Firangi (sword)

The firangi was an Indian sword type that used blades made in Western Europe, particularly Solingen, and imported by the Portuguese, or made locally in imitation of European blades. The name derives from the Arabic term for a Western European, a Frank. It had a long straight blade of 89 to 96 centimetres, either two-edged or, more commonly, single-edged, often with one to three fullers and a spear-shaped point, and could cut and thrust. The Indian basket hilt, identical to that of the khanda, had a spike on the pommel that allowed a two-handed grip. Mainly a cavalry weapon, it is associated especially with the Marathas but was also widely used by the Mughals, Sikhs and Rajputs, and illustrations suggest it developed in the sixteenth century.