Pata (sword): Difference between revisions

The '''pata''' or '''patta''' ([[Marathi language|Marathi]]:दांडपट्टा, {{lang-hi|पट}}) is a sword, originating from the [[Indian subcontinent]], with a [[Gauntlet (glove)|gauntlet]] integrated as a handguard.<ref name=armour>{{cite web|title=Maratha Pata Gauntlet Sword|url=http://www.arms2armor.com/Swords/marathapata.htm|publisher=www.arms2armor.com|access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> Often referred to in its native Marathi as a '''dandpatta''', it is commonly called a '''gauntlet-sword''' in English.

The Mughals developed a variation with matchlock pistols adjoining the handle.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} The hilt also has a long cuff which is usually decorated and in older examples inlaid and embellished with gold and silver. The swordsman holds the weapon by gripping a crossbar inside the gauntlet. The cuff is held close to the forearm by another bar or chain.

Created during the [[Mughal period]],<ref name=knight>{{cite web|title=Swords History - 17th Century AD|url=http://www.knightsedge.com/s-131-17th-century-ad-swords.aspx|publisher=www.knightsedge.com|access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> the pata's use in warfare appears to be mostly restricted to the 17th<ref name=sword>{{cite web|title=History of Indian swords|url=http://www.swordhistory.info/?p=72|publisher=www.swordhistory.info|access-date=16 November 2012}}</ref> and 18th century<ref name=Swords>{{cite book |title=Swords And Hilt Weapons |year=2012 |publisher=Prion |location=Great Britain |isbn=9781853758829}}</ref> when the [[Maratha empire]] came into prominence. It was considered to be a highly effective weapon for infantrymen against heavily armoured cavalry.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} The Maratha ruler [[chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj]] and his general [[Baji Prabhu Deshpande]] were reputedly trained in the use of the pata. When Mughal [[Afzal Khan (general)|Afzal Khan]]'s bodyguard Bada Sayyad attacked Shivaji with swords in the [[Battle of Pratapgad]], Shivaji's bodyguard Jiva Mahala fatally struck him down, cutting off one of Bada Sayyad's hands with a pata.<ref>{{cite book | title = Shivaji and his times | author = Jadunath Sarkar | author-link = Jadunath Sarkar | publisher = Orient Blackswan | year = 1992 | isbn = 978-81-250-1347-1 | pages = 47–52 }}</ref>

Miniature paintings show that the pata was also wielded by mounted cavalry,<ref name=armour/> which has led some modern collectors to erroneously conclude that the weapon was used for thrusting from horseback. However, the restriction on wrist movement would have made it difficult to dislodge the pata from an opponent's body, and doing so while mounted would most likely cause the swordsmen to fall off their horses. Rather, it is more probable that the pata was used in cut-and-run tactics, characteristic of the Maratha army. Cutting technique was practiced by slicing fruit on the ground like lemons or limes without touching the ground. This was and still is a common method of demonstration, often using a flexible blade to facilitate the trick. It is said that Maratha warriors would use the pata when encircled before they fell, so as to maximize the casualties on the opposition. It was to be effective when two soldiers fought together as pairs.<ref name=netsword>{{cite web|title=The Pata and the Manople -- Gauntlet Swords|url=http://netsword.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000078.html|publisher=netsword.com|access-date=16 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.is/20070224125847/http://netsword.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000078.html|archive-date=24 February 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

* {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7niTpIW7dEk|title=Indian gauntlet-sword 'pata' - looking at history, form and martial art|language=EN|website=YouTube|access-date=27 December 2019}}

* {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kEv6lyvs_E|title=Underappreciated Historical Weapons: THE GAUNTLET SWORD / Pata|language=EN|website=YouTube|access-date=27 December 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Weapons of India]]