10 Deadly Weapons That Originated In India

Before the British came, we had very successful dynasties that set camp on the Indian subcontinent.

That led to a lot of wars. Wars mean military expenditure and innovation. And in this process, many original designs of weapons were conceptualized and created.

After the British left abruptly, India had a lot of difficulty in researching and building weapons that would be original, because of embargoes and bans on the transfer of technologies by western countries.

But even with this debacle, India has developed indigenous weapons that should truly impress you!

1. The Khukuri – the signature weapon of the brave Gorkhas

This weapon is very well known throughout the world because every Gurkha soldier wears it on his uniform, and Gurkha soldiers are commissioned in many countries throughout the world.

The blade is curved and hence is effective in slicing without a lot of force. It is so lethal that a good force can even penetrate the bone.

 

2. The Urumi – a curling blade from Kerala that is one of the most difficult weapons to master

Imagine a sharp sword that is as flexible as a rope. One small mistake and you can chop your own hand off. The sword is steel but is very agile and has a very long blade – typically 5-6 feet long.

And the next level of badass is that some of these swords have up to 32 blades attached to them!

 

3. The Dandpatta – the proud Maratha weapon that can cut through multiple soldiers at once

What if your sword could cut enemies to shreds, and also protect your hands effectively?

What if you could wear two of these swords and be a killing machine? Dandpatta does exactly that. The famed Maratha sword was used effectively against the Mughals by the Marathas.

Even Shivaji Maharaj was an expert with it.

 

4. Katar – unbreakable blades that would cut through armor and mail easily

Katars were small stabbing knives that were forged from broken blades of swords. Multiple swords shards were melded together to form a very strong knife.

Some of the variants of these katars had multiple blades in a single knife that would spread so that it would shred the flesh it was sunk into.

 

5. Bagh Nakha – the famed weapon Shivaji used to kill Afzal Khan

This lethal weapon was used with poison to assassinate too. It could be easily concealed under the palms.

Because of this quality, women were encouraged to carry it when they went to dangerous places.

 

6. Talwar – our own version of a sword

The talwar curves at the end and even thickens in comparison to a classic western sword. This gives it more momentum and slicing ability.

Expert wielders could chop a head off clean.

 

7. Kirpan – the symbol of Sikh resistance

Kirpan might not look intimidating as its counterparts, but the reason behind its induction into Sikh religion is interesting.

After Aurangzeb executed Guru Tegh Singh Bahadur, every Sikh was asked to carry a kirpan, and study martial arts – and become soldier saints. This tradition of defiance against the oppression is why we see the dagger even today.

 

8. Chakkar/Chakram – that would behead enemies when thrown from a horse

A Chakram would be thrown from a horse top and there is basically no defense from it. It would chop and fatally cut down anything in its path.

And soldiers who used it wore multiple chakrams in their arms to keep throwing it at their enemies.

The only disadvantage – It is expendable.

Yes, medieval weapons are awesome, but India has done a great job in producing great weapons in the modern age too –

 

9. KALI – anti-missile technology that can zap missiles mid-air

The KALI (Kilo Ampere Linear Injector) is a one-of-its-kind anti-missile technology. It is a linear particle accelerator that can fire heavy microwave beams to fry enemy missile circuitry mid-air so that it cannot even detonate.

The weapon still needs some time to completely develop for conventional use, but sure made China insecure.

 

10. BrahMos missile – the fastest missile in the world

The BrahMos missile is the fastest missile on the planet. It can fly up to speeds of Mach 3 – that is three times the speed of sound – essentially 1kilometer per second! The closest second is a US missile that cruises at a speed one-third of this.

Which of these weapons would you want to wield?