Shivaji's Sword? Shivaji Chhatrapati Narayana Rao, Raja of Kolhapur presented this highly ornate dagger to the Prince of Wales during the Prince's tour of India in 1875.

Shivaji's Sword? Shivaji Chhatrapati Narayana Rao, Raja of Kolhapur presented this highly ornate dagger to the Prince of Wales during the Prince's tour of India in 1875. Narayanrao is listed as 'Shivaji' in official records of the gift and its display at the Royal Collection. This might be the origin of idea that the sword on display in London is that of 'Shivaji'. This dagger on display obviously isn't a 'sword' but the name Shivaji evokes sentiments among Indians. The blade is made of the finest watered steel. The jade hilt of the dagger suggests that it was not a weapon of war but a piece of decoration, designed specially for exchange as a gift. The steel blade is made of watered steel which was produced by Indian artisans. The stones have been set by pressing them with 'kundan', gold strips that hold the emeralds, diamonds, jade to the hilt. It is said that this technique of using kundan to set precious stones in jade is characteristic of jewellers from India. Some people who have seen the dagger have confused it with Bhawani, the famous sword of the first Maratha Chhatrapati, Shivaji. The Bhawani was not a decorative piece of armour. It was a weapon of war. The Bhawani it is said by some sources, is still in the possession of the Bhonsale family and is brought out during rituals. The Government of India says that it is Jagdamba, the other sword of Shivaji which is with the British royal family. According to reports, the government of India has approached the British prime minister Rishi Sunak to have the Jagdamba returned. Indrajit Sawant has done research on the provenance of the Jagdamba. It is uncertain at this stage how reliable that research is for, among other things, it is said that the Jagadamba was gifted to Shivaji by the monarch of Spain. We shall not pass any judgement at the moment and wait for more direct evidence to emerge.