HISTORICAL INDIAN ANCIENT WEAPONS || SARANGKHEDA 2018

ANCIENT WEAPONS
छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज के ज़माने के शस्त्र
शिवकालीन शस्त्रे
CHETAK FESTIVAL 2018 , SARANGKHEDA
After having read numerous articles & historical books / documents about the legendary king of kings , Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj , you get to the point where you realize that Maharaj was not just an invincible warrior but also a supremely admirable strategist. He was the epitome of strategic intelligence & that according to me was his greatest weapon at times of war.
Master strategist & an administrator par excellence , Shivaji Maharaj has been the pioneer of extraordinary military tactics such as the Guerilla Warfare , the lessons of which are taught even today , world over !
In order to answer this question , I would like to list out the weapons that were used by the Maratha Army under his command as well as the battle tactics that were employed in the hilly & mountainous terrains of Deccan in order to gain strategic advantage over the invading armies.
Whilst I fully appreciate the significance of standard weaponry in conventional warfare , it is important to note that it’s not only the weapons that win you wars but also an underlying war strategy that helps you fight large & well equipped armies.
The weapons used by Maratha Army during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj included the following :
Some of these Weapons which were light & quick to handle were used for offensive strikes as part of Guerilla Warfare.
1.Danda Patta : This weapon was used by the valiant Baji Prabhu Deshpande at the Battle of Pavan Khind in the vicinity of Vishalgad fort.
2.Kataar : this was a dagger with a H shaped handle.
3.Bhala : also known as Spear. This was commonly used by the infantry.
4.Talwar : or the sword , the most significant weapon on any battlefield in that era. This was the time when some of the greatest swordsmen fought fierce duels on the field. ‘Bhavani’ was the name of the sword that Maharaj used in battle.
5.Khurhad : Battle axe.
6.Dhanushya Baan : the bow & arrow for the unit of archers.
7.Gofan : similar to the Slingshot , this unit comprised of men who were trained to use this traditional weapon in close range & also in the forested areas.
8.Wagha Nakha : Deadly weapon used by Maharaj himself in the Battle of Pratapgarh.
9.Bichhwa : another variant of dagger.
10.Tofa : every fort was well equipped with these cannons. As Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was also the founder of Navy , he had the cannons mounted on his war ships. Thus , strong artillery power was used on ships & forts which made them even more powerful.
11.Apart from these , soldiers of infantry as well as the Cavalry units wore helmets & armour for defence. The Dhaal or the Shield was standard too.
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