Wootz Tulwar, Jodhpur Rajput

A great fighting blade made from high quality wootz.

The steel was lap welded and the wootz pattern is intact at the weld, although it is generally thought that wootz will lose its pattern if it is heated to high temperatures. In order to accomplish a lap-weld like this it should be heated to around the melting point, usually around 1370 degrees Celcius for steel.

Lap welds like these are a desirable feature on blades, and they were seen as auspicious. They were known in Rajasthan as 'garlands' or 'necklaces'.

The hilt is a Jodhpur style "karan shahi", associated with the Marwar kingdom and the Jodhpur Rajput forces. It has a small area of damage on the pommel.

Credit for sources: Peter Dekker, Mandarin Mansion. For more information on lap welds and different tulwar hilt styles, the Mandarin Mansion website has a large glossary of useful articles.