The Maharaja of Jodhpur's Guns

About the Book In 1972 11.11. Maharaja Gag Singhji of Jodhpur-Marwar transformed the Rathore's magnificent Mehrangarh Fort into a highly successful museum and cultural centre. As part of this work, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust commissioned this book.

The author discusses the worldwide medieval diffusion of firearms technology and Arab, Ottoman, European and Chinese influences on the development of Indian firearms. Jodhpur was one of the most important military states in Rajasthan, playing a major role in the history of the subcontinent, never more so than during the reign of Maharaja Ajit Singhji (1678-1724) who purchased large numbers of guns when his daughter married the Mughal emperor. Jodhpur owns the best Indian matchlocks in the subcontinent, much admired at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. Successive maharajas have added to the collection, which includes modern British and American sporting guns, shotguns, revolvers and automatic pistols by many of the great makers of the twentieth century, collected by the Maharaja's grandfather, a noted hunter, and his father, a gun designer.

The Maharaja of Jodhpur's Guns is the first book to be written specifically on historic Indian firearms. With more than 350 unique images of guns and Rajput paintings from private collections showing their use, this book offers scholars and collectors the opportunity to see the superb Jodhpur collection and to learn about Rajput traditions relating to hunting and war.

About the Author Robert Elgood, an expert on the arms India and the Islamic world, lectured many countries. He the author or editor of numerous books, the ones being Islamic Arms and Armour (1979), Arms and Armour Arabia (1994), Firearms the Islamic the Tareq Rajab Collection, Kuwait (1995), Hindu Arms and Ritual (2004), Arms Greece and Balkan Neighbours the Ottoman Period (2009), Arms and Armour at the Raipur Court (2015) Rajput and Armour: The Rathores and their Armoury at Jodhpur Fort (2017). has a BA from SOAS Islamic and DPhil in Indian Anthropology from Oxford. He worked at Sotheby's and Wallace Collection guest scholar or at various major museums. He is an independent of the Royal Asiatic Society, London, and the Society of Antiquaries.

Foreword Its believed that my dan, the warnur Bathores first met the firearm in AD 1527 at the historic Khana, early in this book in victorios words Unfortunately, were only on the receiving she Mughal, soon to first Emperor, took my mose esteemed Ran Stalder-then heir apparent-and legendary completely surprise, they were mined by a row of guns, march-lock mortar, serbernd by chain. Avthe eminent historian, Jadunath Sarkar, it. The Rajputs had never seen anything like it before was, in fact, the Raypur Confederacy's swansing, they quite learnt the lesson they could, and perhaps should, the Rathores particularly, preferring end the heady, charge on horse with sword and lance-down 1tail 1918, considered many as the last great cavalry action in history.

Instruments power and beauty, guns inevitably became staros symbols in the later Mughal Age, and my built up quite collection, after generation, dazzling array of weapons in sorts of precious metals and materials, shapes and sizes; some even to used from camel's back. Many of these, works of really, have been display the Armoury in Mehrangarh for some years, is for the first time now that our firearms have been individually and catalogued, exquisite craftsmanship photographically time by Neil Greentree, and Robert Elgood in expert commentary-a sumptuous We remain immensely grateful to him for coming does, so soon after his two-volume magnum opus-the of Mehrangarh's collection of swords, and assorted weapons war and artistry.

them be, they cannot fight without those toys his! Malurana Bijaya Singh the summer 1790, when reported at the legendary French Maratha General De cateon were stuck the mud a riverbed and easy for saking This was in keeping with the chivalric Rajput of warfare was only in the 19th century, the influence the British, that firearms finally became fred accessories not war. It was also soon to be the Golden Age if fetish gun-making India's Staharajas indulged themselves the hunting field Though pig sticking horseback remained Jodlipar's national it was the that travelled far and wide-from blackbock Sardar) to the tiger in Bundi, from the imperial grouse at Gajner the buffalo in East Africa. My grandfather, Umaid Singh, was great shikari and possessed fine weapons, few better than a coloured Holland shotgun, present from my grandmother, exactly a hundred years ago. is no less than any Mughal artifact father, Maharaja Ham want Singh, took his passion for two different dimension: up gun factory imp Mehrangarh and designing own firearms. One of famous inventions, disguised pen-pistol recently suctioned part of the Mountbatten Collection. it there yet another fascinating story in this book!

wonderful and historic pieces are all to be four within these pages. Magnificent, eccentric, they were v much part of our lives, once upon time, if not quite reeve as much as our Marwari horse and sacred sword, beloved none the less.

**Contents and Sample Pages**