Talwar

Talwar
19th-century talwar, with typical disc-hilt and knucklebow, North India, crystalline wootz steel blade unusual in having a yelmen. The hardened cutting edge has been fused (scarf welded) to a softer, more flexible heel (a common practice in Indian swords), silver koftagri decorated hilt, red velvet covered scabbard.
Type	Sword
Place of origin	Indian Subcontinent
Production history
Produced	Early types from ca. 1300, the classic form from ca. 1500 to present.
Specifications
Blade type	Single-edged, curved bladed, pointed tip.
Hilt type	Unique Indian "Disc Hilt"
Scabbard/sheath	Leather or cloth covered wood & the same with metal mounts, all metal and leather covered metal.

The talwar (pronounced [t̪əlʋaːr]), also spelled talwaar and tulwar, is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian Subcontinent, and is found in the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The Hindi word Talvār originated from the Sanskrit word "Taravāri " (Sanskrit: तरवारि) which means 'one-edged sword'.

The talwar originated alongside other curved swords such as the Arab Scimitar, the Persian shamshir, the Turkish kilij and the Afghan pulwar, all such swords being originally derived from earlier curved swords developed in Turkic Central Asia. The talwar typically does not have as radical a curve as the shamshir and only a very small minority have the expanded, stepped, yelman typical of the kilij.

The talwar was produced in many varieties, with different types of blades. Some blades are very unusual, from those with double-pointed tips (zulfikar) to those with massive blades (sometimes called tegha - often deemed to be executioner's swords but on little evidence). However, all such blades are curved, and the vast majority of talwars have blades more typical of a generalised sabre.

Many examples of the talwar exhibit an increased curvature in the distal half of the blade, compared to the curvature nearer the hilt. Also relatively common is a widening of the blade near the tip (without the step to the back of the blade characteristic of the yelman of the kilij). The blade profile of the British Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre is similar to some examples of the talwar, and expert opinion has suggested that the talwar may have contributed to the design of the British sabre.