and armours were made with the technique of damascening.

Damascus swords and knives dominated the weapon industry 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 Damascus, 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 perfectly replicated even today.

With the advent of firearms, the secret was lost and never fully rediscovered, despite many efforts.

The mysterious story of damascening 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 finger rings, et al- Modern day Damascus steel is a very sought after commodity.

A version of this craft is carried on in Udaipur in the state of Rajasthan, in India. This document is an attempt to document the past and the present of the craft form, which is on the verge of extinction.

It is hoped that the document interests certain curious minds to explore further and develop contemporary uses out of both the steel and the technique.

It is believed that the original Damascus steel swords may have been made near Damascus, Syria, in the period from 900 AD to as late as 1750 AD but quickly gained its reputation during the Crusades.

There are many reasons cited 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 daggers of ukku steel were made at centers including Lahore, Amritsar, Agra, Jaipur, Gwalior, Tanjore, Mysore, Golconda etc. although none of these centres survive today.

However, some of the finest swords and artifacts of Damascus steel seen in museums today are from the Ottoman region i.e. Turkey. Despite all the knowledge and technological advances of the 21st century, people are still debating the mechanism through which such beautiful patterns were formed on Damascus blades

The various steps in making the damascus steel. A big bundle of mild steel and carbon steel almost 94 layers are forged repeatedly and dipped into the sulphuric acid after drawing the wanted patterns and hammered with nails by making grooves in it. After taking it from the sulphuric acid the carbon steel will be burned and the mild steel remains to give the patterns in damascus

The various steps in making 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 do the work helping the men folk with the craft in the unite but due to house hold pressure they generally do it at their own home while doing family chores and looking after their children. This factor also effects the production of the craft as many unites are unable to function to the full capacity as the constant labour is not available to complete the work order.

In Rajasthan some families are the last to pass down the knowledge of making weapons and armour.

And the knowledge of the younger generation is not complete, and it is doubtful that the next generation will carry on the trade.

Most of the grand children in the families help, but they also go to school, and will probably attend college, thus the craft may face a grim future, creating it a languishing craft of Rajasthan.

Although the strength of this craft is the use of iron and steel, it still faces a problem because iron catches rust and therefore cannot be worked on during the rainy season.

Hence this craft facing 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 value 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 product in an amount that the people can afford�

In local market a local dagger 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 streets were also experienced.

Vast and wild deserts . Wild in the sense of both human wildness for money was also experienced .

Talking about the craft there was 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

I was also had a very much beloved artisans who considers us like their children, with a ‘free gift’ that he has given me .

The Horse headed dagger which I have got from his heart...”

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=India&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, Mulla Talai, Udaipur,Rajasthan-313001 Mobile no: 09314488252

3 generation continues..

(All the photographs shown are taken by Amal C Vijay and friends, except some which are given credit in the photographs itself)

KSID