Pre-modern Warfare:India And Elsewhere

[Hauma Hamiddha]

Traditional Hindu weapons:

1) dhanu=bow

2) iShu=arrow

3) bhiNDipAla=A club hurled by the the arm or rope

4) shakti=spear (a speciality of kumAra)

5) drughaNa= a blade hurled by arm or rope

6) tomara= an axe hurled by the arm

8) nalikA= tube for hurling balls

9) laguDa= a weighted staff that is hurled

10) pAsha= a lasso (a speciality of varuNa)

11) chakra=discus (a speciality of viShNu)

12) dantakaNTaka = a harpoon or a barbed missile

13) bhusuNDi= spiked hammer hurled by a rope



The above are called muktAyudhas or hurled weapons



14) vajra=thunderbolt (a speciality of indra)

15) nishangi= a straight Aryan double-edged sword

15) parashu=battle axe (a speciality of ramo bhArgava)

16) goshIrSha= a cow headed mace for battery

17) asidhenu= a curved sword

18) lavitra= a large blade borne on pole

19) Astara= a chain mace

20) kunta= a lance

21) sthuNa=a knobed club (used by balarama against jarAsandha)\

22) prAsa= a spiked club

23) trishula=trident (speciality of rudra

24) gadA=mace

25) mudgara=mace with spikes on the surface

26) halAyudha= A plowshare

27) musala=pestle

28) paTTisha=halbred

29) maushTika= a weighted glove with spikes on the knucles

30) parigha=A large ball headed mace with a smooth surface

32) mayUkhI= an eletric rod ?

33) shataghnI= fire thrower

The above are amuktAyudhas used without discharge.



The above 33 are supposed to have emerged first from the vertebra and skull of the bhArgava R^ishi dadhichi.



from the nIti by bhArgavaH ushaNas kAvya's nIti shAstra