The hilt is embossed in the form of a makara with an elephant emerging from its jaws. The makara is a mythical sea monster, frequently depicted in temple architecture. Through its association with water, it symolizes the unpredictable power of the elemental forces that govern life. The makara is also the vāhana (vehicle) of Varuna, the lord of waters, and of the river goddess, Gangā.
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Title:Gauntlet Sword (Pata)
Date:hilt, 17th–18th century; blade, 18th century
Geography:Thanjavur, Tmail Nadu
Culture:hilt, Indian, Thanjavur; blade, European
Medium:Steel
Dimensions:L. 35 in. (88.9 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.445 cm); D. 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm); Wt. 3 lb. 15 oz. (1786 g)
Classification:Swords
Credit Line:Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Object Number:36.25.1540
[William Ockelford Oldman, London, before 1935; sold to Stone]; George Cameron Stone, New York (by 1934–d. November 18, 1935; his bequest to MMA).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Arms and Armor," December 10, 1996–December 1997, no. 9.
Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Portland, ME: Southworth Press, 1934. p. 486, figs. 619.10, 619.13.
Coomaraswamy, Ananda. "An Indian Crocodile." Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (April 1936).
Grancsay, Stephen V. "The George C. Stone Bequest: Indian and Persian Arms and Armor." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, (July 1937), p. 170, fig. 3.
Nickel, Helmut. Warriors and Worthies: Arms and Armor Through the Ages. New York: Atheneum, 1969. p. 94, ill.
Grancsay, Stephen V., and Stuart W. Pyhrr. Arms & Armor: Essays by Stephen V. Grancsay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 1920–1964. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. pp. 177–85, fig. 63.19.
La Rocca, Donald J. The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Arms and Armor. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996. p. 40, no. 9, fig. 2.
Elgood, Robert. Hindu Arms and Ritual: Arms and Armour from India 1400–1865. Delft: Eburon, 2004. p. 98, fig. 8.60.
Reddy, Ravinder. Arms & Armour of India, Nepal & Sri Lanka: Types, Decoration and Symbolism. London: Hali Publications Limited, 2018. p. 268, ill.
Sohoni, Pushkar. "Paṭṭā: the Maratha sword." Arms & Armour: Journal of the Royal Armouries (April 2025), pp. 133–34, 136, fig. 3.
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