Ein Beitrag zur Entwicklung des indischen Stoßdolches, genannt Katar oder Jamdhar *

Frau Erika Uhlmann und Herrn Prof. Dr. Werner Uhlmann † gewidmet

Abstract

This short paper wants to draw attention to the development of the Indian Katar or Jamdhar, which was probably the world’s most effective dagger ever forged. All the more, it is incomprehensible that the distribution of this very Indian weapon was only limited to the subcontinent. Its name has been the subject of discussion by several authors, of which the majority has accepted the former term. As R. Elgood (2004) has dealt in detail with the Katars of southern India in his most excellent book, I shall concentrate on those of the north of the subcontinent.
The most interesting part of the Katar is the fork - shaped hilt, which permits its owner to shift his whole weight into the thrust while holding the 1 – 3 handle - bars. The blades of the Katars of northern India, other than most of those of southern India are made of excellent Wootz – steel. The blade is always double edged and mostly straight. Hilt and blade are usually forged in one single piece. If not so, the blade is welded into the base of the hilt, which is generally the case in southern India. The hilts and occasionally also the blades of better daggers are often most carefully decorated, for instance with steel engravings and the typical Indo - Iranian gold – koftgari (fig. 2 – 5). There are several hybrid Katars, such as those with two or three blades, blades which open into three separate ones while pressing the handle – bars, or blades which shelter scabbard – like a second blade (fig. 1, 8 – 10).
From the early 16th century onwards, south Indian temple sculptures and miniature – paintings from north Indian manuscripts, furnish us with a great deal of details on the development of the shape, the decoration and the chronology of the Katar (fig. 10 – 12). Yet due to the lack of archaeological implements, we know nothing of the geographical and chronological origin of the Katar.
Recently I was introduced to three papers dealing with the goddess Mahishasuramardini, among others also showing a sculpture of this goddess in the Gauri – temple of the Lingaraj premises in Bhubaneshwar in Orissa. This temple and hence, the sculpture is dated from the end of the 11th to the beginning of the 12th century. In her lower right hand the goddess holds a Katar – like dagger (fig. 1, 1 and 9)! Its hilt does not yet extend beyond the only handle –
bar. The lack of the necessary support of the extensions of the hilt makes this dagger rather useless for an arm. As the goddess carries her two other major arms, khanda and trishula, this proto – katar might only have been a kind of a ritual knife. This might explain why so many
Mahishasuramardini – sculptures from all over India, except for one of the early 16th century from close to Daulatabad (fig. 8), are not equipped with a Katar. Due to the age of this so far oldest known proto – Katar, one may at least determine that the Katar is a “pukka” pre – Moslem Hindu dagger! We unfortunately still do not know where it has actually been invented but this might well have been done somewhere in the Deccan.
The development of the classical later Katars of the 16th century onwards, seems to start with broad blades, simple hilt – bases and likewise simple handle – bars. Later ones show narrow blades with partly an almost square point, with double S – shaped hilt – bases and elaborate
handle – bars (fig. 2 – 4 and 13). The most recent examples of Katars are shown on a few Udaipuri miniatures of the 2nd half of the 19th century. One miniature, being as late as from 1875, eventually closes the history of this most outstanding Indian dagger which was so highly esteemed by Mughals and Rajputs for many centuries.