Maharashtra Government has acquired the famous 'Raghuji Sword' for Rs 47.15 lakh, says CM Devendra Fadnavis

Sotheby`s which conducted the auction on Tuesday, said on its portal that the basket-hilt sword (khanda) was sold for 38,100 pounds. Pic/X

Maharashtra Government has acquired the famous 'Raghuji Sword' for Rs 47.15 lakh, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday.

It is a historic sword belonging to Raje Raghuji Bhonsle, founder of the Bhonsle dynasty of Nagpur, who in 1745 led the battle against the Nawab of Bengal, Fadnavis said on X.

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The sword was acquired not directly but through an intermediary due to some technical problems, the CM informed.

Sotheby's which conducted the auction on Tuesday, said on its portal that the basket-hilt sword (khanda) was sold for 38,100 pounds. The estimate before the auction was between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds, it added.

"The slightly curved, European-style single-edged blade with two fullers and imitation maker's marks towards the forte, the spine gold inlaid with Devanagari script, set in a traditional 'basket'-style hilt fully overlaid with worked gold, the grip covered in green woven wool," is how the global auction house described the sword.

"The inscription in Devanagari script on the spine suggests that it was made for the Maratha general Raghuji Bhonsle (1739-55), who established a large kingdom centred on the city of Nagpur in the north of the Deccan," it said.

"The long straight blade has been marked to appear European in origin. Indian imitations of European blades are in the Wallace Collection (inv. Nos.OA 1452, OA 1455, OA 1811 and OA 1873). Swords mounted with European blades made in centres including Solingen in Germany and in Venice and Genoa were known as firanghi (Frankish) and were sought after in Indian courts. William Hawkins, travelling in India from 1608-13, reported that Jahangir had 2200 swords with German blades in his treasury (William Foster (ed.), Early Travels on India, 1583-1619, Oxford University Press, 1921, p.103)," it said.

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