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Unique collection of antique arms at Bhopal museum

BHOPAL: An eye-catching 18th-century `jireh bakhtar' (chainmail armour) that might have protected a warrior from deadly sword thrusts and a lethal pen-shaped pistol that could be easily kept in the pocket, take pride of place among exhibits in the Arms and Armaments Gallery at the recently-established State Museum here.

Among the weapons is a fancy 20th-century six-barrel revolver from Indore and three 18th-century cannons whose once fire-spewing muzzles are made to resemble tigers' mouths.

``The museum has 16 galleries showcasing prehistoric articles, fossils, excavated objects, sculptures, epigraphs, manuscripts, paintings, a royal collection, textiles, documents, freedom struggle-related articles, stamps, autographs, miniature paintings, coins and weapons,'' Curator Prakashendra Mathur told UNI.

The Marathas used a combination of arms. Although they adopted new types, they did not boycott the older ones. The weapons of Indore's Holkars and Gwalior's Scindias, kept in the gallery, serve as reminders of their history.

The pen-pistol was a unique weapon of rulers and was often a part of their personal collection.

The display includes two cylindrical bombs, one container bomb and `gurja' (metal ball and chain) from Indore.

Firearms exhibited include a `jazail' (generally applied to the heavy Afghan rifle with a forked rest), two matchlocks (where the powder was ignited by a match) guns, a flintlock (flint fixed in the hammer produces a spark that ignites the charge) gun, 16 percussion caps (a thin metal cap containing an explosive substance, such as fulminate of mercury, that explodes on being struck) guns and three percussion cap pistols.

Also seen are four bayonets, seven naked Mughal swords, three Rajput swords, five Maratha swords, a Maratha sword alongside its scabbard, four scimitars, three `gupti' (swordsticks), two spears with bamboo shafts, a shield, 15 daggers, a hand axe, a bow and arrow.

``These weapons are obviously not in vogue in this nuclear-weapons era where the mere push of a button can cause annihilation. So our idea is to familiarise the public with and disseminate knowledge of these weapons of yore,'' Dr Mathur adds.

Yashwantrao Holkar I enlisted the Pindaris in his army. Their main weapon was the Maratha lance that had a length of 12-18 ft. These spears are classified under three categories - `Ballam', `Barchcha' and `Bhala'. A large number of cannons were cast during the reign of Yashwantrao Holkar I at his capital Bhanpura.

The Arms and Armaments Gallery also boasts action-packed paintings. The events depicted are the First Battle of Panipat (April 21, 1526) when Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur dealt a deathblow to the Lodi sultanate, Babur's soldiers at the Battle of Chanderi (1528) against the Rajput Medini Rai, two cavalries on the verge of locking in mortal combat, an engagement near Khuban and a hunting scene.

There are also paintings of an 18th-century matchlock gun with precious stones on the stock, a 19th-century decorated wheel lock gun and a decorated crossbow and arrows. - UNI

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