Tulwar - the sabre of the Indian Mughals

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10 ай бұрын

The tulwar (also 'talwar' and other spellings) was a type of Indian sabre. I've handled a few and they vary quite a lot in feel. Mine is a heavy slasher, while others are far lighter.
Some more (quite old) videos on this kind of weapon:
• Pointing sabres
• Sabre trouble
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Пікірлер: 422

@2prize 10 ай бұрын

He really just exposed Indian hand sizes like that 🫣

@Cheesepuff8 10 ай бұрын

Indian people are definitely smaller noticeably smaller people

@deathbyastonishment7930 10 ай бұрын

@@Cheesepuff8It definitely varies depending on region and class, people from Kashmir were close to the height of contemporary Europeans for example

@bilbo_gamers6417 10 ай бұрын

you'd have to imagine, back when this was made, people in general had smaller hands because they didn't have as much food, so most people would just be smaller stature in general. so smaller hands is no big shock lol.

@Cleisthenes607 10 ай бұрын

People were smaller in the 18th century. Go visit dutch houses made in the 17th century, the ceilings are very low for modern dutch.

@SierraNovemberKilo 10 ай бұрын

@@Cheesepuff8The Lindy is well over 6ft himself he's hardly representative of a typical Indian. Its likely, even in tall Indians that their hands are slim too.

@Woobeone 10 ай бұрын

Matt Easton has a video about it. He said that those handles are made to size. There are big ones as well

@baylego 10 ай бұрын

So what you're saying is that Indians have tinny hands, right?

@clothar23 10 ай бұрын

If they're made to size why out of the hundreds of antique tulwars I have seen not one fits my hand. I may be a tall guy at 195cm but plenty of Indians I have met equal me in size. Hell a few surpassed me. So there are guys in India my size. So by that logic there should be an original tulwar that fits my hand. And yet the search goes on. And has gone on for decades at this point.

@casbot71 10 ай бұрын

@@clothar23There are guys _now_ who are your size, but historically with a purely traditional Indian diet there might have not been...

@blacktea9776 10 ай бұрын

@@clothar23 well to be fair the average male height in india TODAY is approximately is 5'6, and seems to be in decline. Given that the Tulwar we know has been produced since the 1500s I'm willing to bet that people were MUCH smaller in India throughout history, especially when you consider how far nutrition and food availability have come and how much that can impact a population's size. I don't know how big you are, but by the sounds of it the likelihood of someone your size both existing back then and also commissioning a tulwar to be made in a size that fits your hand is pretty low.

@clothar23 10 ай бұрын

@@casbot71 I fail to see why not. The Hindu faith doesn't ban meat entirely. And while the Sikh faith does they're a minority in India. Not to mention even a traditional Sikh diet with its vegan restrictions has just as much protein and calories as anything the modern world would possess. And being a trade hub even back in antiquity would mean access to foods from the world would be a thing. Let us not also forget in traditional Indian society a Warrior was part of a privileged caste . Beaten only by nobility and the priesthood. So they would have eaten better than most. Not to mention trained as rigorously as any modern soldier. And their parents would have as well. That's a recipe for a tall and well built person.

@astronautindisguise 10 ай бұрын

Notably used by Dick Sharpe to save Sir Arthur Wellesley at the battle of Assaye, an act that earned him a commission from the ranks and a swanky telescope.

@sticy5399 10 ай бұрын

A telescope later smashed by a short sighted french man.

@madsam7582 10 ай бұрын

@@sticy5399 Then boi lost his glasses. Justice!

@wangusbeef86 10 ай бұрын

haha "Dick Sharpe"!

@theodorepinnock1517 10 ай бұрын

"Look out, that's not a tulwar, it's an odachi!" "What's the difference?" "Well a tulwar is of Indian descent while an odachi is Japanese. While both are primarily slashing weapons the tulwar was favoured by cavalrymen as opposed to an odachi which was mainly used for dick-measuring!"

@fohkens 10 ай бұрын

Ahh good, I knew this was gonna be here

@heliotaxis 10 ай бұрын

The point is that "a nodachi's a little bit longer than a talwar, so it'll have more reach and do a bit more damage".

@icebergo8571 10 ай бұрын

Thank god. I was going to lose hope

@clothar23 10 ай бұрын

Abridged Kirito , not the hero SAO wanted....but the one it deserved.

@Lattamonsteri 10 ай бұрын

From total war shogun 2 i remembered that odachi was a 2-handed weapon but now im confused

@CodaMission 10 ай бұрын

Bro literally acquired a Tulwar the same week as me and explained my biggest complaint about it. I will say that the finger out feels incredibly intuitive, but would obviously be risky in combat

@bootsontheground4913 10 ай бұрын

He has YOUR Tulwar

@CodaMission 10 ай бұрын

@@bootsontheground4913 Mine is gold with red velvet because I buy gawdy things. Checkmate

@MrPanos2000 10 ай бұрын

@@CodaMissionuh oh, replica alert

@MrEmiosk 10 ай бұрын

Not really. By how you use 'em you have a lot more important problems then a risk of your finger. It is virtually impossible to get hit down at the guard, unless you use a static guard and intentionally present the grip to block a strike.

@CodaMission 10 ай бұрын

@@MrPanos2000 booo gatekeepers suck in any fandom

@Yomabo 10 ай бұрын

I actually have a tulwar at home. Don't know if it is an original. But I agree with everything you say, the handle is just painful to hold. Also as you said, putting your finger over can be done, put it really hurts and doesn't provide as much control as you want

@StuBoIsEpic 10 ай бұрын

That rules. Is it a family heirloom of sorts? My grandfather's katana is with my aunt's family. I secretly wish it was mine.

@1schwererziehbar1 10 ай бұрын

You have a Tulwar at home? Big deal. Who doesn't?

@Yomabo 10 ай бұрын

@@StuBoIsEpic not really, but I did inherite it from the uncle of my mother. I think he got it from someone he knew, because we have no idian or Indonesian family.

@Yomabo 10 ай бұрын

@@1schwererziehbar1 you?

@1schwererziehbar1 10 ай бұрын

@@Yomabo Okay you got me I don't. 😢

@qasimmir7117 10 ай бұрын

I recall the steel that ‘Arnander’ was made from was said to be prone to rust. Maybe a video about how you maintain your swords?

@manticore117 10 ай бұрын

Most blades are prone to rust due to using high carbon steel. This is why swords and blades are oiled to create a barrier to prevent oxidation or any oils from your skin corroding the steel.

@qasimmir7117 10 ай бұрын

@@manticore117 Yeh I know but some of those steels are more prone to corrosion than others. I just wanted to see how he maintains his blades.

@coryman125 10 ай бұрын

Kinda funny how this channel has gone full circle back to the really short videos

@andrewcapon6794 10 ай бұрын

Lindy is now my favourite sword KZfaqr

@reshabraina9669 10 ай бұрын

There is a particular way to hold talwar most of kshtriya were of quite big stature you should ask asanta orwatch video of gurudev nidar singh in which he shows correct way

@crzahmed9707 8 ай бұрын

He's using the Mughal Tulwar so maybe it's a different use

@reshabraina9669 8 ай бұрын

@@crzahmed9707 you are saying right mughal sword have medium size discs to its easy than some talwar but still you have to use whole body i personally have tested both methods of handling the other way it much better you can easy change direction midway

@Thoroughly_Wet 10 ай бұрын

Idian hands aren't small, you're just a european Giant

@clothar23 10 ай бұрын

While Lloyd is big even by European standards the Indians aren't exactly a short race. Which alongside the facial hair makes them atypical of the rest of Asia. So it stands to reason something is up with most tulwars.

@user-ju9ii1hf3v 5 ай бұрын

That's a child's sword. Bullshiteing is easy on youtube these days

@Slim7073 10 ай бұрын

I would love to see more Indianarms being discussed on your channel.

@aryasingh5446 3 ай бұрын

At that time every warrior used to have there own handsize customized ' Talwar ' accordingly to there hand size by Iron smiths (Lohars) 😭

@edgarbanuelos6472 10 ай бұрын

I could listen to Lindy talk about historical weapons for hours.

@a_malicious_tea2658 10 ай бұрын

Man i love your new shorts for these little bits of history

@_Ciiitron_ 10 ай бұрын

tulwar (pronounced thal-waar) just means sword in hindi, urdu, and related languages. The word doesn't denote any specific style or type of sword. Similar to the word katana in Japanese.

@shermuhammadkhan3383 6 ай бұрын

I Disagree! native urdu speaker here and whilst yes talwaar is the generalisation we use in modern urdu/ hindi for sword , that's just because of how ubiquitous it has become, in my opinion talwaar is a type of sword, and there's other words to refer to other types of swords too, like the khanda, shamsheer and the firangi! Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

@salilphansekar9557 6 ай бұрын

Talwar means tal - bottom n waar means slice/attack meaning slicing thru the bottom😊😊😊

@ali.k3846 5 ай бұрын

True

@NightmareBlade10 10 ай бұрын

Awesome video! I love how you show off a lot of these underrated weapons from other cultures! Indian weapons especially have some really cool designs like the Urumi, Chakram, Bagh Nakh, and my personal favorite, the ancient Maduvu/Madu.

@mmmmm4214 10 ай бұрын

Lindybeige in short form is wild. Used to listening to 2 hours of talking tweed.

@jaytucker7873 10 ай бұрын

I love that even though I didn't have my headset on to listen just yet, I could immediately read Lindys lips in perfect Lindy inflections as he said "This is a tulwar!"

@williamkibler592 10 ай бұрын

I used to watch you like 6 years ago I'm so happy i found you again friend! You look good in short form

@Dandalore 10 ай бұрын

People in general were just smaller back in the day than we are now.

@p3ter9000 10 ай бұрын

@lindybeige The handle size of 1-handed swords may be a good video topic. In the Met Armory, both European and Turkish swords seemed to have that very small handle. It seems especially odd considering they would be wearing gloves. It would seem that either the little finger wraps around the pommel, or that the thumb braces against the cross guard.

@kristofevarsson6903 10 ай бұрын

One of my favorite, more obscure swords. Although I think my absolute favorite is either the shotel or the khopesh. Sickle-Sword VS Axe-Sword.

@d.esanchez3351 10 ай бұрын

Oh I love Falx as 2 handed swords. Sickle swords are pretty awesome.

@kristofevarsson6903 10 ай бұрын

@@d.esanchez3351 Sica if you want a shield with that curvature. Or you can stick with the falx if you're aiming for the eyes of the guy behind the guy across from you.

@ceoofgg553 10 ай бұрын

Fellow indian here, That one is actually more of a show piece sword of kings Its not for the fighting thats why the handle is that small. Yes we have one in the house. And its used to cut a small/tiny branch of a tree in in desh-hera. To mark the beginning that festival in that town and allow the leaves of that tree to be taken.

@kontoru22 5 ай бұрын

If a straight blade is fitted into such handles, will the sword able to make thrusting motion ?

@actonman7291 10 ай бұрын

He forgot mention that instead of a Frenchman passing by to be touch by that sabre it was a Englishman in this case.

@hominemsinenominea_man_has6067 7 ай бұрын

I own an antique tulwar .. and yes the grips are quite tight on those ones. Over the time i observed the traditional fighting style where they carry a Dhaal (small sheild) to parry. Perhaps the use of tight grips on these is they use the maneuvers of turning their wrists alot by getting closer to their encountering fighter. You can see some videos on that if you search. The style is indeed interesting.

@DCdabest 10 ай бұрын

Tulwar gives me "cavalryman sword" vibes. The way you swing it, the way warfare was conducted in the north west part of South Asia, and the way the grip is constructed just makes it seem like you swing it from the top of a beast of war.

@harkarankhunkhun7544 10 ай бұрын

Infantryman used it as well but warfare in the Indian subcontinent was heavily cavalry based right up until the subcontinent was dominated by Britain.

@crzahmed9707 8 ай бұрын

I think the Mughals used it just for that purpose

@yossarian4253 5 ай бұрын

The way this guy holds the scabbard while pulling out blades... Guess heading for stitch job someday..

@StoicismAcademy 10 ай бұрын

I can imagine this being a good cavalry or downward striking weapon as all energy is at the end making it more forceful travelling towards the earth

@Yomabo 10 ай бұрын

The handle really favors upwards strikes weirdly

@georgehh2574 10 ай бұрын

@@Yomabohich also makes sense for cavalry since you could let the sword hang until in contact with a foot soldier, then swing upwards to cut them. That way it is harder to miss them, as opposed to swinging downwards and timing the strike.

@StuBoIsEpic 10 ай бұрын

Love these sword videos

@Theodosius_fan 10 ай бұрын

Lindybeige shorts are wild

@Random__Dude. 10 ай бұрын

I heard that German blades were widely common. Not exactly because of good quality (people say they were sometimes a bit better or on equal level) but because Germany has somewhat perfected the process of sword smithing to a degree that they were able forge many blades in a short period of time. Therefore many bought blades from them because there were many and they were not too expensive.

@Zajuts149 8 ай бұрын

Yes, cost was definitely a factor. German blades of high quality were produced on an industrial scale in the 19th century. Though there were Indian blades of higher quality, they were more expensive, and not as quickly produced. High status people could afford an Indian Wootz blade for their tulwar, but they would use the affordable steel for the lower ranks of their regiments.

@Ripotes 10 ай бұрын

you telling me the White Scars been swinging indian swords around this whole time? that doesnt seem right

@JinKee 10 ай бұрын

No proposition Euclid wrote No formulae the text-books know, Will turn the bullet from your coat, Or ward the tulwar's downward blow. Strike hard who cares - shoot straight who can The odds are on the cheaper man. -Kipling, "Arithmetic on the Frontier"

@robomonkey1018 10 ай бұрын

Rumor has it the hilt was designed to encourage stop cuts basically slashier slashes.

@akuma4593 5 ай бұрын

"Ya got small hands...." -this guy, probably

@MultiDurgesh123 3 ай бұрын

Small grip was made to make the user hold it in a tight way where it requires the user to use drawing cut

@jlemaire9418 10 ай бұрын

Please do Stoke Mandeville again. I'm of the opinion that everything you've done is remarkable.

@kermitthorson9719 6 ай бұрын

seeing this i can appreciate cold steel's Talwar folding knife

@euanparry7824 10 ай бұрын

Love your videos

@allstarwoo4 10 ай бұрын

The tulwar is fine but I like the shamshir simple but effective design.

@seionne85 10 ай бұрын

I would imagine having your knuckles squeezed into it like that would give it additional stability

@idiotproofdalek 10 ай бұрын

Lindy Shorts! This has made me need to go back and catch up on your longer videos

@mikefm4 6 ай бұрын

My god I can’t imagine how horrific battle was back in those days

@Miata822 10 ай бұрын

Very cool original. Probably fits French hands well.

@21stcenturysquid 8 ай бұрын

That is a ceremonial tulwar Combat tulwars, at least in Nepal, do not have the weird pommel, but a handguard more in the style of a hand and a half sword with a US cavalry saber style guard, (or no guard at all) and a heavy front blade with a full tang and a very heavy blade at almost a third of an inch thick at the back end If you're interested I can show a pic of one used in combat

@Albukhshi 10 ай бұрын

Yes, you hold it differently: you keep your arms bent, and move it mostly with your upper arms and shoulder. The wrist is supposed to be stiff when using this--that's what the disk pommel is for.

@Man_of_Tears 7 ай бұрын

Amazing

@Dyzzzma 6 ай бұрын

Thnaks!

@TimoNoko 10 ай бұрын

Father Noko was using a saber in actual war. Finnish cavalry inherited weapons from Russian hussars in 1918. So in 1939 they had swords and spurs, but horses were soon replaced with bicycles and all sabers were mystically lost.

@AllofArchery 10 ай бұрын

That sword is awesome 😎

@Kreatorisbackyt 6 ай бұрын

That handle is small abd have a round disc at the end because Talwar was used a one hand weapon and it is heavier than european sabets so without these 2 things at the back used to save person from wrist dislocation

@AdamHammel 10 ай бұрын

The thumb over the back guard. The knuckle guard looks like it has a provisional face for the fire and middle fingers to “ride up” the guard. Just a guess, give’r a go.

@eoagr1780 7 ай бұрын

The way to cut is different from what I've seen in many Indian martial art videos

@SeemsLogical 8 ай бұрын

Tulwar is one of my favorite words to say.

@barkae3416 9 ай бұрын

One of my favorite swords

@frankharr9466 10 ай бұрын

A fast run through the world of swords? Cool. What if the knucklebow's damaged?

@palmoftheface4969 10 ай бұрын

Really cool sword!

@beansnrice321 10 ай бұрын

Regarding the grip, my understanding is that it holds your hand instead of your hand holding it. The idea is not to use a firm hammer grip so much as you relax and open some of your grip so that your fingers push into the guard as opposed to squeezing the handle. Your middle and ring finger grip the handle but the other fingers are held more loosely.

@peasantinabottle4609 10 ай бұрын

You know what I love? Weird discrepancies between real life and game mechanics. For example, in Pathfinder 2e, the Talwar can be wielded two-handed and doing so increases its damage. I'm playing a character who fights with a Talwar, looked it up online, and realized that there is no way in hell you can use that sword two-handed lol

@beowulfsrevenge4369 10 ай бұрын

The tulwar is a very cool weapon, pity about the handle being a bit small.

@rahjah6958 10 ай бұрын

I have some Indian antiques, all have tiny grips I’ve always wondered about that

@Armin-tf8uc 10 ай бұрын

If you havent already, would you mind doing a video on the kyu gunto

@BobberLifeStyle 9 ай бұрын

Yes! Indian Tulwars are just beautiful weapons. I own so many of these passed down in my family.

@crzahmed9707 8 ай бұрын

Especially the Mughal ones

@canindian9954 9 ай бұрын

The hand size doesn’t correlate with the handle. Northern Indians have huge hands, you will find kirpans (daggers) with larger handles than khanda or tulwar.

@widgren87 10 ай бұрын

I don't know why but it feels almost wrong to see a Lindybeige "short"... Oh well, it is still Lindybeige so I'll smile and watch ;-)

@EdGeyy 10 ай бұрын

Did I see you at the Hoppings Fair in Newcastle? :)

@troublewakingup 10 ай бұрын

Wonder if the sword in your hand has ever touched blood

@polartechie 7 ай бұрын

I could see how it's useful for slapping around a lot of unarmored opponents maybe. Or maybe the weight of the blade could really impact armor on horseback.

@richardslater3737 10 ай бұрын

I think you do hold it with the index over the guard. Like a sidesword. For great big swings having it there as a fulcrum gives you more control. Imo

@NoHandleToSpeakOf 10 ай бұрын

Tool War? I could not said it better myself.

@sen7826 8 ай бұрын

I have two of those at my ancestral home, but both of them have longer handles. Idk why this one doesn't, or maybe it's longer for me and you're a much taller person than I thought. Note: "Talwar" just means sword. It just so happens that the ones predominantly used here were also sabres.

@sidhukappy2771 7 ай бұрын

Okay 😅 you do know talwars were actually customised according to each individual n it might be possible that this talwar was made for a very young warrior cause before Independence of India learning sword fighting n weapon training was actually part of the Curriculum of Indian Gurukuls ( schools)

@ronmaximilian6953 9 ай бұрын

For over a thousand years, most armies in what is now India and Pakistan have had a lot of light cavalry. This remained true under the British with divisions having a cavalry brigade.

@daycmetrollingdeihatin5100 10 ай бұрын

A talwar guard is supposed to be perfectly snug. So that the weapon cant slide in your hand.... as a cavalry saber you can imagine the torque a sliding hild would put on your arm and wrist during combat... plus with the forms being designed for using the entire arm and a licked wrist to weild the blade it needs to aid that style.

@ImperialCataphract 10 ай бұрын

Could you do a video on a dacian falx?

@antoniosalvatore7986 10 ай бұрын

Behold my favorite Saber like sword

@deadlydestroya 10 ай бұрын

I beleive you are correct about it having a European Blade. Looks like an An series pattern to me.

@IRussian007 8 ай бұрын

The dude is 6'3 telling someone who is 5'8 back then as having small hands. Ye, proportions.

@reesheshsinha5575 5 ай бұрын

Not european blade but some of our sword used europen imported material at that time. Indian talwar design is curved while european used straight blades.

@sudarshankelkar7682 4 ай бұрын

Move your palm a little behind - hold the handle like you are holding a burger or a sandwich - you can put the shape and flexiblilty to use properly

@adityamohan1773 10 ай бұрын

They might have held it with pointer and middle maybe. Like how some ppl hold the battle axes. As it is blade heavy it makes sense to use it like that. Wouldn't need a lot of gripping too and its actually easier and more accurate to manuever that way dont you think

@thebharatiyatraveler5213 6 ай бұрын

Indian handle of sword is small because when you are moving your sword in battle field sword can be slipped from hand if handle is large

@NithinJune 8 ай бұрын

classic british man, owning original indian historical items

@yeshuaservant7 10 ай бұрын

I imagine it was primarily used by the calvary.

@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668 10 ай бұрын

Perhaps they had a loose grip on the index finger to aid in slashing?

@ForeverFree2Play 8 ай бұрын

Even old 'historical' weapons can be unbalanced and unwieldy. Poor bugger probably couldn't even swing his weapon before being cut down, probably why it's condition is so good.

@bosspat7502 3 ай бұрын

Its not only used by mughals but also by the other kingdoms in India

@harrymorant666breaker4 10 ай бұрын

Nice

@Beefonweck 7 ай бұрын

Hey Lindy, given how famous Damascus and Wootz steel are on the internet, why would the Mughal elite choose to use European blades on their swords? It makes me think Damascus/Wootz are the katanas of the steel world.