# 19th C. Indian Mace Backscratcher

Status: Sold · Region: India · Type: Other

A unique and quite heavy Indian 19th century Mace formed in the shape of a hand. Featuring superior craftsmanship and markings of high quality on the metal, the piece extends 21 inches total, and the hand is 4 inches long.

The gada is a blunt mace originating from the sub-continent. Derived from metal or wood, it features a spherical head mounted on a shaft with a spike resting on the apex. Outside of India, the piece found use in other parts of Southeast Asia as a silat. It is still used in this fashion in contemporary times.

In combat, the employment of the item is referred to as gada-yuddha. It can either be wielded singly or in pairs, while being handled in twenty various manners. The Agni Purana and Maha-bharata mention a bevy of gada-yuddha techniques like aahat, gomutra, or prabrita. In addition, when coupled with gunpowder, the item has been utilized as a projectile, thereby striking the enemy from an elevated position or from both flanks.

Historically, the piece is the main weapon of the Hindu god Hanuman, an avatara of Shiva. As the god of strength, wrestlers in South and Southeast Asia traditionally worship the deity. The god Vishnu, one of the deities in the Hindu trimurti, also carries a gada in one of his four hands. The warriors Bhima, Duryodhana, and Jarasandha, among others were considered masters of the gada in the Mahabharata epic.