Kutch Wootz ‘Sirohi’ Talwar

A fine ‘talwar‘ hilted ‘Sirohi‘ from the Kutch region. The ‘Sirohi‘ is of North Indian origin and is preferred among the Rajput due to its heavy, slightly curved blade. The ‘Sihori’ talwar is named after the city where it originates. The hilts vary by region and are traditionally fitted with a ‘Hakim Khani‘ hilt in lavish koftgari decoration or ‘Jodhpur’ hilts also referred to as ”Karan Shahi’ hilt. Our example listed here is mounted on a ‘Hakim Shahi’ hilt with an engraved presentation of floral motives, covered in gilded silver.

The blade:

Classical ‘Sirohi’ shaped, single edged with a false edge near the tip. The forte is stands out and was attached to the wootz blade with a typical scarf weld. The blade itself is forged of Indian wootz, showing a consistent pattern, but lacks the density of Persian wootz. The flat sine graduately tapers towards a sharpened tip.

The scabbard:

Consisting of wooden slabs, covered with green velvet, finished with a golden gallon and mounted on wonderful openwork gilded brass fittings. The gilded copper fittings are typical for the Kutch region in North-West India and are heavily chiseled and embossed depicting a wonderful floral background with a dove on each side accompanied by emerging peacock feathers. The scabbard was respectfully restored by Gotscha Lagidse and fits the blade perfectly. The gilded copper is generally known as the ‘tombaque’ technique and lost some gold, but is maintained in original condition.