Indian Hunting Sword

Price: $8,500.00 · Region: India · Type: Daggers

This most unusual Indian hunting sword hails from Trichinpoloy (known as Tiruchirappalli today)—an ancient city in the state of Tamil Nadu that was once a French concession of South India and later one of the most important cities under the British Raj.  The sword boasts a rare, opulent and ambitious application of Trichinpoloy silver, the silversmiths having incorporated the ‘swami’ style of Madras to develop this unique fashion of dense and fine relief work. Heavily mounted with the silver, the sword features a straight, partially double-edged blade that terminates in a sharp, central point. The cross-guard concludes on each side with a makara head.

The lavishly decorated grip shows a variety of interesting subjects, all beautifully rendered. Look for: an elephant dressed for a procession; a large depiction of Saraswati, goddess of music, art and knowledge riding a peacock; the Trichinpoloy hill fort with flag aloft; Shiva as Nataraja; Matsya the fish god as an incantation of Vishnu; and finally Lord Krishna resting on a Nandi cow, playing his flute.  Capping the pommel is a further ornamented elephant, striding within an oval frame. The wooden scabbard is covered in worn green silk.  Flowers and foliage provide a backdrop for the flamboyantly decorated silver repoussé that shows Hindu scenes of mythology and the architecture of Trichinpoloy. 

The scabbard is mounted with a throat-piece decorated with floral patterns, a central V-shaped mount with similar decorations, and a chape with a Trichinpoloy temple in a typical ‘Trikula’ tiered arrangement on one side and another architectural design on the other (perhaps depicting an inner building with columns either side and steps leading to three arches).

The stylistic inspiration for Trichinopoly silverware came from the stone carvings of local temple architecture, particularly those of the huge Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple on the holy islet of Srirangam on the opposite side of the Kaveri River from the Rock of Trichonopoly. Standing on a site of 156 acres, this temple is the most important of those disdicated to Vishnu. It is also the largest temple in India and the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world. Silver objects from Trichinopoly are usually made of a heavy gauge of silver, occasionally gold, and highly decorated with fine detailing.

The quality of the material and the craftsmanship is very high. In the early 19th century, the majority of silver items made in Trichinopoly were small portable objects of a personal nature, such as jewellery, small boxes, card cases, tinder tubes and goblets, rather than domestic items.  Most customers would have been male military or East India Company personnel, serving in Trichinopoly alone and without families. The British East India Company had finally conquered Trichinopoly and made it part of the Madras Presidency in 1801 and it became an important strategic stronghold for the British.   

Trichonopoly’s geographical situation gave it an excellent vantage point over the surrounding countryside. In the middle of the town was a rock 300 feet high surmounted by the 7th century pagoda shaped Hindu Ucchi Pillayar temple, dedicated to Ganesh. From the top of the temple there was an uninterrupted view of 40 miles in all directions. The city was extremely well fortified and protected by a four mile long double wall with towers at intervals which encircled the whole city. The outer wall was 18 foot high and fronted by a moat 30 foot wide and 15 foot deep. By the late 19th century Trichinopoly was the second largest city in the Madras Presidency and the centre of the Indian tobacco industry. 

Trichy cheroots were in high demand with millions exported internationally In 1853, the Great Southern India Railway Company was formed in England and the GSIR’s first Indian railway line was planned to run from Negapatam to Trichinopoly. The line was completed on 11th March 1862 when the final section, the 35 mile long stretch from Tanjore to Trichinopoly, was officially opened. The coming of the railway brought more traders and later, visitors, to the town. The increased number of people coming to Trichinopoly, increased the number of customers visiting the silver workshops and these new tourists, or short stay customers, required a different selection of objects to the silversmiths previous customers, with jewellery becoming very popular.

In addition, the railway provided a safe way for customers to travel with their valuables with minimal time and effort. That said, even post railway, most silver objects still tended to be relatively small in size in comparison with the silverware produced in other Indian silver centres like Madras or Bombay.  Trichinopoly silver is far less common than some of the other Indian regional styles, for example those of Kutch or Lucknow. In 1926, an Indian railway guide stated that ‘‘Trichinopoly is one of the biggest markets in the world for rubies." and "Articles in silver and gold are excellently made by the local gold and silversmiths, who are very successful with their repousse work. The cost of well-made silver articles is usually double the value of their weight in rupees".

Provenance: Ex. Runjeet Singh, UK