Home Home » Asia » Pata (1932.89.119)
114 144 355 98 109 358 104 80 97 66 64 74 102 96 107 348 99 105 82 90 86 116 141 135 143 68 146 332 62 76 83 354 139 77 103 137 142 147 140 63 117 94 125 69 70 92 71 67 78 145 136 128 111 131 343 75 110 106 89 132 88 108 134
Previous Previous
Image 63 of 99  
View full size
Next Next
Image 65 of 99  
87 322 119 100 126 95 122 133 79 382 113 127 85 91 72 130 129 121 65 84 228 229 73 314 315 124 81 120 101 123 138 115 93 385 112

Pata (1932.89.119) 

IndiaIndiaPata from India, Asia. Owned by the Maharaja of Jaipur. Transferred to the Museum from the Indian Institute in 1932.


The pata is a double-edged tapering long-sword with a katar-like punch grip inside an integral steel hand-guard and vambrace (arm guard). Said to be the most effective and hardest to master of all Indian swords, the pata was essentially a cavalry weapon used variously from the 16th to the 19th centuries by Moghuls in northern India, Hindu Mahrathas and Sikhs in the Punjab.


The Maharaja of Jaipur owned this example and the padded gauntlet is decorated with silver koftgari Hindu images. These include, on the visible side of the hand guard, Shiva, one of the principle deities of Hinduism - recognisable by his war trident - and, on the forearm section, the monkey hero Hanuman, who represents courage.