Not on display

Knife and Sheath

Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
India (made)

The shape of the bich'wa is derived from ancient daggers made of curved buffalo horn. The name is generally taken to mean 'scorpion sting' alluding to its shape and lethality which makes the dagger an excellent close quarter weapon.

Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
India Museum
Object type
Knife and sheath
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Dagger
  • Dagger Sheath
Brief description
bichwa, 'Allah'; Arms, steel, kuftkari, C India. Egerton 494

bichwa; Arms, green fabric steel, kuftkari, C India. Egerton 494
Gallery label
(pre 1993)
Dagger bichwa: doubly curved deeply grooved blade; steel hilt, inscribed; overlaid with gold wire; pommel and hilt in the form of 2 circular discs with cusped edges; sheath green velvet; steel tip; two bands of plaited silver braid
3488 I.S.
Credit line
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879
Object history
As originally arranged and displayed in Exhibition Road Indian Museum galleries until 1955, with some additions while in storage, case F.705
Production
Transferred from the India Museum to South Kensington Museum in 1879
Summary
The shape of the bich'wa is derived from ancient daggers made of curved buffalo horn. The name is generally taken to mean 'scorpion sting' alluding to its shape and lethality which makes the dagger an excellent close quarter weapon.
Bibliographic references
  • Egerton, Wilbraham, An illustrated handbook of Indian arms; being a classified and descriptive catalogue of the arms exhibited at the India museum: with an introductory sketch of the military history of India, London, 1880 p.116
  • Lord Egerton of Tatton, Indian and Oriental Armour, London, 1896, p. 116, Cat. No. 494
Other number
494 - Egerton Catalogue Number
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
3488:1/(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O450284/knife-and-sheath-unknown/
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