Sacrificial Axe
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This axe was probably made for use in animal sacrifice to the Hindu goddess Kali, and has her eye on each face of the blade. The axe is extremely heavy, and the weight is greater towards the end to made the downward thrust more effective, meaning that the sacrifice could more easily be performed in one movement.
It may have been made in Ranaghat in Nadia District, Bengal. The neighbourhood of ironsmiths (Kamarpara) in Ranaghat at one time housed prosperous smithies and forges as cottage industries. The axe was bought from the Annual International Exhibition of 1872 in London by the Indian Museum. It was transferred with much of the museum's collections to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum, in 1879.
It may have been made in Ranaghat in Nadia District, Bengal. The neighbourhood of ironsmiths (Kamarpara) in Ranaghat at one time housed prosperous smithies and forges as cottage industries. The axe was bought from the Annual International Exhibition of 1872 in London by the Indian Museum. It was transferred with much of the museum's collections to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum, in 1879.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wrought steel and wood |
| Brief description | Sacrificial axe ram da, Bengal, ca. 1870 |
| Physical description | The sacrificial axe ('Ram da') has a heavy steel blade with a wooden handle. The handle has brass inlay with brass mounts and gilt finial, inlaid with black and red lac. The grip of the handle is knurled. Human eye and decorative pattern are engraved on each face of the blade as well as the maker's mark: '5.n' in Bengali. |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Transferred from the India Museum in 1879 |
| Object history | Acquired from the Annual International Exhibition (London) of 1872 As originally arranged and displayed in Exhibition Road Indian Museum galleries until 1955, with some additions while in storage, case F.703 |
| Production | May have been made in Ranaghat in Nadia District, Bengal. Kamarpara (neighbourhood of iron smiths) in Ranaghat at one time housed prosperous smithies and forges as cottage industries. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This axe was probably made for use in animal sacrifice to the Hindu goddess Kali, and has her eye on each face of the blade. The axe is extremely heavy, and the weight is greater towards the end to made the downward thrust more effective, meaning that the sacrifice could more easily be performed in one movement. It may have been made in Ranaghat in Nadia District, Bengal. The neighbourhood of ironsmiths (Kamarpara) in Ranaghat at one time housed prosperous smithies and forges as cottage industries. The axe was bought from the Annual International Exhibition of 1872 in London by the Indian Museum. It was transferred with much of the museum's collections to the South Kensington Museum, later renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum, in 1879. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 3085(IS) |
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| Record created | September 30, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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